This is the time of year when ginger cookies have their moment, so I decided to take that classic flavor and turn it into something a little extra: Gingerbread Whoopie Pies. These oversized treats have a soft, cakey gingerbread shell and a creamy, tangy filling. They're tall, fluffy, moist, and spiced up for the holiday season!

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies recipe with a cream cheese filling.

Chilling The Dough

Unlike many traditional Whoopie Pie recipes, this one uses butter instead of shortening. Shortening typically helps cookies hold their shape, so without it, a quick chill is your best friend. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes before scooping; this re-solidifies the butter, helping the cookies set faster in the oven and preventing excess spreading.

I also bake these at 375°F, slightly higher than the usual 350°F. The hotter oven helps lock in the shape. If your cookies aren't spreading enough, simply drop the temperature back to 350°F.

A gingerbread whoopie pie with filling piped out of a pastry bag.

Cream Cheese Frosting

The filling is very similar to a cream cheese frosting, but with more sugar to keep it stable. It's simple, reliable, and perfect against the warm gingerbread spices. If you'd prefer a non-cream cheese option, the filling from my Chocolate Whoopie Pies works well too.

You can spread the frosting on with a knife, but piping it with a round tip gives the finished Whoopie Pies that clean, bakery-style look.

More Tips

Easy Half Batch: The recipe halves cleanly. Use 2 tablespoons of beaten egg for the half version.
Flour Accuracy: I use 500 grams of flour, which equals about four lightly spooned and aerated cups. If you're not using a scale, be sure to stir, spoon, and level. Volume measures can swing wildly with this much flour.
DIY Buttermilk: No buttermilk? Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill to the 6-oz mark with whole milk. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.
Spice Profile: These are heavily spiced. The small amount of cocoa powder doesn't make them taste like chocolate, but rather rounds out and deepens the spices. For a little heat, add ¼ teaspoon cayenne.
For Shortening Whoopie Pies: Swap the 4 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon oil for 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening to get that classic domed, soft Whoopie Pie texture.

Recipe

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Anna

These are so good! Unlike traditional Whoopie Pies, this cookie base does not contain shortening. The filling is a basic whipped cream cheese frosting.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Total Time 27

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour (500 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ⅛ teaspoon salt (reduce to ¼ teaspoon if using salted butter)
1 ½ teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (170 grams)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (12 grams)
½ cup brown sugar, packed (100 grams)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
1 large egg, room temperature
¾ cup mild molasses (250 grams)
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature (170 grams)

Filling:

8 tablespoons cream cheese. softened (114 grams)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (56 grams)
¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
3 cups powdered sugar (360 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper
Carefully measure the flour by weighing it. If you don't have a scale, aerate it well, spoon into the cup and level. Mix the flour with the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and spices.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl, then add the molasses and beat until well blended. Tip: if you use your scale, just set the mixing bowl on it, set tare to zero and pour in the molasses until scale hits 250 grams.
Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beating on low until you have a soft and scoopable dough.
Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. You can skip the chill, but the cookies will be a little bit flatter.
Using a rounded medium cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons per scoop, drop dough on baking sheets about 2 ½ inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies have little cracks on the top and appear set. These are so moist that it's hard to overbake, but it's easy to underbake.
To make the filling, beat the cream cheese, butter and salt with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, then beat in the vanilla.
You can spread the filling between the cookies, but if you have a pastry bag and a half inch round tip, then pipe it out in a big dollop and press downward for a clean look.