Vanilla Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

Whoopie pies are one of my favorite southern treats. You can make them SO many different ways and I love how they're texture is a mix between a cookie and a muffin. Let's just dub it "muffie." Any who, here is a simple recipe that everyone loves to get lost in.


Ingredients:

For "Muffies:"

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
4 Tbsps unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 Tbsps vegetable shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsps milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract (or seeds from a vanilla bean, if you can afford the luxury)

For Filling: 

4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
4 Tbsps unsalted butter (room temperature)
3 1/2 cups (16 oz) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp - 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (it depends on how strong you want it. I go with the full Tbsp)

Process:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Mix and set aside.
3) In a large bowl, cream the butter, vegetable shortening, sugar and brown sugar.
4) After light and creamy, add the buttermilk and eggs. Mix until combined.
5) In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vinegar and baking soda.
6) Combine the milk and flour mixture into your large bowl (from step 3). Slowly beat until combined.
7) Add the vanilla and beat moderately until incorporated. Scraped the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure you didn't miss anything.
8) Drop mounds by the teaspoon, 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until the cakes turn golden brown.
9) Let stand for 3 minutes, before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.
10) While they cool, start making your filling. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and use a spatula to roughly combine. Switch to a whisk after the powdered sugar is mostly dissolved and beat until creamy. Refrigerate to thicken. Then... when your cookies are cooled and your filling is the consistency you want, apply frosting to the flat side of one cookie, and cover with the flat side of another, to make a sandwich. Aaaand done!

They look like little dessert burgers. :D

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Grub on,

--Chels