Recipe by Cali Girl Cooking

If you’ve yet to venture into the world of whoopie pies, now’s your chance! I’ve partnered with my friends at Sonoma Syrup Co. to come up with the easiest, tastiest Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Cream. Because chocolate and peppermint are already the perfect combination, and when you throw in red velvet’s signature vibrant color, there’s nothing more festive.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The recipe can be made in stages, so if you’re a busy mama like me you don’t have to worry about having a big chunk of time set aside to get these made.
Chocolate and peppermint – there’s no better flavor combo than that!
It’s foolproof. You don’t need to be an expert baker to make this stunner of a dessert.
These whoopie pies will be a huge hit with the kids!

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

Butter – Be sure it’s at the perfect room temperature before using!

Brown sugar – This is the only sugar you’ll use in the cookie part. I recommend a light brown sugar, but you could use dark brown in a pinch.

Vanilla extract – Treat yourself to a bottle of Sonoma Syrup Co. Vanilla Bean Extract “Crush” to enjoy the ultimate vanilla flavor.

Buttermilk – This will help your whoopie pies get the perfect rise.

Cocoa powder – Treat yourself to a good Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder like this one here.

Red food coloring – Don’t be alarmed by how much food coloring the recipe calls for. You want the pies to be as vibrantly red as possible!

Cream cheese – Just like the butter, you’ll want to be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to ensure easy mixing. Be sure to use block cream cheese as opposed to the cream cheese you buy in the tub.

Powdered sugar – Be sure to sift it before adding it to the mix so your filling doesn’t get lumpy.

Marshmallow fluff – This is what whoopie pie filling is typically made of (rather than cream cheese) so adding a bit lends the perfect amount of airiness.

Sonoma Syrup Co. Peppermint Simple Syrup – This is where we really make the recipe festive. 

Crushed peppermints – You can either purchase peppermints pre-crushed or just buy a bag of peppermints or box of candy canes and crush them yourself.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
If you don’t have time to complete all of the steps at once, just try to complete one phase of the recipe at a time (for example: make the cookies, make the filling and assemble all at different times.)

First, make the cookies. Cream together the butter and sugar, then adding the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, which will be pretty crumbly and dry once you’re done.

Finally, add the buttermilk and the red food coloring. At this point, the batter should no longer be dry and should have a much smoother consistency.

Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto your prepared cookie sheets and bake in your preheated oven for 12 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through.

Before

After

Now it’s time to make the filling. Combine all of the filling ingredients (minus the crushed peppermint) in a stand mixer, waiting until the end to add the peppermint syrup. You’ll save the crushed peppermints to roll the pies in at the end.

Once you’ve made the filling, spoon it into a piping bag, which you will use to fill the cookies. I like to put my piping bag in a Mason jar (as shown in the photo) to make it easier to fill.

Make sure the cookies are completely cool before piping on the peppermint filling, then pipe enough filling on every other cookie to cover the bottom completely, erring on the generous side because you want enough filling to roll in the crushed peppermint.

Assemble the red velvet whoopie pies by placing one bare cookie on top of one filled cookie. At this point, I recommend refrigerating the whoopie pies for 1-2 hours (or freezing them for a half hour) to get the filling firm enough to roll in the crushed peppermint.

Once the peppermint cream has firmed up, remove the pies from the fridge and roll them in the crushed peppermint as shown.

Enjoy immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week!

FAQS
How should I store these whoopie pies?
Because of the cream cheese filling, the pies are best stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

How long can I store them?
These whoopie pies are best if consumed within a week.

How can I break down the recipe into smaller steps if I don’t have a lot of time?
You can make both the red velvet cookies and the peppermint filling up to three days before assembling, although you don’t necessarily need to make them at the same time. Just be sure to store the filling in the refrigerator and store both the filling and the cookies in airtight containers.

Can I make different flavored fillings?
Absolutely! Feel free to sub any other syrup from Sonoma Syrup Co. for the peppermint. Some other flavors I highly recommend are Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Hazelnut or Almond. You can also get creative with extracts for a bit stronger flavor, but you’ll only need 1-2 teaspoons of extract if you go this route.