Spice up your holiday baking with these amazing gingerbread whoopie pies! These whoopie pies are made of two extra moist and fluffy cakes with a creamy ricotta filling. The cakes are full of molasses and spices for that classic gingerbread flavor. Best of all, these whoopie pies are easy and quick to make, so you’ll be enjoying freshly baked treats in no time!
Why I love these gingerbread whoopie pies
Flavor: Gingerbread is one of my favorite holiday flavors ever! The warm spices are so cozy, especially on cold days. These whoopie pies are made with ground spices, molasses, and brown sugar, for the perfect gingerbread blend.
Texture: These whoopie pies are so fluffy and tender. Thanks to the reaction between baking soda and buttermilk, these whoopie pies are extra light. The brown sugar and molasses also keeps these nice and moist. When paired with the creamy ricotta filling, these gingerbread whoopie pies are like biting into clouds!
What are whoopie pies?
As a New Englander, I thought whoopie pies were common knowledge! It wasn’t until later that I realized whoopie pies are a regional treat and many people have never had one. Whoopie pies are desserts made of two moist and fluffy cakes with a layer of cream filling in between. However, the cakes are baked on a baking sheet like cookies, not in a cake pan. Traditionally, whoopie pies are made with chocolate cakes and a marshmallow fluff filling, but so many different versions exist! I’ve seen pumpkin whoopie pies, red velvet whoopie pies, and apple cider whoopie pies. Fun fact: whoopie pies are the official state dessert of Maine!
The Whipped Ricotta Filling
Don’t worry – you won’t taste any cheesy flavor in this filling! Ricotta cheese has a super delicious dairy/cream flavor that pairs perfectly with vanilla. This filling also includes some ground ginger for a little extra spice. The ricotta is blended to make a super smooth and airy filling that has a texture in thicker than whipped cream but lighter than buttercream. I love how the ricotta filling has less sugar and more protein than the traditional marshmallow fluff filling. Blending is essential to getting rid of the graininess of ricotta, but you can also try this recipe without blending for a cannoli-style filling.
Draining the Ricotta Cheese
It is essential that the ricotta cheese is drained for at least 4 hours to remove excess moisture. If the ricotta is not drained, the filling may come out too runny. To drain the ricotta, I like to line a colander or fine mesh strainer with cheese cloth or a coffee filter.
Key ingredients in gingerbread whoopie pies:
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda: double check to make sure it’s not expired if you are having issues with flat whoopie pies.
- Baking powder: double check to make sure it’s not expired if you are having issues with flat whoopie pies.
- Ground cinnamon, cloves, and ginger: these spices really bring the festive flavor! Freshly ground spices are the most flavorful, but pre-ground works great as well.
- Unsalted butter: make sure the butter is at room temperature for easy creaming.
- Brown sugar: I love the deeper, caramel flavor of brown sugar, but you can also substitute white sugar in a pinch.
- Molasses: molasses brings that classic gingerbread flavor!
- Eggs: make sure the eggs are at room temperature for easy mixing and the best texture.
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk: This acidic ingredient is key to keeping these whoopie pies extra moist and fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk, feel free to substitute milk mixed with yogurt and lemon juice.
- Whole milk ricotta cheese: the ricotta cheese must be drained for at least 4 hours for best results. If it is not strained, the filling may come out too runny.
- Powdered sugar
Tip and techniques for making gingerbread whoopie pies:
- Make sure your baking soda and baking powder aren’t expired! These are common pantry staples, but they don’t last forever. If you have issues with flat or thin pies, double check your leaveners.
- Use room temperature ingredients (especially butter!) Using softened butter makes creaming so much easier. If your butter is cold, it might not cream completely and won’t emulsify. Room temperature ingredients also results in a better rise in the oven.
- Creaming until light and fluffy: Make sure you cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. This incorporates air into the batter for fluffier whoopie pies!
- Avoid over mixing: We want these whoopie pies to be super soft and tender, so make sure you don’t over work the batter, which can develop too much gluten. Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until everything is just combined. It’s ok if there are some small lumps!
- Avoid over baking: To tell if the whoopie pies are ready, lightly poke one. Once fully baked, the indent should bounce right back!
- Strain the ricotta cheese: For a super thick and creamy filling, I recommend straining the ricotta overnight to get rid of excess liquid. I like to line a sieve/colander with a cheese cloth or coffee filter and letting the ricotta drip overnight.
- Avoid over-blending the ricotta: As you blend the ricotta, it releases moisture and becomes runnier. For a creamy and thick filling, blend just until the ricotta is completely smooth.
- Wait to fill until ready to serve: To prevent soggy whoopie pies, I recommend waiting to fill these whoopie pies until right before serving.
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations for these Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
- Buttermilk: Instead of buttermilk, feel free to substitute greek yogurt, milk, and lemon juice. See the recipe for more details!
- Candied ginger: For extra texture and flavor, try mixing in some chopped candied ginger into the whoopie pie batter or filling.
- Filling: If you prefer the classic vanilla whoopie pie filling, feel free to use marshmallow fluff instead of the ricotta cheese, and skip the powdered sugar.
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Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the gingerbread whoopie pies:
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 5 tablespoon molasses
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk or 3/4 cup plain yogurt + 3 tbsp milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the ricotta cheese filling:
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese drained
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger optional
Instructions
For the whoopie pies:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves..
- In a separate bowl, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and beat until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until very well combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat until everything is smooth and incorporated.
- Add about half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk into the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until just combined, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter. Beat on low or stir until just combined. The batter should be thick and fluffy.
- Spoon small mounds of batter, around 2 tablespoons each, onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave room for the pies to spread (around 12 pies per large baking sheet). Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the top is dry to the touch and springs back when gently poked. Let the pies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the whipped ricotta filling:
- Using a blender, stick blender, or food processor, blend the drained ricotta, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and ground ginger until smooth and creamy. Do not over whip which releases too much liquid. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble:
- Once the pies are completely cooled, spoon around 3-4 tablespoons of the ricotta filling onto the flat side of a pie and top with another. The filling can make these whoopie pies soggy over time, so I recommend filling these whoopie pies right before serving. Enjoy!
