Apple Cider Whoopie Pies with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese

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Indulge in decadent fall flavors with these Apple Cider Whoopie Pies loaded with rich Salted Caramel cream cheese filling. These tasty apple desserts are the perfect finger foods for a Fall party, Fall Baby Shower, or your Thanksgiving dinner menu.

What is a Whoopie Pie?

If you’ve never had one of these delectable treats then you are in for a sweet surprise. A traditional whoopie pie consists of a chocolate cake-like cookie top and bottom and a marshmallow cream filling. Over the years many bakers have created whoopie pies with different flavored cookie-cakes and flavored cream fillings, including buttercream and cream cheese-based fillings.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

FALL FLAVORS. Whether it’s warm Apple Hand Pies or rich Apple Butter…anything with spiced apples is a welcome fall treat at my house and these Apple Cider Whoopie Pies don’t disappoint. If you are a fan of apple pie spices you will love these.

CROWD-PLEASERS. Loved by children and grown-ups alike, they are fun to make and even more fun to eat.

PARTY FOOD. These are easy hand-held desserts that don’t require a plate and fork. They aren’t fussy or pretentious, making them perfect for casual parties, picnics, and outdoor get-togethers. My Halloween Whoopie Pies are equally as delicious and always the first thing to disappear when I serve them at a party.

These Apple Cider Whoopie Pies are full of apple flavor and warm spices. After testing several recipes, I found that the key ingredient to giving them the most apple flavor was to use Apple Butter rather than reduced Apple Cider. This highly concentrated form of apple sauce is paramount in getting that delicious fall apple cider flavor.

Tools you need to make Apple Cider Whoopie Pies:

• Large and small mixing bowls
• A stand mixer or hand mixer
• Spatula
• 1.5 Tbsp Cookie Scoop
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients you need to make Apple Cider Whoopie Pies:

For the cookie cakes:

• EINKORN FLOUR. I prefer this one from Jovial Foods. Regular all-purpose flour will work too.
• BUTTER. Unsalted and at room temperature.
• DARK BROWN SUGAR. You can use light brown as well, it just won’t add as much flavor.
• EGGS. At room temperature.
• APPLE BUTTER. Homemade is preferred for the freshest flavor, but you can also use store-bought. This organic apple butter is a great option.
• BAKING SODA
• BAKING POWDER
• VANILLA EXTRACT
• SALT
• CINNAMON
• NUTMEG
• CLOVES

For the filling:

• CREAM CHEESE. Room temperature.
• POWDERED SUGAR
• BUTTER. Unsalted and at room temperature.
• SALTED CARAMEL. I use Ghirardelli Sea Salt Caramel Sauce, which tastes pretty darn good and cuts down on prep time. You can also make your own if you prefer.

How to make Apple Cider Whoopie Pies:

To make the cookie cakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. In a large bowl cream the butter and brown sugar together for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, apple butter, and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Note that the mixture will look like it is separated, but this is normal and ok.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
5. Chill the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will help the wet ingredients absorb into the flour.
6. Drop batter by 1.5 Tbsp scoops onto prepared baking sheets. This will yield roughly (20) twenty 2 ½”-3” diameter cookie cakes to make (10) ten apple cider whoopie pies.
7. Be sure to leave at least 2” of space between each scoop of batter so they have room to spread.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until they are firm to the touch and the edges start to brown. Remove from oven and cool on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Salted Caramel filling:

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl until well combined.
2. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Add the caramel and mix until combined.

Assembling the Apple Cider Whoopie Pies:

1. Use a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop to add 1 to 2 scoops of filling onto the flat side of a cookie cake.
2. Place the flat side of another cookie cake on top and press down gently to sandwich them together.

NOTE: If you like the sugared texture that apple cider donuts have, you can also coat these in a cinnamon sugar mixture. To do this combine ¼ cup of granulated sugar with ½ tsp of cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the tops of the cookie cakes before you add the filling.

What size should a Whoopie Pie be?

A traditional whoopie pie is about 4”-5” in diameter. If you prefer this size, use a ¼ cup scoop (or ice cream scoop) for each cookie cake.

How do I store Whoopie Pies?

They can be set out at room temperature for a few hours. After that, they are best wrapped individually in plastic wrap (to keep them from sticking to each other) and stored in the fridge. They will keep fresh in the fridge for up to a week.

To freeze, just put the wrapped pies in a freezer-tight bag and freeze for up to one month.

More Fall goodness to indulge in:

• Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Whoopie Pies for Fall
• The BEST Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies!
• Irresistible Halloween Caramel Corn
• Easy No Bake Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie

Now Milton, let's not be greedy. Share it!