Vanilla Cinnamon Whoopie Pies With Caramel Buttercream Recipes

VANILLA WHOOPIE PIES FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with two racks, in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla and scrape down the side of the bowl.
• Combine the flour, salt, and baking bowl in a large bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter onto baking sheets spaced 2 inches apart in all directions. There should now be 12 cakes. (For smaller cakes, make them 2 tablespoons each. You will need another baking sheet.)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, switching the baking sheets halfway through. (Reduce to 10-13 minutes for smaller cakes.). When fully baked, a cake tester will come out clean but the cakes will still be soft. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
• Beat the powdered sugar and butter together until light and fluffy using a stand mixer on medium speed. Add the salt and vanilla. Add the marshmallow cream and beat until fully combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and stir in.
• Spread 1/3 cup of filling onto the flat side of half of the cakes. The filling should stay on but still be spreadable. It if it's sliding off, place in the refrigerator to firm up or add a bit more powdered sugar. If it's too soft to spread, add a touch of milk.
• Place the remaining cakes on top to make a sandwich. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

SALTED-CARAMEL WHOOPIE PIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, and allspice. In another bowl, combine milk and vanilla.
• In a large bowl, beat butter with granulated and brown sugar on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk mixture. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until just combined, about 10 seconds. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch round tip (such as Ateco #808).
• Pipe 2 1/2-inch-diameter mounds onto 3 parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart (no more than 8 per sheet). Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies spring back when lightly pressed, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Caramel: In a small high-sided saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons water, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, and washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming, until caramel is a deep amber, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Carefully whisk in cream (it will spatter), then butter, until combined. Let cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• Buttercream: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
• Beat caramel into buttercream on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Makes 2 cups.
• Put buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with the 5/8-inch round tip. Pipe 2 tablespoons onto flat sides of half of cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir together rock salt and sanding sugar. Roll edges of sandwiches in sugar-salt mixture. (Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 3 days.)

VANILLA WHOOPIE PIES WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and lightly coat with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat together the granulated sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 batches, beating after each addition until just combined.
• Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds of batter onto the baking sheets about 2-inches apart. Moisten your fingers and gently form each mound into a round and slightly smooth the top. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake the cookies, rotating the trays halfway through, until the tops bounce back when gently touched, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Put the confectioners' sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth and fully incorporated. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dissolved cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Turn the mixer back on to medium speed and beat until everything is well mixed, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer off, add the milk. Mix together on low speed until just incorporated.
• To assemble the whoopie pies: Flip half of the cookies over and spread the bottoms with the filling. Top each with another cookie--bottom facing in--to make a sandwich.
• Put the sprinkles on a plate and roll the edge of each whoopie pie in the sprinkles to coat.
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MOCHA WHOOPIE PIES WITH CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the brown sugar, butter and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 batches, beating after each addition until just combined.
• Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds of batter onto the baking sheets about 2-inches apart. Moisten your fingers and gently form each into a round and slightly smooth the top of each mound. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake until the tops of the cookies bounce back when gently touched, rotating the trays halfway through, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add half of the confectioners' sugar, beating. Beat in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the remaining sugar and beat until incorporated, smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Beat in the dulce de leche until smooth.
• Flip half of the cookies over and spread the bottoms with the filling. Top each with another cookie--bottoms facing in--to make a sandwich.
• Yield: 12 whoopie pies
• Active Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours (includes chilling and cooling times)
• Ease of preparation: easy

HUMMINGBIRD IPA CAKE WITH CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the frosting: Combine the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, swirling the skillet, until the syrup turns deep amber brown (don't stir!). Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cream. Once the bubbling subsides, stir the cream until the caramel dissolves and you have a thick caramel sauce.
• Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• For the cake: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans then line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper.
• Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl until evenly combined, then add the coconut and walnuts and toss again. In another bowl, whisk the bananas, oil, both sugars, vanilla, eggs and beer until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter just comes together. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, then bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cool the cakes in their pans for 30 minutes, then invert them onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper to let them cool completely.
• Remove the caramel sauce from the refrigerator and let stand for 20 minutes to come to room temperature. Beat the butter for the frosting with an electric mixer on medium speed until lightened and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, poppy seeds, vanilla and salt and beat until evenly incorporated. Add the caramel sauce and beat until the frosting is fluffy and light, about 3 minutes.
• Put a cake layer on a cake plate, then spread about 1 cup of the frosting over it with an offset spatula or butter knife. Top with the second cake layer, then scrape the remaining frosting on top. Spread it evenly over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake until the frosting has firmed, at least 30 minutes or up to overnight, before serving.