Weekend Whoopie

Ginger Whoopie Pies

Before you think I'm getting R-rated with my food blogging, today's post is my version of a Whoopie Pie. Being a midwest girl from Ohio, I had never heard of these things until recently, when I began to notice several Food Network chefs featuring Whoopie Pies on their shows. Cupcakes have been, and still are, all the rage here in NYC with specialty bakeries popping up all over the city and intense competition shows like Cupcake Wars gaining popularity. This sweet-sandwiched confection, a cupcake "cousin," if-you-will, is similarly decorative and portable, and has me wondering: are Whoopie Pies the new cupcake? (In my best Carrie Bradshaw voice.)

Ginger Whoopie Pies with Orange Cream are packed with tons on aromatic spices and then filled with a subtle, sweet, creamy filling and finished with notes of citrus. Ginger and orange are fantastic bed-fellows (get your mind out of the gutter!) in this perfect, whimsical weekend recipe.

Ginger Whoopie Pies with Orange-Cream Filling

Cast of Characters for Cookies: flour, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, butter, eggs, baking soda, salt and Orange Juice (although recipe calls for just water-I subbed).

Cast of Characters for filling: whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, orange zest, sugar and orange extract (optional).

Mix dry ingredients.

Mix wet ingredients.

Combine together.

Roll into balls and flatten, sprinkle with sugar. (Recipe says to roll them in sugar, but I don't like them to be too sweet.)

Combine filling ingredients and whip together.

Zest the orange into the whipped cream-mascarpone filling.

Let cool. Aren't they gorgeous?!

Below is the recipe for these cookies. This is hands-down the best cookie recipe I have ever made. I make these every year and they never disappoint. This is the recipe I will pass down to Junior *From Scratch one day. If the Pope paid us a visit, I would serve these cookies. They are real, real good.

Ginger Cookie Recipe: Big Soft Ginger Cookies from All Recipes.

The filling has no real recipe and is based more on preference. Some use marshmallow fluff or cream cheese in their Whoopie Pie filling, but I l fell in love with mascarpone in a similar recipe that I did here.

Enjoy!