i ran across this through gluttony is a bliss (oh GIB, when will you show MY photos?) and became obsessed. happy to make something that wasn’t lemon or chocolate or whatever else i usually make, i jumped off to whole paycheck (i paid $4 for ONE VANILLA BEAN) to get ingredients.
leroy, notorious cookie-stealer, declared the cookies a success (they truly taste like a creamsicle!), but groaned when he saw i was going to sandwich them. “why do you ruin cookies with filling?” he whined. “because they’re whoopie pies!” I explained.
but after filling about a dozen, i started to worry that i’d made a mistake: they were almost too sweet, even for sugar meister leroy (he has lots of nicknames this post). i stuck them in the fridge to set and prayed on it.
short story long — let these bad boys chill for a day. last night i had a cookie before bed, and they were heavenly. more cake than cookie, they remind me of a little debbie oatmeal pie, but five billion times better. and orange.
creamsicle whoopie pies
(adapted from culinary concoctions by peabody)
makes about 30 cookies
2/3 cup vegetable oil
½ cup full fat sour cream
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, cut and seeds scraped out
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of ½ a medium orange
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
preheat oven to 350 degrees.
whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.
using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil and sour cream for 1 minute until combined. add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes. add eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the bowl after each addition. add the vanilla bean seeds, extract, and zest and beat for another 30 seconds until completely combined.
with the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture. mix until just combined.
cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
using a small melon baller, portion the batter on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. bake for 10-11 minutes.
remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 5 minutes. remove and move to wire rack to cool completely.
meanwhile, make orange vanilla filling.
when cookies are cooled, match up two cookies of the same size. Take one cookie, and with the flat side up, pipe or spoon on the orange vanilla filling. top with another cookie. repeat until you run out of cookies.
orange vanilla filling
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
1 ¼ tsp orange extract
¾ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp powdered sugar
combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, extracts and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
clean bowl and place back at mixer. add whipping cream. using the whisk attachment, whisk the cream on high. when soft peaks form, add the tablespoon of powdered sugar. keep whisking on high until the cream has formed stiff peaks.
add cream cheese mixture to the bowl with whipped cream. whisk in mixer until completely combined and light and fluffy.
