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Dear Valentine, please be mine.
If you will be mine, I will make you Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. I will find your heart.
I have heard that your stomach is the fastest way to get there.
I will be guided in my search for your heart by Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling. With real strawberries.
Real strawberries that have been freeze dried
Here’s how I will make these whoopie pies, so you know how serious I am. The batter will be thick but nearly pourable.
I will pipe it in 1 1/2 inch rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart as they will spread when baking.
But they won’t spread too much. They will be done when the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center. They’ll cool while I make the filling.
To make the filling. I will cream both butter and cream cheese until fluffy, and then add the confectioner’s sugar and ground freeze-dried strawberries (mine will come from Trader Joe’s).
The filling will be very thick. Too thick for piping.
I’ll thin it with a few tablespoons of heavy cream.
Then I will pipe it with a medium star tip on the underside of half of the cooled cookies.
Then I will match up cookies to make the pies. I will play a matching game for you. I will. Here are all the details.
| Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling |
- 1 3/4 cups (245g) all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter)
- Scant 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- 5 tablespoons (25g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- 1 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine, nonfat is not)
- Red gel food coloring, to desired hue
- 1.2 ounces (34g) unsweetened freeze dried strawberries
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (288g) confectioner’s sugar
- 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the dry ingredients, and add the vinegar, 4 tablespoons melted and cooled butter, shortening, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, milk and food coloring. If you want the pies to be very red, the batter will need to be nearly electric red. I went with a more subdued red. Mix to combine well after each addition. The batter should be thick, but slowly pourable.
- Place some of the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (the kind with just a wide, round opening). Pipe the dough into rounds about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about 1 inch apart (they will spread a bit during baking). Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before peeling back the parchment paper and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are baking and then cooling, make the filling. Place the freeze dried strawberries in a blender or food processor, and process until it turns into finely ground fruit dust. Set it aside.
- Place the cream cheese and 4 ounces room temperature butter in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and fruit dust, and beat until the sugar and fruit have been absorbed by the wet ingredients. The mixture will be thick and not very smooth (see photo). With the mixer on low speed, add 2 tablespoons cream and beat until well combined. Add more cream by the tablespoon if necessary to create a smooth and somewhat shiny mixture. The filling, however, should still be thick.
- Line up the cooled cookies on parchment paper, and turn half of them over. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag, and pipe filling onto the underside of the overturned cookies. Top the filling of each with a cookie that is right-side up and roughly the same size as the one with filling. Chill until the filling is firm. Serve filled.
- Leftovers should be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and served within a day or so. They don’t keep as well as you might like, but will be okay if frozen rather than being refrigerated (the fridge will dry them out after about a day).
So what do you say, Valentine? Will you be mine?
Love,
Me
P.S. In case you’re still on the fence, I’ll have one last down-to-the-wire easy peasy Valentine’s treat tomorrow. No time like the last minute, I always say (well, I’m going to start saying it).
P.P.S. If you wanted to win my heart, the good money is on gluten-free Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That’s the shortest route there. Just in case you wanted to know.
P.P.P.S. I have freeze-dried fruit dust on my mind. Lisa of Gluten-Free Canteen and I are putting our heads together to make you gluten-free Fruit Loops. Coming to two blogs near you, soon.
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These sound so yummy! How well do they freeze?
Hi, Peggy!
They actually freeze really really well. They don’t freeze truly solid, so they barely even need to be defrosted to eat. :)
xoxo Nicole
Oh how lovely, I bet you’ll win heaps of hearts this Valentines day with these!
InTolerant Chef would like it if you read Strawberry Rhubarb Torte
Hi, InTolerant Chef,
Fingers crossed! ;)
xoxo Nicole
My whoopie pie cakes are flat! More similar in appearance and texture to pancakes. Tasty, though. I’m baking the second pan for 12 minutes, and they appear to be puffing up a bit more. If I didn’t have to provide something amazing for Baby Girl’s class Valentine party tomorrow, I’d throw in the towel. The perfectionist in me is frustrated. Perhaps the second batch will be more attractive. Not sure where I went wrong.
So sorry it turned out that way for you, Lesley. That must have been frustrating. I hope the next time you try the recipe it goes much better because it is a tested recipe and will work. If you would like to tell me in detail what you used for ingredients and how you prepared each step, I’m happy to review it to see where you differed from the original recipe as written. Let me know, and again, so sorry it didn’t work for you.
xoxo Nicole
No worries … the kids enjoyed the “special chocolate Valentines Day pancakes” for breakfast, and the delicious filling was repurposed to sandwich heart-shaped shortbread cookies together. I’ll make another attempt when I can start on them earlier than 10:00pm.
I’ve been making gluten filled woopie pies for the last few days for my daughters bake sale and for school and I haven’t been able to eat any of them. I’m so excited to make the gluten free ones so I can have some!!
Oh, no, Lara! Not fair that everyone else should have all the fun. So glad you’re going to be able to join in. :)
xoxo Nicole
Oh, next to cheesecake and baklava, this is my favorite dessert. In my pre- gee eff days, I LOVED a red velvet cake whoppie pie on top of a red velvet cupcake :) :) Happy Valentine’s Day. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)
Heather :) :) :) would like it if you read "IT MAKES CENTS TO ME FRIDAY" FOR FEBRUARY 10th
A red velvet whoopie pie on top of a red velvet cupcake? Now that’s one I haven’t heard before, Heather!
xoxo Nicole
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