Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup hot water

Cream Cheese Filling

• 2 – 250g packages PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese, softened
• 4 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Spray a muffin top pan (or whoopie pie pan) with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the shortening, sugar, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla extract and egg on medium speed until smooth.
3. In another large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
4. Add 1/3 of dry mixture to wet mixture and stir. Add 1/3 of the hot water to the wet mixture and stir. Repeat steps alternating between adding the dry mixture and hot water.
5. Scoop batter into muffin top pan. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack.
6. Cut bottoms off each muffin top so you are just left with the top part. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling

1. Add icing sugar, PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese, salt and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Beat on low speed until combined.
2. Add milk, 1 tablespoonful at a time, beating in between, until mixture is smooth.
3. To assemble, add 1 heaping tablespoonful of cream cheese filling to one half of gingerbread. Cover with another half of gingerbread to create a sandwich. Enjoy!

Well, that’s all the news from the south,
Happy” farming” to all the farm girl sisters out there.
See you next time down on the farm.