Use homemade apple butter or save some time with your favorite store-bought option—it will be delicious either way.
Apple Butter Whoopie Pies
Makes 14
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon apple pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups apple butter
- ½ cup whole buttermilk
- Spiced Buttercream (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together apple butter and buttermilk. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with apple butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Using a 3-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, scoop batter onto prepared pans, spacing 1½ inches apart.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Spread Spiced Buttercream evenly on flat sides of half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Spiced Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and salt at medium-low speed until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low; add confectioners’ sugar, about 1 cup at a time, alternately with cold cream, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until smooth and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in pie spice and vanilla.
