Holiday baking season is underway, and we’re excited to share 12 of our favourite submissions from our annual Cityline Holiday Cookie Swap to add to your repertoire! Take a look at one of our runner-up winners’ recipes: Kristin G. from Vancouver, B.C.’s Gingerbread whoopie pies!

Happy holidays, and happy baking!

Gingerbread whoopie pies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp each ground ginger, ground cinnamon & baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 250 g cream cheese
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup icing sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until mixed completely. Cream in egg until incorporated. Mix in molasses, buttermilk and grated ginger (it will look slightly curdled).

Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Chill batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Spoon tablespoon-sized mounds of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing mounds about 2 inches apart. Bake 10–12 minutes until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

To make cream cheese icing, beat together cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup butter, vanilla and icing sugar until smooth.

Assemble each whoopie pie by filling two cakes, flat sides in, with cream cheese Icing.

Submitted by Kristin G.
Vancouver, B.C.