Lemon Whoopie Pies

Lemon whoopie pies.  I had seen a ton of whoopie pies on the boards and photography sites lately, but I saw this recipe in a cookie cookbook my older sister gave to me.  I thought the addition of the lemon zest, as well as the lemon cream cheese frosting filling would be a good twist on a classic.  And, seriously, can one go wrong with anything made with cream cheese?  Let’s be honest.

I made a batch for a party that my friend, Christie, had. (Christie, by the way, is a wonderful and great friend to me.) The theme was desserts.  How perfect.  And what I noticed was this:  I think I made these cookies way too big.  Maybe they were a little intimidating.  Towards the end of the evening, people were cutting pieces off the cookies with knives and forks (a la Seinfeld).  It made me smile.  Hopefully these lemon whoopie pies will make you smile, too.

Lemon Whoopie Pies

Servings: 8-10 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 and a 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 large egg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, any fat content

For the lemon cream cheese filling:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

2.  For the cookies: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until smoothly blended, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.

4. Add the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing until blended, about 1 minute. (The batter will look curdled-ewwww.)

5.  On low speed, add half the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.

6.  Mix in the buttermilk.

7.  Mix in the remaining flour mixture just until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth again.

8.  Drop heaping tablespoons (about 3 level tablespoons each) of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart.

9.  Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm, about 10 minutes or so. (With the exception of a thin line at the edges, the tops of the cookies should not brown.)

10.  Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

11.  For the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until thoroughly blended and smooth, about 1 minute.

12.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. (If the filling is too soft to hold its shape, refrigerate until it is firmer, about 30 minutes.)

13.  Turn half of the cookies bottom side up.  Leaving a 1/4-inch plain edge, use a thin metal spatula (or a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice!) each one with about 1/4 cup of the filling.

14.  Gently press the flat bottoms of the remaining cookies onto the filling.  ***Try to find matching “partners” that fit each other.

15.  Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Serve cold.  The wrapped cookies can be stored for up to 4 days.

A big thank you to all my fantastic friends at this party.  Glad to be back.

Adapted from Big Fat Cookies, by Elinor Klivens.