Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Maple Frosting

Not too sweet yet full of intense spiciness, Gingerbread Whoopie Pies are the perfect holiday season treat and are a nice complement to hot coffee or tea. At first it seemed that the intensity of the ground spices might be overwhelmingly strong, or at least might overpower the subtleness of the maple syrup frosting, but the combination actually turned out to be quite nice. And this recipe didn't need much tinkering at all. I only added a little extra liquid (milk) since the batter seemed to get firmer and firmer the more it stood in the bowl. So give it a shot, you won't be disappointed;)

Gingerbread Whoopie

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup molasses
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, vegetable shortening, and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth, about five minutes. Add the egg, beating well, and then the molasses. Scrap down the sides of the bowl.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon or 1-tablespoon scoop, drop a rounded spoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes each, or until the pies spring back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Maple Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:

1 container (16 oz) Marshmallow Fluff
2 sticks butter (1 salted and 1 unsalted)
1 1/2-2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 Tablespoons real Maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring (optional)

Directions:

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the Marshmallow Fluff and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and maple flavoring and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Once the cakes are completely cooled, drop a spoon sized amount of frosting onto the bottom side of one of the cakes. Gently add the top cake.