I was inspired by the mini whoopie pie I had at Starbucks on Saturday. I loooooove red velvet, so I thought I would be fun to try to make these little treats myself. As much as Pat loves my red velvet cupcakes, I think he almost preferred these because they are easier to eat and you get a bit of icing with every bite.
To make red velvet cupcakes I use the Magnolia Bakery recipe. However, the batter consistency from that recipe is to runny to make whoopie pies. So instead I used a recipe from Better Homes and Garden with a few small tweaks.
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:
(Makes about 12-15 assembled whoopie pies)- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/8 tsp. red concentrated paste (or 1 1oz bottle of food coloring)
- Sift the flour into a medium sized bowl. Add the cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, cream the softened butter. Next at the brown sugar and cream until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.
- Add the food coloring or paste to the mixture at a LOW speed. (because you don't want to turn red too).
- Next add the buttermilk and flour mixture in three alternating parts. Do not over beat.
- Combine the baking soda and apple cider vinegar first in a bowl and then add to the mixture. Beat until well incorporated.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. I used a Silpat instead and it worked great! Spoon the dough onto the pan leaving an inch between rounds. Alternatively you can use a piping bag like I did. I found it much easier than fighting with the dough as it is quite sticky.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the tops are set. I baked for exactly 7 mins and they turned out perfectly.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets and then move to a cooling rack.
- Group the cookies in pairs of like-sizes. Ice one side with creamy vanilla frosting (see recipe below) and assemble. Again, I used a piping bag.
Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
I prefer to use this recipe for frosting because I find cream cheese icing too sweet. This creamy vanilla frosting is delicious and not overly sweet. I quartered the Magnolia Bakery icing recipe. This is a very specific and time consuming icing recipe, so be prepared.**These measurements are already quartered**
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix the milk and flour well and then stir constantly over medium heat until the milk thickens and starts to bubble. Remove from heat and cover the pot with waxed paper. Let cool for 30 mins.
- Cream softened butter until it is smooth and creamy, about 3 mins.
- Add the sugar to the butter in small amounts and cream for another 3 mins until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and beat well.
- Add the cooled milk mixture and beat for 5 mins until the mixture is smooth and lighter in color.
- Cover and refrigerate the icing for EXACTLY 15 mins. Use immediately.
I used red concentrated paste instead of a whole bottle of food coloring as the recipe suggests. A little of this paste goes a long way! I could have probably even used less than 1/8 tsp. My suggestion when using this paste is to add a small amount in the beginning and adjust as you go depending on your desired brightness/shade of red. I purchased my paste from Michaels in "Christmas Red".
I also suggest mixing the food coloring with the wet ingredients, instead of stirring it in at the end, as the BH&G recipe suggests. Once the flour has been added it is way to difficult to incorporate the food coloring.
HAPPY BAKING!
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