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Apple Cider Whoopie Pies

Apple cider whoopie pies with soft, golden-spiced cookie rounds and a cinnamon vanilla cream cheese filling. Reduced apple cider adds flavor to the cakes, then whoopie pies are assembled after the cookies cool for clean, neat sandwiches.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
cooling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes
Servings: 18 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cakes
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ginger
  • 0.25 tsp cloves
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.75 cup apple cider reduce to 1/3 cup
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
For filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Reduce cider and prep the oven
  1. Reduce the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, then cool. Cool completely so it doesn’t warm the batter.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F and line sheet pans with parchment. Keep parchment smooth so the cookie rounds release easily.
Make the spiced cake batter
  1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed.
  2. Beat the unsalted butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat until the mixture looks lighter in color and holds a soft texture.
  3. Add the egg, vanilla, and reduced apple cider, and mix until combined. The batter should look glossy and smooth.
  4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and sour cream, mixing until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks remain to keep the cookies tender.
Bake, cool, and assemble
  1. Drop 2-tablespoon rounds of dough onto the prepared sheet pans. Space them slightly so they can puff and set without merging.
  2. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F, until the rounds puff and look set. Pull them when centers spring back lightly and edges are set.
  3. Cool completely before filling. The cookies should be cool to the touch so the cream cheese filling doesn’t melt.
  4. Beat the cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Mix until the filling is thick, spreadable, and free of lumps.
  5. Sandwich the filling between the cooled cakes. Press gently so the filling reaches the edges without squeezing out.

Notes

For the best texture, keep the reduced apple cider fully cooled before mixing into the butter mixture. Store whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze assembled pies for up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge. For a dairy-light option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat butter sticks, and reduce the filling’s powdered sugar by 1–2 tbsp if it seems too loose.