Soft cakey gingerbread whoopie pies with domed buttermilk cake halves and a generous fluffy vanilla marshmallow filling.
Buttermilk cake halves give these sandwiches a soft, domed shape. Match them by size before adding the marshmallow cream, and handle them gently to preserve the cake crumb. Fill only completely cooled halves and keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
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Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Recipe
Per tray: 12–15 minutes for larger halves · 3 trays of 10–12 cake halves on 13 × 18-inch pans
Allow 110 minutes: 35 hands-on, 0 chilling, 45 for all baking trays, 30 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Electric mixer and bowls
- 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop
- Two 13 × 18-inch pans with parchment
- Cooling rack
- Piping bag or small offset spatula
- US measures and scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Marshmallow filling
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Make the cake batter
- Heat to 375°F (190°C) conventional or 350°F (175°C) fan. Whisk flour, salt, powder, soda and spices. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in egg. Add half the dry mix, then molasses, remaining dry mix and buttermilk. Fold in diced ginger.
Scoop domed halves
- No chilling is required. Scoop 32 portions of about 29 g, roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons, onto lined pans, leaving 2 inches between portions. This is a soft cake batter rather than a rollable cookie dough.
Set the larger cakes
- Bake 12–15 minutes until puffed and springy with no wet center. These portions are larger than mini whoopie cakes; begin checking at 12 minutes. Use cooled pans for later trays.
Keep the domes supported
- Rest 5 minutes on the pan, then cool about 25 minutes on a rack until completely cold.
Whip marshmallow cream
- While cakes cool, beat shortening, confectioners sugar and marshmallow spread until smooth. Dissolve filling salt in the tablespoon of water, add with vanilla and beat until fluffy.
Pair and fill
- Match cake halves by size. Divide filling across the flat sides of 16 halves, about 30 g each, and add matching tops gently. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Use a scoop
Equal batter portions make matching domes and consistent baking.
Look for springiness
Cakes should spring back lightly, rather than remain wet beneath the surface.
Fill cold halves
Warm cakes melt and compress the fluffy marshmallow filling.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 2 hours | Serve briefly, then refrigerate. Above 90°F, limit to 1 hour. |
| Refrigeration | Up to 3 days | Refrigerate filled pies airtight and soften briefly at room temperature before serving. |
| Raw freezing | Not recommended | Bake freshly mixed cake batter, then freeze unfilled baked halves. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze plain cake halves airtight for up to 2 months, then thaw and fill. |
| Restoring | 10–15 minutes | Let refrigerated cookies soften briefly before serving. Do not overheat the filling. |
Notes
- These whoopie pies use a buttermilk gingerbread cake batter, not the chewy sandwich cookie dough. Larger 29 g halves require a longer bake than teaspoon-sized mini cakes; springy set centers are the key. White whole wheat flour is milder than red whole wheat. Marshmallow spread can contain egg; the recipe also contains dairy and wheat.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these crunchy sandwich cookies?
No. They have soft domed cake halves made with buttermilk.
Can I roll and cut this dough?
No. It is a scoopable cake batter.
Why is the bake longer than mini whoopie pies?
These halves weigh about 29 g rather than a teaspoon-sized portion. Check for set springy centers.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
