Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie

Hi, my name is Coleen and I'm a food-aholic. 

I'm pretty sure that's how this whole thing started... and what keeps it going. 

Easter, my friends, is quickly becoming a favorite holiday for me. Primarily because I get to cook. {when my mother reads this, I will promptly get a text indicating that the day that I decide to "take over" any additional holidays, she will be more than happy to oblige}

This year {as you may have already found out from my quick and easy post where I did NOT share recipes... hehehe sorrieee} we made Pistachio Crusted rack of lamb, roasted potatoes, and a beautiful Spring salad. The lamb was insanely good. I will have to get that recipe from my sister to share... but in my mind, the pièce de résistance was by far dessert. Our end game was the delectably sweet, and just a touch of savory and wittily re-named, individual Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies. Bon Appétit~

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

{original recipe from Cooking Light}

ingredients:

2 cups shredded carrot {we chopped it up a bit}

2/3 cup packed brown sugar, divided

1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided

2 Tbl canola oil

1 tsp orange zest {eyeball it}

3/4 tsp vanilla extract, divided

1 large egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

3/8 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp baking soda

4 oz cream cheese, softened 

1 cup powdered sugar

instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Combine carrot and 3 Tbl brown sugar in a bowl; toss to coat. Place mixture in a fine mesh sieve; let stand to drain over the bowl for at least 10 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Discard liquid.
3. Place 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in short increments until melted. Add oil, orange, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and egg; whisk until well combined.
4. Combine flour, remaining brown sugar (about 1/2 cup), cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add both carrot mixture and butter mixture; stir until just combined. 
5. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets and gently pat dough down to form 2-inch circles. Target 14 cookies in total. 
6. Bake at 350° for 11-13 minutes or until set. Remove pans from oven; let stand 3 minutes. Let cool completely.
7. While cookies are baking, make the frosting: combine cream cheese, remaining 2 Tbl butter, remaining 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and remaining 1/8 tsp salt in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 3 minutes, until fluffy. Add powdered sugar; beat at low speed 1 minute or until well combined (don't overbeat!). Spread frosting on flat side of 1 cookie; top with another cookie, flat side down. 
8. Repeat the procedure with remaining cookies and filling.

notes:

• Make sure your parchment paper is cut to fit your baking sheet.
• The original recipe says this makes 28 total cookies, but we made our cookies a little larger and our batter created 14 total {which was perfect- it made 7 little whoopies for our dinner party of 6}
• I couldn't believe how delicious this super easy cream cheese frosting was!