Molasses Whoopie Pies
These Amish molasses whoopie pies are a treat you won't forget! Made with soft molasses crinkle cookies, they're chewy and bursting with flavor.
The blend of molasses and spices in each cookie is simply delightful. And when you sandwich them together with frosting, they become irresistible molasses whoopie pies. Trust me, they're AMAZING and sure to vanish in no time!
In case you haven't figured it out yet, whoopie pies are simply two cookies with frosting sandwiched between them (also sometimes known as "Gobs"). And they are quite popular among the Amish.
I have several recipes for Amish whoopie pies here on my blog, and it seems they are continuously expanding the flavors.
The most popular flavor is chocolate whoopie pies. But I love oatmeal whoopie pies and pumpkin whoopie pies as well. They are all equally amazing, along with these molasses whoopie pies (moist gingerbread whoopie pies)!
Amish Molasses Cookies
There are many different recipes for Amish molasses cookies, and most of them are similar. They usually contain molasses and spices, and it's a great combination.
I have another molasses cookie recipe on my blog (soft and chewy Amish Gingersnap Cookies), and they are also quite delicious.
But this recipe for molasses crinkle cookies gets icing sandwiched between two cookies creating delicious molasses whoopie pies. However, these molasses cookies are also great on their own. So if you prefer, you can skip the frosting and enjoy them as cookies rather than as whoopie pies.
Ingredients
- Butter (room temperature): Provides richness and flavor to the cookie, contributing to a soft and tender texture.
- Crisco shortening: Adds moisture to the dough and helps create a tender and chewy texture in the cookies.
- Light brown sugar: Sweetens the cookies and also contributes to their chewiness. The molasses content in brown sugar adds depth and richness to the flavor.
- Light-tasting molasses: Introduces a distinct molasses flavor that is characteristic of these cookies, enhancing the overall taste and contributing to the chewiness.
- Large eggs: Act as a binding agent and contribute to the structure and richness of the cookies.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture and a subtle tang to the dough, contributing to the overall softness of the cookies.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure and bulk of the cookies, serving as the main dry ingredient.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise by leavening the dough and contributes to their soft and chewy texture.
- Baking powder: Another leavening agent that helps the cookies rise, providing a lighter texture.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor by balancing sweetness and highlighting other taste elements.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and a sweet, spicy flavor to the cookies.
- Ground ginger: Contributes a subtle, warm spiciness to the cookies, complementing the molasses flavor.
- Ground cloves: Adds a hint of zest and warmth, enhancing the overall spice profile of the cookies.
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Molasses Crinkle Cookies Recipe
These soft ginger molasses cookies with shortening are easy to make.
I mix the dough with my Kitchen-Aid mixer and let it do the work for me.
The dough is a bit sticky, so it's good to refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight before rolling the dough into balls. Then the dough balls get rolled in sugar and placed on a baking sheet.
I use my small cookie scoop (about a tablespoon) to make mini whoopie pies (using a cookie scoop helps to create uniform-sized cookies). But feel free to make them any size you want.
Dipping the cookie balls into sugar adds a pretty touch, but it also makes them sweeter. So you can skip this step if preferred or dip only the tops of the cookies in sugar.
Also, make sure you don't overbake the cookies, or you will end up with crunchy cookies instead of chewy cookies.
Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Then spread the frosting on one cookie and place a second cookie on top.
Wrap the assembled whoopie pies in plastic wrap. They keep the best when individually wrapped and stored in an airtight container.
Frosting for Molasses Whoopie Pies
These molasses cookies are delicious without frosting. So if you don't feel like taking the time to frost them, you'll still have amazing cookies to eat.
But adding the frosting, which turns them into traditional whoopie pies, makes them even more delightful.
Feel free to use your favorite frosting to fill these molasses whoopie pies. But the cookies are already sweet, so you probably won't want to add an overly sweet frosting.
I am adding an Amish whoopie pie filling recipe. However, it contains raw egg whites (pasteurized egg whites are a great option). I am leaving a link that informs you of the risk of consuming raw egg whites.
If you don't feel comfortable using this frosting recipe, feel free to use a different one such as the buttercream frosting I use in pumpkin whoopie pies, marshmallow filling, or cream cheese frosting.
For a fun twist during the holiday season, fill them with eggnog buttercream to make a holiday cookie sandwich.
Can I Freeze Molasses Whoopies with Frosting?
Yes, you can freeze these molasses crinkle cookies. Freezing cookies helps to keep them fresh.
Wrap them individually in pieces of plastic wrap, then place them into an airtight container.
You can freeze them for up to a couple of months. Just make sure to remove them from the freezer at least a half-hour before you want to eat them (unless you like frozen cookies).
What Kind of Molasses Should I Use to Make Amish Soft Molasses Cookies?
Molasses is a common ingredient that gets used frequently in Amish households.
For example, Amish Peanut Butter Spread is often made with molasses. Amish Wet-Bottom Shoofly Pie and Shoofly Cake are both breakfast desserts containing molasses.
And when baking with molasses it's good to use lighter-tasting molasses so that it doesn't overpower all the other flavors. (Unless you love a strong dark molasses flavor.)
Brer Rabbit molasses is great to use for these molasses crinkle cookies. You can use either the full flavor brer rabbit or the mild flavor. But I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses.
I like to use Golden Barrel baking molasses when making shoofly pie, and it can also be used for making these cookies.
King Syrup is another one of my favorites, although technically it's syrup and not molasses. But sometimes I use it in place of molasses. Or I use a combination of both for a milder flavor.
Amish Whoopie Pies Introduced from Holmes County, Ohio
I grew up New Order Amish in the Lancaster, PA area. And we baked molasses cookies as far back as I can remember.
But I had never tasted molasses crinkle whoopie pies until my sister-in-law from Ohio introduced us to them. And I fell in love with the first bite!
Because of the distance and limited travel, it's not very common for Amish people to marry outside of their community or state. But my brother got married to a gal from Holmes County, Ohio.
We had been back and forth with a couple of New Order youth groups from Holmes County for many years. But he was the only one who ever married someone from there. And we thought it was pretty cool to be so connected with another community.
I hope you enjoy these chewy Amish molasses whoopie pies as much as my family does! If you try these sandwich cookies, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
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Amish Molasses Crinkle Whoopie Pies Recipe
Ingredients
Molasses Cookies:
- 1 c. butter (softened)
- 1 c. Crisco shortening
- 4 c. brown sugar (loosely filled)
- 1/2 c. light-tasting molasses
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 8 c. all-purpose flour
- 6 tsp. baking soda (2 Tbsp.)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Whoopie Pie Filling:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 c. Crisco shortening or softened butter
- 4 c. powdered sugar
- 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, and brown sugar.1 c. butter (softened), 1 c. Crisco shortening, 4 c. brown sugar (loosely filled)
- Add the molasses, eggs, and sour cream and beat well.1/2 c. light-tasting molasses, 4 large eggs, 1/2 c. sour cream
- Add 4 cups of flour, along with the remaining dry ingredients. Mix. Then add the remaining flour and mix until combined.8 c. all-purpose flour, 6 tsp. baking soda (2 Tbsp.), 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Scoop the chilled dough into balls and roll them in sugar (you can skip the sugar step if preferred).
- Bake on greased cookie sheets for about 9 minutes. (Do not overbake unless you want crunchy cookies.)
- Scoop onto a wire rack to cool.
- Spread the filling onto half of the cookies and top them with the remaining cookies.
- Wrap the whoopie pies individually in plastic wrap.
- Whoopie pies freeze well, so you can store them in airtight containers in the freezer for up to several months. Remove from the freezer to thaw at least a half-hour before serving.
Whoopie Pie Filling:
- With the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy.3 large egg whites
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix.1 c. Crisco shortening or softened butter, 4 c. powdered sugar, 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. milk, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. salt
- Whip on high speed until the filling is light and fluffy.
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