Fall Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups butter, divided and at room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar, plus more coating the dough balls
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 jar American Spoon Apple Butter or Pumpkin Butter, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons powdered milk
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes
1. Place ¾ cup of butter in a small sauté pan, reserving the remaining butter for frosting. Melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the butter becomes frothy and you see small specks of milk solids forming at the bottom of your pan. Continue cooking, until the milk solids turn deep brown and the butter is a rich, golden color. Remove from the heat and let cool for about five minutes.
2. Place the brown and white sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment. Add the cooled brown butter and mix on medium-high till incorporated, 15-20 seconds. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue mixing for another 15-20 seconds. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add ¾ cup of either Pumpkin Butter or Apple Butter, reserving the remaining for the frosting, and mix in for 30 seconds. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the butter mixture. Mix till ingredients are just incorporated, but the dough is fully mixed. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add some sugar to a small bowl. Scoop dough in 1 ½-2 tablespoon sized portions. Roll into a ball, then toss in sugar bowl to coat. Press into a ½” thick disk and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate and cook for 5 minutes more. They should be just on the edge of underbaked. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
4. While the cookies cool, make the frosting. Place the remaining ½ cup of butter in a clean stand mixer bowl. Whip for 15-20 seconds. Combine the powdered sugar and milk powder. Add to the butter a few tablespoons at a time until fully incorporated. At this point the frosting will be very stiff. Add the reserved ¼ cup of Pumpkin Butter or Apple Butter to the frosting and whip together till smooth and fluffy.
5. Spoon a generous amount of frosting on the bottom of a cookie, then sandwich between a second cookie, or, if you want to go single style instead of sandwich, frost the top of each cookie and enjoy!
