You don’t have to be from the South to enjoy southern-style Red Velvet Whoopie Pies! My recipe makes it easy by doctoring up a cake mix for soft, chewy and irresistible whoopie pies in minutes!
So I have a bone to pick with California cuisine.
It’s good, but not great. Our Mexican food is generally pretty bomb and authentic, depending on where you go of course. And I love our take on sushi!
But otherwise, I feel like the South gets all the good food. Am I right?
Southerners have traditional Southern food, Creole, Cajun… all that deliciousness, plus Tex-Mex which is good (although I generally prefer California Mexican over Tex Mex!). Gumbo, jambalaya, fried chicken, cornbread, banana pudding, pulled pork. And like, a thousand different BBQ sauces. My mouth is watering just thinking of it!
We don’t have many Southern-style restaurants here in California, except for a chain called Lucille’s. It is delish but by no means authentic which stinks. To be honest, I don’t think Southern cuisine would fit in here which sucks. Everyone here is all about poke bowls and smoothie bowls and quinoa bowls. Basically we’re in a state-wide bowl epidemic that I’m dying to get out of. If it doesn’t have quinoa or magic mushroom powders in it, people here don’t want it. Except for me. I could go a lifetime without ever eating quinoa again and be satisfied.
When I made these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies for my true Texan neighbors Hayden and Ashley, they told me they were the best whoopie pies he’s tried! I think that’s pretty high praise coming from someone who hails from whoopie pie country, don’t you?
These whoopie pies are made simple with a doctored up boxed cake mix. Trust me, you won’t even know these started from a box! The whoopie pie “cookies” themselves are very soft and chewy, not crisp or harder like a traditional cookie. They are more pillowy and yielding than say, your average chocolate chip cookie. The filling is a tangy cream cheese frosting that pairs beautifully with the rich red velvet. Plus, it looks beautiful – striking white against bright red!
To make these even more festive, I like to sprinkle the tops of the whoopie pies with a little confectioners’ sugar for a pretty appearance.
Be sure to do yourself a favor this holiday season and give these a try for your Christmas cookie trays!
*from my book, Out of the Box Holiday Baking
- .One box red velvet cake mix (do not follow ingredients on back of the box)
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR THE FROSTING FILLING:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla and stir to combine until a thick dough forms. Drop 2-Tablespoon-size balls of dough 3" apart on the baking sheets. If there are little parts of the whoopie pie dough sticking up, press them down gently with a damp finger.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheets, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer until combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. Add in the confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing well after each addition until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Attach a large open-circle tip to a piping bag and add the frosting to the piping bag. Pipe a generous amount of frosting onto one of the flat sides of the cookie. I like to make a circle with the icing just shy of the actual edge of the cookie, then fill the circle in with more frosting like a spiral. Top the frosted side of the cookie with another cookie half.
- If desired, dust the tops of the whoopie pies with confectioners' sugar. Store any leftover whoopie pipes airtight in the fridge or at room temperature.
Sweet, rich, cool and delicious, you are going to love these flavorful and festive whoopie pies!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
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