Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Happy Easter, everyone! This is going to be a super short post because I’m supposed to hide Easter eggs for my friend Emily in a little bit and I’m running kind of late. Sundays are not conducive for getting things done.

So, why am I playing the Easter Bunny for Emily? Because she has awesome parents who send her candy and cash-filled eggs every year and ask her friends to hide them around her apartment for a fun, grown-up Easter egg hunt. They send her one egg for every year she’s been alive, and pack a little bag of treats for the Easter Bunny too. Isn’t that the greatest tradition ever?

(Laying around like this all morning is why I’ve gotten nothing done…)

Anyway, since it’s Easter today and I’m the Easter Bunny, I thought it’d be fun to bring along a themed dessert. Rabbits like carrots and I like carrot cake, so Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies seemed like the way to go.  I was a little frantic in the kitchen this morning, so they didn’t turn out as pretty as I would have liked. I also didn’t get a chance to pipe cute little frosting carrots on top…Oh well. At least they taste good!

Hope everyone is having a lazy and relaxing Easter Sunday. Happy egg hunting!

** Hey look, The Kitchn thinks these are delicious!

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies (Barely adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures)

Ingredients:
(Cookies)
– 2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
– 1 stick butter, at room temperature
– 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 2 large eggs
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1-1/2 cups grated carrots

(Cream Cheese Frosting)
– 1 stick butter, softened
– 8 oz cream cheese
– 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Steps:
(1) Preheat oven to 350 F.   Grease a baking sheet.
(2) In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
(3) Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
(4) Mix in the vanilla.
(5) Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
(6) Stir in grated carrots, making sure it gets distributed evenly throughout the batter.
(7) Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
(8) Spoon 1-1/2 inch rounds of batter onto your greased baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
(9) Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when gently pressed.
(10) Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes then remove the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely.
(11) While cookies are cooling, prepare your frosting. In a medium sized bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon, and stir until smooth.
(12) Spoon about 1 tbsp frosting onto the bottom of one cookie, then top with another cookie and gently press cookies together to create a sandwich. Repeat until all cookies and frosting are used.
(13) Enjoy with a glass of milk, lemonade, or a basket of Easter candy!