Cinnamon Latte Whoopie Pies – Coffee buttercream is sandwiched between two cakey cinnamon sandwich halves and dusted with cinnamon sugar
It’s hard to believe that fall is already here. I mean, doesn’t it feel like summer just started?! But alas, Labor Day is behind us now and it’s time to put away our white clothes and pull out our flannel and boots.
To help bring in the season, I’m making sure to decorate the house early (which I can hopefully get done this weekend, fingers-crossed!) and starting up my fall baking. Last week, I began my baking with these Chocolate Pecan Turtle Bars. And today, I have another yummy hand-held treat: Cinnamon Latte Whoopie Pies.
I first made whoopie pies a few years back and LOVED them. It’s like a cupcake and cookie all in one – what’s not to love?! My first attempt was these Funfetti Whoopie Pies, which were a hit in my house and with you all. Today’s version gets us ready for fall with tons of cinnamon and a little taste of coffee.
What are whoopie pies?
As I mentioned above, I like to think of whoopie pies as a cross between cupcakes and cookies. It’s got a soft, cakey “cookie” exterior and is filled with buttercream to make a sandwich.
How are these whoopie pies made?
The process for making whoopie pies is very similar to making cupcakes – but much easier! First, you make a thick cinnamon cake batter and scoop it out onto baking sheets and bake. The batter is so thick and cooked quickly so it won’t flatten out into a pancake. As a result, the “cookie” is tall, fluffy, and thick.
Once the cookies are done, I toss them in a cinnamon sugar powder to give them a little extra boost of cinnamon flavor. I used powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar because I didn’t want the crunch from the granulated sugar.
Next comes the buttercream. To infuse the buttercream with coffee flavor, instant coffee is mixed with a little hot water to dissolve it and then added to the buttercream. But you need to cool the coffee first so it doesn’t melt the butter!
Now that all the components are ready, it’s time to assemble! Simply match up the cookie halves, load one half with buttercream, and then press together into a sandwich with the other half. And there you have it – a whoopie pie!
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure the cookies are COMPLETELY cool before adding the frosting, or else the frosting will melt everywhere and make a huge mess.
- For any whoopie pie or sandwich cookie, it is soooo important to make the cookies the same size. Otherwise, you’d have lopsided sandwiches. So if you never use a cookie scoop, now is the time to start! Here is the one I used for these whoopie pies. It’s about 1.5 tablespoons.
- Before you start frosting the cookies, pair them up. Even if you’re an absolute perfectionist, you will have some cookies larger than others. To make sure you don’t have one half of the sandwich larger than the other, pair them up before you get started.
- To make the frosting process easier, I recommend putting all your frosting in a gallon-sized plastic bag, cutting one corner off, and piping a circle onto one half of each pair. Much neater this way. But if you don’t care about how it looks, you can just spoon it on.
Cinnamon Latte Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the cinnamon cakes:
- 1 cup sugar
- 11 tablespoons butter unsalted, softened
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup milk
For the cinnamon sugar dusting:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the coffee buttercream:
- 1 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
Instructions
For the cakes:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and butter together and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add baking powder, extract, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, until completely combined. Scrap the sides of the bowl to help the ingredients combine.
- Add one cup of flour to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined. Add 1/3 cup milk and mix until combined. Repeat with another cup of flour and then the last 1/3 of milk. Finish with the last cup of flour and stop when it's combined but don't mix beyond that. Remove bowl from stand mixer and scrape excess batter off the paddle.
- Using a small cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons), scoop out batter and place on cookies sheets about 2 inches apart. You will probably need to use a third cookie sheet to fit all the cakes. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean once inserted. I would err on side of overcooking instead of undercooking. If you undercook, the cookies will crinkle on the top and be doughy in the middle and not light and fluffy. I knew when mine were done when the bottoms were golden brown.
- Once they are done cooking, remove from oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer parchment paper/silicone mat to cooling rack. Let them cool completely before adding frosting.
For the cinnamon sugar dusting:
- Combine powdered sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small bowl. Dip tops of each cinnamon cake into the mixture to cover it completely. Set aside while you make the buttercream.
For the coffee buttercream:
- In a small bowl, add hot water and instant coffee. Stir until coffee is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Add butter to bowl of the stand mixer and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and salt and mix. While mixer is going, add cooled coffee 1 teaspoon at a time. Once coffee is added, turn mixer to high and beat frosting for 3 minutes. Give it a taste and add more sugar, if needed.
- Using a spatula, add frosting to a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Push all the frosting to the tip of the bag. Cut off a corner off the bag.
- Once the cakes are cool, match them up to make sure the tops and bottoms are the same size. Top one half of each pair with about 1 tablespoon of filling from the ziplock bag. Top with the matching half. Repeat for remaining sets.
- Serve whoopie pies immediately or store for up to 2 days.
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More recipes you’ll love:
Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes
Classic Tiramisu
Funfetti Whoopie Pies
This cake is really beautiful and wonderful, very useful article I will make it for my family
These are outrageous! I made the buttercream with espresso which was a bit strong so I had to add more powdered sugar but they ended up so good!
These look delicious and like the perfect fall treat!
Sorry I don’t have much time to comment as I”m busy wiping the drool from my face and making my grocery list so I can make these and eat these ASAP! OMG they look AMAZING!!!
This is such a creative recipe, now I’m craving one with my cup of coffee!
Cinnamon is such a lovely flavor. Goes well with these Pies. Kids to relish every bite of this creamy pies. Delicious.
What a fun spin on whoopie pies! This cinnamon latte flavor is right up my alley – coffee buttercream sounds AMAZING!
These whoopie pies look perfect for the season! What deliciousness! Your photos are stunning.
I love how unique and interesting this recipe is!!
Such a fun recipe. My kids LOVED helping me make these at the weekend.
The most delicious and indulgent treat I’ve had in a long time! SO worth it. ALL of it. And I ate some of the filling out of a bowl witha spoon. YUMMO!
I haven’t had whoopie pies in years, but that’s about to change, especially since these are cinnamon latte!