Valentine’s Day is a hit-or-miss holiday. On the one hand, it’s a good excuse to celebrate your loved ones. (And eat festive desserts, like these red velvet whoopie pies with a white chocolate cream cheese filling!) On the other hand, all the hoopla can be upsetting if you don’t have someone special to share the day with. Now that I’m married I have a permanent Valentine, but I spent many a Feb. 14 with my friends or home alone with my cats. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Whatever your relationship status, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about loving other people. It’s also about showing yourself some love! One way to say “I love you” to yourself is by baking something sweet, like these whoopie pies.
The red velvet cookies are cake-like and delicious on their own. My recipe uses a combination of regular and dark cocoa powder, and a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Another special ingredient (which I’ve talked about before) is a teaspoon of dark chocolate balsamic vinegar. I love how it enhances the flavor. (You can find some here.)
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Originally I planned to make these pink velvet whoopie pies. I used an entire tube of Wilton magenta gel food coloring. But they turned out red anyway, so I just went with it! I definitely recommend using an entire tube of gel food coloring to get a more vibrant color.
Bake the cookies for no more than 10 minutes. Whoopie pies should be soft and cake-like, and you won’t achieve that consistency if you overbake them.
Prepare the filling while the cookies are cooling. (I recommend melting the white chocolate in advance so that it has time to cool before you make the filling.) Make sure to use a baking bar instead of white chocolate chips.
Wait until the cookies are completely cool before frosting them. Frost 12 cookies and then top them with the remaining cookies to form sandwiches. That way you can more evenly divide the filling between each whoopie pie.
Sprinkle jimmies around the edges of the filling and press them down gently with a knife. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s also better to let the filling set in the refrigerator before eating a whoopie pie. Either way the filling will ooze some when you bite into it, but if it’s chilled the filling will ooze less.
These red velvet whoopie pies are perfect for Valentine’s Day, or any other special occasion. Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you make them and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers.
Happy baking! 
Red Velvet White Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour for gluten-full whoopie pies, substitute all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp dark chocolate balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tube red or pink gel food coloring
Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 oz white chocolate melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp jimmies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powders.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, sour cream and sugars until light, smooth and slightly fluffy. Beat in the egg until well-incorporated, and then mix in the vanilla and balsamic vinegar.
- Mix together the buttermilk and white vinegar.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed, alternating with the buttermilk/vinegar. Begin and end with the flour. Mix in food coloring.
- Scoop 2-inch balls of batter onto prepared pans. The batter will be soft and won't form perfect balls.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, one pan at a time. Leave them on the pan for 3 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely.
- Prepare the filling while the cookies are cooling. Cream the cream cheese and white chocolate until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla on low speed until incorporated, and then beat on high speed until light, creamy and fluffy.
- Frost 12 cookies and then top with the remaining cookies. Garnish the filling with white jimmies.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
