Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
If you love red velvet cake, this red velvet whoopie pie recipe is for you! These whoopie pies and made with soft, cakey red velvet cookies flavored with a bit of cocoa powder and filled with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or any day!
Ingredients for Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Red Velvet Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder – Use regular cocoa powder to preserve the bright red color.
- Baking soda + baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar + light brown sugar
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- White vinegar – Helps activate the baking soda and contributes to the red velvet flavor.
- Red gel food coloring – Go with gel color for the brightest red color.
- Buttermilk – Room temperature. You can also use buttermilk substitute.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- Salt
How to Make Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vegetable oil until smooth. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red food coloring and mix until well combined. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing in between each addition, until the cookie dough forms.
- Bake the cookies: Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: Whip the unsalted butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix to combine. Whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the whoopie pies: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the bottom of one of the cookies. Top with another cookie to create a sandwich.
Recipe Tips
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough to create round, even, and uniform cookies.
- Immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a spoon or a large round cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies so they are perfectly round.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the whoopie pies?
- Store the whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Can I use liquid food coloring?
- I do not recommend using liquid food coloring in this recipe. You would need a lot of food coloring to achieve the bright red color of the whoopie pies, and it could change the taste and texture of the cookies.
- I recommend going with red gel food coloring for the best and brightest red color.
Will I taste the vinegar in the cookies?
- Not at all! The vinegar serves as the acid to activate the baking soda and help the cookies spread and rise correctly. The buttermilk, white vinegar, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder are what create that classic red velvet flavor.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Red velvet cupcakes
- Red velvet cake
- Frosted red velvet Oreo cookies
- Red velvet brownies
- Red velvet crinkle cookies
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Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Yield: 10 whoopie pies
If you love red velvet cake, this red velvet whoopie pie recipe is for you! These whoopie pies and make with soft, cakey red velvet cookies flavored with a bit of cocoa powder and filled with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. This recipe is perfect for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or any day!
Equipment
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cookies
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp (15 g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (27 g) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) white vinegar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) red gel food coloring (use more or less, if preferred)
- ¾ cup (180 g) buttermilk or buttermilk substitute room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese room temperature
- 3 ½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.2 tsp) salt
Instructions
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vegetable oil until it is smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring, and continue to mix until well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Pour in the buttermilk and continue to mix on low speed until mostly combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix on low speed until the batter is well combined and smooth.
- Portion the cookie batter using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on the prepared baking sheet pans, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes until they are puffed in the center and set on the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined with the butter. Add in the vanilla extract and salt and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the buttercream for 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Mix the frosting on low speed for several minutes to remove any air bubbles.
Assembling the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting on the bottom of one of the red velvet cookies and create a sandwich with another cookies. Repeat with all the cookies to make 10 whoopie pies.
Notes
- Store the whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Hi there – Can you freeze these?
Hi Beth! Absolutely can! I would wrap them well in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
Heyyy, so I followed your recipe to the T but mine weren’t as deep red, next time should I increase the food coloring to maybe 2 tsp
Hi! Yes, you can add additional color if needed. I use Americolor “Super red” or “Red red” which get me the deep red color.
Hi,hi! What can I substitute for buttermilk? 🥹🥹🙏🏻 can you help me with it and also the measurement for it. Appreciate it! 🙏🏻
Hi there! You can make a “buttermilk substitute” which is adding an acid (vinegar/lemon juice) to milk. Check this out! https://cakemehometonight.com/how-to-make-buttermilk-substitute/
Red velvet usually includes vinegar to give it its taste. Would adding white vinegar screw it up since these are Whoopie pies? And if not, how much should I use?
Hi Sabrina! I would stick to the recipe on this one! You are absolutely right about the vinegar. I use it in my red velvet cake and cupcakes. Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well with this recipe, so I omitted it. The whoopie pies didn’t rise correctly.
Hi Courtney,
I’m confused. You have vinegar in the recipe, however, in your reply above, you’re saying you omitted it for this recipe. Do we use vinegar or not?
Thank you,
Cyndi
Hi Cyndi! Sorry for the confusion! I did reformulate the recipe and added the vinegar to get a more authentic red velvet flavor. That comment was prior to the recipe edit.
Mine didn’t come out as good as yours. Either way, I just love how they look. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe
Hi Dianna! Thanks so much for trying the recipe! 🙂
Can you use salted butter in place of unsalted?
Yes! You can omit the additional salt if you would like to account for the salted butter.
Hi!! I love your recipes but why is my cream cheese frosting to running?
TÍA..
Hi there! Thank you! Your butter and cream cheese might be a bit too soft. Especially during the warmer months, this can happen. If you are making the frosting and it appears too runny, toss it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and rewhip. Sometimes, it just needs to firm up a bit in the fridge to whip up well!
This recipe is so delicious!! Made them tonight and the family loved them. Making more tomorrow!!! 10-10
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for trying it out!