Enjoy autumn with these freshly baked Apple Cider Whoopie Pies. This apple cider whoopie pie recipe is made with reduced apple cider, apple butter, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Once baked, brush them with butter and sweet cinnamon sugar and fill them with bourbon caramel buttercream and or brown sugar cream cheese icing!
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These Apple Cider Donut Whoopie Pies are DELICIOUS. They are filled with warm fall spices, apple cider, apple butter or applesauce, and are coated with cinnamon sugar. They’re amazing slathered with either Bourbon Caramel Buttercream Frosting and an optional drizzle of caramel OR Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing!
For more cinnamon and apple treats, try my Apple Cider Coffee Cake, Apple Cinnamon Bread, and these Snickerdoodles.
WHAT ARE WHOOPIE PIES?
Whoopie pies are soft cookie sandwiches with a sweet filling in the middle. There are lots of different versions of whoopie pies.
For a peanut butter version of a whoopie pie, definitely try my Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches with Peanut Butter Buttercream!
DELICIOUS FILLING OPTIONS
- BOURBON CARAMEL: My husband and I tried these with just a tablespoon of Bourbon Caramel in the middle and they were soooooo good!
- BOURBON CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: It’s super creamy, extra sweet, and decadent. Pro tip? Add a drizzle of Bourbon Caramel over the frosting!
- BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE ICING: After making this simple, incredibly delicious icing for both my Pumpkin Carrot Cake and Brown Sugar Cupcakes, I said I would be putting it on everything! Try it and you’ll see why!
WHAT’S IN THESE APPLE CIDER WHOOPIE PIES?
- Apple Cider: Simmer 2 cups of cider down to about ¼ cup for a strong, sweet, tangy flavor. Do not substitute apple juice.
- Unsalted Butter
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown sugar: I recommend dark since it has more molasses flavor, but light or dark work.
- Apple Butter or Applesauce: Use homemade or store bought. They both add more apple flavor and help make the cookies super moist.
- 2 Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Bourbon Caramel or Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing
- Powdered Sugar (if making Bourbon Caramel Buttercream Frosting)
MAKING THE COOKIE BATTER
REDUCING THE APPLE CIDER
The first thing you’ll want to do is to boil down the apple cider. Reducing apple cider intensifies the flavor and tartness of the cider. If you’re short on time or would prefer to skip this step, just use a half a cup of apple cider without reducing it.
Reducing apple cider is easy. Just heat it on the stovetop until is reduces to about half. Let it cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
DRY AND WET INGREDIENTS
From here, it’s a pretty standard no chill cookie recipe. Sift to combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars, on medium speed until combined.
Add the vanilla followed by the eggs. Next, add the apple cider followed by the apple butter or applesauce. Turn the mixer on low and mix in the flour until just combined.
BAKING THE COOKIES
Turn the cookies out into mounds about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, placing them 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Rotate the pan halfway and bake 11-13 minutes or until cookies spring back when touched lightly with your fingertip.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Brush the cookies with melted butter and sprinkle them with the cinnamon sugar or toss them in the cinnamon sugar.
Coat them in sugar as soon as they’re cool enough to touch. Return cookies on the rack to cool completely. Do not add the filling until the cookies have cooled.
ENJOY THESE AS COOKIES OR WHOOPIE PIES
These cookies are delicious as is. I have made this recipe just for the cookies and as whoopie pies. Slathering these cookies and turning them into whoopie pies definitely takes these to a decadent dessert level!
MORE ABOUT THE FILLING OPTIONS
BOURBON CARAMEL
Caramel is one of the best ways to complete a dessert! It’s sweet, gooey, and decadent. Bourbon Caramel has an added depth of flavor from the salt and bourbon! It’s made with just seven ingredients and only takes about 15 minutes to make.
BOURBON CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
Once the Bourbon Caramel has been made and cooled, use it to make Bourbon Caramel Buttercream! It’s super rich, creamy, and super sweet!
BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE ICING
I love these filled with Bourbon Caramel and Bourbon Caramel Buttercream, but this Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing is my filling of choice! The brown sugar just adds the best caramely flavor and I love how the cream cheese balances out the sweetness. I need to try these with the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing with a drizzle of Bourbon Caramel!
These soft cookies are so good that I’m willing to be you’ll want two…with some delicious Bourbon Caramel Buttercream or Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing slathered between them! Made with apple cider, apple butter, and warm fall spices, these Apple Cider Whoopie Pies are THE perfect way to celebrate the autumn apple season!
Apple Cider Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
FOR THE APPLE CIDER COOKIES
- 2 cups apple cider reduced to 1/4 cup
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar light or dark, packed
- ¼ cup apple butter or applesauce
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR COATING
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
FOR THE BOURBON CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM (if using)
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted, (add gradually until desired consistency is reached)
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Bourbon Caramel Sauce * cooled to room temperature
- 1 pinch of salt
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE ICING (if using)
- 4 ½ ounces cream cheese room temperature (leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making)
- 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium saucepan, bring the apple cider to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cider is reduced down to 1/4 cup. This will take about 30-35 minutes. Set aside to cool before using. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 6 tablespoons of the butter with the sugars, on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla followed by the eggs. Add the apple cider followed by the apple butter or applesauce. Turn the mixer on low and mix in the flour until just combined.
- Turn the cookies out into mounds about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, placing them 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Rotate the pan halfway and bake 11-13 minutes or until cookies spring back when touched lightly with your fingertip.
- Once out of the oven, allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Brush the cookies with the reserved 2 tablespoons of melted butter and sprinkle them with the cinnamon sugar or toss them in the cinnamon sugar.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on a rack before filling them with either 1 1/2 tablespoons of Bourbon Caramel Buttercream or Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing and a teaspoon of Bourbon Caramel (if using).
FOR THE BOURBON CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM (if using)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the Bourbon Caramel and mix until the caramel is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl now and a few times while adding the powdered sugar.
- Turn mixer to low and add gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar as needed until it reaches the consistency you like. If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thin, add milk or heavy cream.
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE ICING (if using)
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for one minute until creamed and combined. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer on low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar. The frosting should be somewhat thick. Pipe or spread the icing on one half of the whoopie pie. Top with another cookie. Refrigerate whoopie pies 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Rachel
Hi! Quick question – how much butter is needed for the cookie dough? 6 tablespoons? And then how much is for brushing the cookies? Is it 2 or 3 tablespoons? The recipe didn’t match up? Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Rachel! Thanks so much for catching that. You’re right — the butter amounts were a little confusing. I just updated the recipe to make that clearer. It’s 6 tablespoons room temperature butter for the cookie dough and 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the cookies. Thanks again for asking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you enjoy these whoopie pies!
Holly Benson
Hey there! Question about the apple cider. You have written that you should reduce it by half in your blog post but the actual recipe says reduce to quarter cup. But you say if you can’t reduce to use half a cup. How much apple cider is actually needed?
Natalie
Hi Holly, Thanks so much for your question and for catching that! I just fixed that sentence in the blog post. The measurement in the recipe card is correct- start with 2 cups of apple cider and reduce it down to about 1/4 cup. This gives the cookies the best flavor and texture. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you enjoy these whoopie pies!
Shana
Hi there! I’m thinking of making these for thanksgiving, can they be made a few days in advance? They go in the fridge right? Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Shana, That sounds like such a fun Thanksgiving treat! You can definitely make the parts ahead. For the best texture, I’d assemble them the day you plan to serve (the cookies can dry out a bit if stored in the fridge too long). I’d bake the cookies a day or two in advance and keep them (unfilled) in an airtight container at room temperature. The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge. After assembling, keep them chilled and let them sit out for about 20 minutes before serving so the cookies soften up a little. Hope you enjoy them and please let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂