Orange Creamsicle Whoopie Pies

Sweet and citrusy swirled buttercream sandwiched between two light and fluffy cake-like cookies!

Summer might be winding down, however, there’s still PLENTY of time to fit in a few more of my favorite refreshingly sweet and summery sweets. One of those sweets being the orange creamsicle. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t obsess over that citrusy orange and creamy vanilla combo. It SCREAMS summer. That being said, it should come as no surprise that one of my most pinned recipes is my Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes. In fact, there’s actually a day dedicated to celebrating this wonderfully refreshing, yet simple treat. And that day is TODAY.

So in honor of National Creamsicle Day, I give you the Orange Creamsicle Whoopie Pie!

Whoopie pies are basically cupcakes, but instead of having all of the frosting piled on top of the cake, it’s sandwiched between two thinner pieces of cake. Not only is it less messy to eat (no frosting up the nose…ew), but it makes for a better frosting to cake ratio in each and every bite.

Just like the classic creamsicle, these little guys have just the right balance of tangy orange citrus and sweet vanilla. When making the cookies, I aimed for a more subtle orange flavor by adding a couple of tablespoons of frozen orange concentrate. It was just enough to provide that little citrus sweetness, yet not too much to overpower the essence of the vanilla in these cookies. It’s all about balance, people!

The cookies (or are they cakes?) baked up perfectly light and fluffy. When they come out of the oven, they look just like the tops of cupcakes–nice and springy little domes. And if you ask me, the best part of the cupcake is the top, isn’t it?

For the filling, I did half vanilla buttercream and half orange buttercream. I first started with the vanilla buttercream by whipping up some butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and a little milk. I then took half of the buttercream out and added a little orange zest and orange extract. If you don’t have orange extract, you can just add another teaspoon of orange zest. I also tinted the orange-flavored buttercream with a little red and yellow food coloring (or orange if you have it) to get that nice swirled look. 

Depending on how generous you are with filling your whoopie pies, you might end up with some leftover buttercream…

You’re welcome 😉 

Orange Creamsicle Whoopie Pies

Sweet and citrusy swirled buttercream sandwiched between two light and fluffy cake-like cookies!

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14 Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

  

Cookies:

• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 - 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ¼ teaspoon orange extract*
• Orange food coloring**

Instructions

 

Make the Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and egg white, mixing until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a measuring cup, combine the milk, orange juice concentrate and vanilla. With mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the milk mixture. Repeat these steps until you've used up all of the dry and wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
• Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, drop batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each mound. Bake until the tops are springy and just barely dry, about 7-10 minutes. Allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the vanilla and salt.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar and milk, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently. Once incorporated, beat on high for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Remove 1/2 of the frosting from the bowl and place in a separate bowl. Return bowl to mixer, add the orange zest, orange extract, and orange food coloring (or red and yellow), and beat until combined.

To Assemble:

• To get the swirled look, place the frostings in separate pastry bags, then place them both into a larger pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the frosting in a circular motion onto one cookie, then top with another cookie.

Notes

*An extra teaspoon of orange zest can be substituted for the orange extract.

**If you don't have orange food coloring, you can do what I did and use a little red and yellow food coloring.