Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies

Name: Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 44 min
Yield: 18
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon Vegetable or Coconut Oil; 3/8 cup Granulated Sugar; 1 + 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour; 1/4 teaspoon Salt; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder; 1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda; 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger; 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg; Pinch of Cloves; ** 2 tablespoons Buttermilk; 1 Large Egg, at room temperature; ** 1/4 cup Pear Sauce; 1/2 cup Pear Puree; 2 Medium-Sized Pears, peeled, cored, diced into 1” cubes; 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature; 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger; 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg; Pinch of Cloves; Pinch of Salt; 3/4 cups Confectioners’ Sugar; ** 2 tablespoons Pear Sauce (or more to thin for desired consistency); 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; ** See Notes on Bottom

by The Butter Bunch

18 Pies

44 min

A fall-inspired cookie cake sandwich, with a spiced buttercream filled between two moist pear spice cakes – a delicious way to use ripe or overripe pears!

In mid-October, I along with two others hosted an Instagram photo challenge, where anyone could share pear-related recipes and photos, from simple poached pears to elaborate galettes. This pear spiced whoopie pie recipe came about when I realized I had too many pears leftover…and they were starting to become overripe and mushy.

They were already too ripe for good pies, galettes, or dutch babies. I realized the best way to use these overripe pears was to cook them down into a puree for my baked goods.

This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog so far – so delicious, unique, conveniently bite-sized, and an awesome way to use fruit and spices. A riff off of the classic chocolate whoopie pie, these pear spiced whoopie pies are a cake and cookie hybrid sandwiched with a classic buttercream.

What does this pear spiced whoopie pie taste like?

Imagine a cake in cookie form – slightly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. These whoopie pies are sweet and spiced. The pear fruit flavor is subtle, more of a natural sweetener and base for spices to work off of rather than a main source of flavor. The buttercream frosting is a nice creamy layer that adds extra moisture to the cakes.

How will you use pears in this recipe?

The pears will be cooked down into a puree before being added to the batter. Because of this, ripe, overripe, or even mushy pears, work best. The riper the fruit, the quicker it will break down and the more naturally sweet the cakes will be. You will first have to peel, core, and dice the pear before throwing it in the saucepan to cook. It is important to not cook the pears for too long, or else the saucey portion will be lost. Afterward, you will separate the puree from the sauce to control the amount of each asked for.

Most of the puree and sauce will be used for the cakes, and some of the sauce will be used in the frosting to thin it down. If you run out of the sauce, you can always substitute it with a pear cider or milk of choice.

If you try this out, please share your experience and pictures with me! Tag me @thebutterbunch_ on Instagram or email your photos to thebutterbunch.contact@gmail.com

Also, don't forget to leave a rating and comment on my blog post!

For step-by-step directions with more photos, check out the full blog post on Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies on The Butter Bunch.

Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies

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Recipe details

Yield 18 Pies
Time spent: Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 14 Minutes Total time: 44 min

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Ingredients

PEAR CAKES

4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon Vegetable or Coconut Oil
3/8 cup Granulated Sugar
1 + 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch of Cloves
** 2 tablespoons Buttermilk
1 Large Egg, at room temperature
** 1/4 cup Pear Sauce
1/2 cup Pear Puree

PEAR PUREE & SAUCE

2 Medium-Sized Pears, peeled, cored, diced into 1” cubes
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

SPICED BUTTERCREAM

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch of Cloves
Pinch of Salt
3/4 cups Confectioners’ Sugar
** 2 tablespoons Pear Sauce (or more to thin for desired consistency)
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
** See Notes on Bottom

Instructions

Preparations: Take out butter and eggs to sit at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line one baking sheet with parchment.
For the pear puree and sauce: Peel, core, and dice two medium pears. In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, combine diced pears with vanilla extract. Mash with a wooden spoon or potato masher while cooking until there are no lumps, depending on the ripeness of your fruit this might take about 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a mesh sieve to get at least 1/2 cup of the pear puree and at least 1/4 cup of the pear sauce. Set these aside for use later.
For the pear cakes: In a large mixing bowl, beat with a hand mixer the butter, oil, and sugar until blended, about 2 minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, pear sauce, and pear puree. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk-egg mixture into the beaten butter, mix until combined. Then add in the rest of the dry ingredients and rest of the buttermilk-egg mixture and beat to combine.
Using a tablespoon scoop for small whoopie pies or a muffin scoop for large ones, scoop the batter onto the prepared pans, leaving 2 inches between each. Bake the cakes for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are set and the edges just beginning to brown. Remove the cakes from the oven, let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the spiced buttercream: In a large bowl using a hand/stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, a pinch of salt, pear sauce or milk, and vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed until combined. Add another tablespoon of pear sauce or milk to thin out if desired.
Assembly: Fill the buttercream frosting into a piping bag with the desired tip and pipe on one layer of filling for half of the cakes. Stack the other half of the cakes on top to create the whoopie pie sandwich. Store whoopie pies covered at room temperature for one day, or wrap and refrigerate for up to a week. Enjoy!

Tips

** Pear Sauce: If you don’t have enough pear sauce, you can replace it with milk of any choice.
** Buttermilk: To make homemade buttermilk for this recipe, mix 2 tablespoons whole milk and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and let sit for around 10 minutes.
For step-by-step directions with more photos, check out the full blog post on Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies on The Butter Bunch.
https://thebutterbunch.com/pear-spiced-whoopie-pies/

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Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies

Pear Spiced Whoopie Pies

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PEAR PUREE & SAUCE

SPICED BUTTERCREAM

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Recipe details

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