Banana Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling

Before I made these, I’d never made whoopie pies before. For some silly reason, I was always too intimidated to try to make them. Getting all those cookies the exact same size and shape -- what pressure! It seemed way too stressful.

But then I saw this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Fake Ginger, and I decided it was time to suck it up. And it turns out that making whoopie pies is no more difficult than making a regular batch of cookies -- certainly something all of you have known for a long time. I’m just glad I know that now too. :)

In this version, the “whoopie” part is peanut butter cream cheese filling, and the “pie” part is banana. So, yeah. It’s a pretty awesome combination. I may or may not have eaten the leftover filling with a spoon. And then I quite possibly put it on pretzels and ate even more of it. So, even though you’ll have filling left over -- make the full batch. Trust me.

Banana Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling
seen on Fake Ginger, who got it from Taste of Home

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine banana and buttermilk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture.

3. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

4. For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter until fluffy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread filling on the bottoms of half of the cookies, about 1 tablespoon on each; top with remaining cookies. Store in the refrigerator.