Gluten Free Whoopie Pies with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Gluten-Free
- Vegetarian or Vegan
Thank you PEBBLES™ Cereal for sponsoring this post. PEBBLES™ Cereal is gluten-free and a great inclusive option for your family!
You read that right. Gluten free whoopie pies. YES. So good! If you’ve never had a whoopie pie before, it’s kind of like a cookie sandwich, but the cookies are more of cake texture and the filling is light and fluffy and oh-so dreamy! You’re in for a treat because I’ve made this delicious dessert completely gluten free, filled them with the most creamy, fluffy swiss meringue buttercream, and rolled them in some delicious gluten free crispy, crunchy cereal.
Okay total blast from the past: do you remember PEBBLES™ cereal from when you were a kid? Did you know that this tasty cereal is also gluten free?? I had no idea! And you know what? This crispy, crunchy rice cereal is perfect for adding to your dessert recipes, or enjoying on top of a smoothie bowl for breakfast or a snack! I also love the idea of sprinkling them on top of a jar of overnight oats with some flaked coconut and banana. Or on top of ice cream! YUM!!
Despite their appearance, these irresistible whoopie pies are actually really easy to make! I know, a swiss meringue buttercream can sound daunting if you’ve never made one before, but I promise you will be surprised at how easy it really is. And if you’ve ever made a cake or cookies using a stand mixer, then you can certainly make the chocolate whoopie pie cakes! And best of all, you don’t need any specialty equipment or pans to make this recipe. Just an electric mixer. No whoopie pie pan or piping bags required.
I have to note that this recipe is definitely a treat and should be consumed in moderation. While this recipe is gluten free, I chose not to make this recipe dairy free because I really wanted a nice swiss meringue buttercream filling. But if you need to eat dairy free and still want to make this recipe, then it should work just as well! Just substitute full fat coconut milk for the whole milk and organic palm shortening for the butter. I’ve actually made a swiss meringue buttercream with palm shortening before and it turned out really well! It does lack that buttery taste, but the texture is perfect! And good news: Cocoa PEBBLES™ are also dairy free!
I so love the way this recipe turned out! Truth be told, it was actually my first try at making whoopie pies at home. I was a little nervous about making them, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised at how well they came out! The chocolate whoopie pie cakes/cookies are the perfect cakey and light texture, and not overly sweet. The Swiss meringue buttercream is literal perfection. So fluffy, creamy, and delicious. And sweetened only with maple sugar! Bowl and spatula licking are totally going to happen here. Just sayin’. And lastly, I absolutely love how Cocoa PEBBLES™ give these whoopie pies a nice crunch! And they’re perfect for the whole family to enjoy. No one will even suspect that these are gluten free!
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Equipment Needed:
- Stand mixer with whisk and paddle attachments
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat
- Sifter
- Whisk
- Large and medium glass mixing bowls
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Food scale (optional, but recommended for precision)
- Oven
- Silicone spatula
Make sure to visit postpebblescereal.com to check out their 4 gluten-free cereal products and get even more recipe inspiration!
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Gluten Free Whoopie Pies with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Cocoa PEBBLES™
- Gluten-Free
- Vegetarian or Vegan
Ingredients
Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cakes
- 1/2 cup 113g unsalted organic butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed 85g coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 cups packed 225g blanched super fine almond flour
- 1 cup 130g tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup 42g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup organic whole milk
- 1 large egg 52g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 3 large egg whites 105g
- 1 cup 125g maple sugar
- 1 cup 226g unsalted organic butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
Topping
- 1 cup Cocoa PEBBLES™ cereal
Instructions
Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cakes
- Soften butter. Before you begin, make sure to allow all of your butter to soften on the countertop for 30 mins to an hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer* with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and coconut sugar on high for about 2-3 minutes until the mixture has lightened quite a bit and is nice and fluffy. Scrape down sides and bottom as needed.
- Sift dry ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa, baking powder, and sea salt). You want to use a sift here to get rid of any clumps. Whisk gently to combine.
- Mix wet ingredients together. In a medium mixing bowl or the glass measuring cup you'll use to measure the milk, whisk together wet ingredients (milk, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice).
- Add dry and wet ingredients to stand mixer. Using the alternating technique, add wet and dry ingredients to the stand mixer while mixing on low. Start with about 1/3 of the dry, then add about 1/3 of the wet, then keep going in an alternating fashion until it's all incorporated.
- Mix on medium for about 1 minute, scraping down bottom and sides as needed.
- Scoop batter onto baking sheet. Use a 1.5 Tbsp scoop to scoop out batter and place rounds on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for spreading. You may need to work in batches or use 2 baking sheets.
- Bake on center rack for 14-16 minutes until fully set and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Leave on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before adding buttercream.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream**
- Heat egg whites and sugar over double boiler. Create a double boiler (bain-marie) using a small saucepan and medium glass bowl. Simmer about 1" of water in the bottom, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Add egg whites and maple sugar to bowl and whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has all dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch. If you want to be super precise you can use a candy thermometer and make sure to bring it to 140ºF (60ºC).
- Whisk to form stiff peaks and cool. Wipe water from the bottom of the bowl and carefully pour mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk with the whisk attachment on medium-high for about 5 minutes or until it has whipped up nicely, forms stiff peaks, and cooled to room temperature.
- Add butter. Switch to paddle attachment and add butter 2 Tbsp at a time while beating on medium-high, allowing the butter to fully incorporate into the meringue between additions. Once all the butter is added, continue to beat on medium-high until smooth.
- Add vanilla and salt. Dissolve sea salt in vanilla extract and add to buttercream while mixing on low. Increase to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute. The Swiss meringue buttercream should be smooth, light, and fluffy! If it's not smooth, just continue beating until you get the right texture.
Assemble whoopie pies
- Make pairs. Once the cakes are completely cooled, match them up to make pairs that are similar in size/shape.
- Scoop or pipe on buttercream. Scoop some buttercream onto the bottom cake of each pair, then place the other cake on top. You can also use a piping bag and a large round tip if you are feeling extra.
- Roll in Cocoa PEBBLES™ cereal.
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Notes
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Disclosure: This recipe has been sponsored by PEBBLES™ cereal. I only choose to partner with brands that I believe in and support. Sponsorships like this one allow me to continue to provide free recipes on this blog. Thanks to my sponsor, PEBBLES™ cereal and thank YOU for supporting me and making my recipes! All opinions expressed in this post are my own.
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