Gluten Free Whoopie Pies with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Cocoa PEBBLES™
Gluten-Free
Vegetarian or Vegan
Delicious chocolaty whoopie pies with a luscious Swiss meringue buttercream and crispy chocolate rice cereal for a nice crunch! And it's all gluten free! This recipe is the perfect dessert to round out a fun family weekend. No one will even know they're gluten free!
Prep Time: 20 minutesmins
Cook Time: 35 minutesmins
Servings: 18whoopie pies
Ingredients
Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cakes
1/2cup113g unsalted organic butter, softened
1/2cuppacked85g coconut sugar
1 1/2cupspacked225g blanched super fine almond flour
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.
As with any baked goods, I recommend measuring your ingredients using a food scale for precision. Since the egg whites in this buttercream are cooked, it is safe for children, the immune compromised, and pregnant women to consume. *You can also use an electric hand mixer here, but it's easier with a stand mixer, especially when you make the buttercream.**Be sure to wash your stand mixer bowl and the glass bowl you will use over the double boiler really well. Any residual oils could prevent the egg whites from whipping up.