Recipe: Sandwich Cookies, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free

Finished sandwich cookie of goodness

So I got it into my head that I wanted to make an Allergic Girl friendly Whoopie Pie for my birthday. I don’t think I’ve ever had a whoopie pie growing up (my mom’s confirms, we didn’t have them in the house); moon pies at camp yes, with marshmallow filling and graham cracker, enrobed in chocolate, but whoopie pie, nope. 

The last few years I (or Brooklyn Allergy Mom) made safe for me birthday cake that was chocolate cake with white icing, which is my favorite flavor combo. I use King Arthur Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix and this dairy-free buttercream recipe.

This year I thought, let me try a whoopie pie. I looked up on Google who was making them gluten-free and nut-free and I also wanted to use a mix that was safe for me like  King Arthur Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Mix or Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Devil's Food Cake Mix.

I found a GF Whoopie Pie recipe online. It’s based on Cake Mix Doctor Bake Gluten-Free's recipe, whose book I really liked and I reviewed here. When I looked at the original recipe in Anne Byrn’s book, it had way more ingredients and steps. 

The upshot: the finished product was delicious. Several fellow musical improvisers, none with food allergies or dietary needs, all loved and were licking their fingers looking for more.

The cookie is fudgey and cakey, with a dark cocoa taste. It's not overly sickly sweet, which I like, a lot. Even with the filling, it's a great balance of texture and sweetness.

Cooling cookies

The inside the cakey part and the edges have a little crusty texture. A nice mix of textures overall.

Inside view of the cookie

The filling is very soft when made, which is why the top cookie looks like it's sliding off; because it is.

I don't know that cooling the filling once made would help but the filling sets-up and gets firmer once chilled. So there's that.

And I don’t know that I would call it a whoopie pie. Having said this, one of my testers, upon having a bite, said, “What a great whoopie pie!” 

I prefer to think of it a super yummy sandwich cookie. I would make them again. But for my birthday, I'm sticking with cake.

The recipe as written bellow is gluten-free, tree nut free, peanut-free and can easily be made dairy-free. Here is the recipe with my substitutions. 

Enjoy!

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Recipe, Sandwich Cookies, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free
By King Arthur and Anne Byrn, further adapted by me


Cookies:
1 -15 ounce box GF Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 medium size organic eggs 
5 T melted organic butter (or diary-free substitute)

Filling:
1 C confectioners’ sugar
1/2 C vegetable shortening (I used palm shortening)
1 C marshmallow fluff
1 t vanilla extract
2 T hot water
Pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all cookie ingredients in heavy duty mixing bowl; mix well. It will be dry looking. That's correct, don’t worry. Using a scoop or a teaspoon, shape batter into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

As cookies are cooling, make the filling. Place the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. 

To make sandwich cookies, spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the flat side of one cookie. Top with a second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Chill to set as they will be sloopy.

Yield: 15 Sandwich Cookies