Why These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Belong on Your Christmas Table
These chocolate gingerbread whoopie pies are soft, cocoa cake sandwiches piped into the cutest little gingerbread man shapes and filled with sweet whipped cream. A festive, fun Christmas treat that’s guaranteed to make everyone smile!
Is there anything more cheerful than a little gingerbread man at Christmas?
These whoopie pies take that classic holiday shape and give it a soft, chocolatey twist.
Instead of a crisp gingerbread cookie, you get two pillowy cocoa cakes hugging a cloud of sweet whipped cream.
They’re soft. They’re adorable. And they disappear off the dessert table faster than you can say “run, run, as fast as you can!”
Why These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Belong on Your Christmas Table
That gingerbread man shape is pure holiday magic. Kids and grown-ups alike light up when they see them.
They’re soft and light, thanks to that fluffy chocolate cake and airy whipped cream. No heavy, too-sweet frosting here.
They’re genuinely fun to make. Piping the little shapes is the kind of kitchen project the whole family can get in on.
And they’re a fresh spin on a Christmas classic. All the festive gingerbread charm, with a chocolate-lover’s heart.
Let’s Bake Up These Gingerbread Men
Don’t let the cute shapes fool you. These come together like an easy cake batter.
Start by sifting your dry ingredients together, the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, so everything blends smoothly.
In another bowl, whip your soft butter and sugar until they’re pale and fluffy. Beat in your egg just until it comes together.
Now add your dry ingredients and the milk, and fold it all with a spatula. You’re looking for a thick, slightly sticky batter, almost like a very heavy cake batter.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe little gingerbread-man shapes onto your lined baking sheets. (A traced outline under the parchment makes this a breeze!)
These bake fast, just about 7 minutes, until they’ve puffed up in the middle. Let them rest a couple of minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.
Once they’re cool, sandwich two together with a generous swoop of whipped cream. Add a little more on top to decorate, or drizzle with melted white chocolate for extra flair.
And there they are. A whole batch of the merriest little cakes around.
Tips for the Cutest Whoopie Pies
A few things I’ve learned for whoopie-pie success!
Pipe over a template. Draw your gingerbread men on the back of the parchment and trace with your batter. Your shapes will come out even and recognizable every time.
Don’t overbake. Seven minutes is all these little cakes need.
Cool completely before filling.
Keep them chilled. Because the filling is whipped cream, these are best kept in the fridge and served cool. They’re prettiest and tastiest filled close to serving time.
What You’ll Need
Simple ingredients for a truly special little treat.
For the cakes, you’ll use flour, cocoa powder, sugar, butter, an egg, milk, and vanilla, plus your leaveners and a pinch of salt. A teaspoon of pumpkin spice is optional if you’d like a hint of warmth.
For the filling, all you need is crème chantilly, which is just whipped cream sweetened with a little powdered sugar. Light, airy, and just sweet enough.
And to decorate, keep some extra whipped cream on hand, or melt a little white chocolate for drizzling.
More Christmas Treats to Bake
Filling out your holiday cookie tray? Try these next!
Scroll down to print the recipe, and merry baking!
And if you love an easy, festive dessert, our Crazy Easy Desserts Book is full of holiday-worthy favorites.
Print
Gingerbread Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Soft, chocolatey whoopie pies piped into adorable gingerbread man shapes and filled with sweet whipped cream. A festive, fun Christmas treat the whole family will love!
- Prep Time 20 mins
- Cool Time 30 mins
- Cook Time 7 mins
- Total Time 57 mins
- Yield 12 pies 1x
- Category Dessert, Desserts, Snack, Snacks
- Method Baking
- Cuisine American
Ingredients
Cakes
- 1¾ cups flour
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice mix (optional)
Filling
- 1 cup crème chantilly (whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Sift together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder.
- In a medium bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, whisk the soft butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the egg and whisk until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and milk to the egg mixture and mix with a spatula until combined. The batter will be fluffy and slightly sticky, like a very thick cake batter.
- Using a piping bag, pipe gingerbread-man-shaped batter onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 7 minutes, until risen in the middle.
- Cool 2 minutes, then remove from the cookie sheets to a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Sandwich two cakes together with the frosting (crème chantilly).
- Decorate with more crème chantilly. You can also use melted white chocolate to decorate.
Notes
- The pumpkin spice mix is optional. It adds a light warm-spice note but can be left out entirely.
- The filling is whipped cream based, so it is soft and not shelf-stable. Keep the assembled whoopie pies refrigerated, and fill them close to serving time for the best texture.
- To pipe even gingerbread-man shapes, draw the outline on the underside of your parchment paper and pipe along the guide.
