BHL Media is proud to present Beverly Hills’ newest baking guru: AJ DeDiego. This passionate professional bakes incredibly delicious desserts with brilliant recipes simple enough for anyone to follow! His website, www.bakeitwithaj.com holds the key for you to unlock all of his outstanding work and recipes with links to his YouTube show: Bake it with AJ, a production on which he shows exactly how to make all of his delicious desserts in the most fun and approachable ways.
His bright personality and pure joy of baking make this no ordinary show, it’s one to enjoy and look forward to every Wednesday. We’re so excited to have him working with us, providing his expertise and amazing recipes for you all to enjoy! Below find one of Mark Kurian’s favorite recipes. Its the reason he knew that AJ needed to be a part of the family! Bon Appetite everyone! Get ready to indulge and yet savor each bite.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pies are something I recently started making. My mom owns a bakery in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and sells gluten free chocolate whoopee pies, and wow are they good! I decided to get creative and make a more festive variation, and that’s how these were born!
Makes 12 Whoopie Pies
2 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 ½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 ½ Tsp Ground Allspice
1 ½ Tsp Ground Ginger
¾ Tsp Ground Cloves
¾ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
½ Cup Room Temperature Buttermilk
½ Cup Vegetable oil
¼ Cup Molasses
1 Large Room Temperature Egg
1 ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Filling:
½ Stick Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
4 oz Cream Cheese at Room Temperature
2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1/8 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions:
1. Place the racks in your oven in the upper and lower third of the oven, then preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F. Line a few sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt and set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, use a whisk to combine the brown sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil, molasses, egg and vanilla until well combined.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet and whisk until just combined, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl and finish the mixing so you don’t overmix.
5. Using a 1 3/4-inch cookie scoop, scoop the batter on to the sheets with parchment, keeping 2 inches of space between each one.
6. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or when they spring back when gently touched.
7. Allow to cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
8. For the filling, add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until very smooth.
9. Add the vanilla, maple syrup and salt and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down with a spatula.
10. Add one cup of the confectioner’s sugar and combine on low speed, then add the other cup and mix until combined.
11. You can either pipe the filling on to the cooled cookies in a piping bag with a large round tip, or you can just use a spoon to spread it. Once the filling is on half of the cookies, place the other half on top of all of them to create the whoopie pies.
-Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to two months!