Apple season is my happy place, and these apple cider whoopie pies might be my favorite thing to come out of it. I boil the cider down to a syrup so the soft, cinnamon-sugar cookies actually taste like apples, then sandwich them around a cinnamon cream cheese filling with a spoonful of marshmallow fluff to soften the tang, a small touch that makes a big difference.
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Working through the rest of the jug? My apple cider muffins and baked apple cider donuts will finish it off.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Real apple flavor. The cider gets boiled down to a syrupy ¼ cup before it goes in, so the apple taste is concentrated instead of watery.
- Cakey, not fussy. The batter scoops like cookie dough and bakes in 12-14 minutes. No whoopie pie pan needed, just a cookie scoop and parchment.
- The filling is balanced. Cream cheese for tang, marshmallow fluff to mellow it, cinnamon to tie it to the cookies. Tested with and without the fluff.
- They travel. Fall bake sales, tailgates, lunchboxes: a sandwich cookie survives all 3 better than frosted anything.
What you need for these whoopie pies
- Apple cider: 1¼ cups, reduced on the stove to ¼ cup. This is the flavor engine; don’t skip the reduction. The juice, not the vinegar.
- Apple butter: doubles down on apple and keeps the cookies moist. No dairy butter in it, it’s concentrated spiced applesauce.
- Marshmallow fluff: the filling’s peacekeeper; it softens the cream cheese tang. Tested without it too, see variations.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt: for table salt, use about half as much by volume.
- Room temperature butter, eggs, and cream cheese: cold ingredients make a lumpy batter and a gritty filling. Set them out 30 minutes ahead.
See the recipe card below for full measurements.
Grocery note: at my Giant, fresh cider lives in the refrigerated produce case year-round, and you’ll want extra since 1¼ cups cooks down to just ¼ cup. Apple butter is shelved with the jams, or grab a local jar at the farm market if you’re near one; either works here.
Whoopie pie variations and substitutions
- No marshmallow fluff: leave it out and add powdered sugar to taste; the filling turns into a classic cinnamon cream cheese frosting. (Tested, works.)
- Brown sugar filling: swap the granulated sugar in the filling for light brown for a caramel note.
- Apple butter center: pipe a ring of filling and spoon a little apple butter in the middle.
- Caramel drizzle: a thread of easy homemade salted caramel sauce over the assembled pies.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to make apple cider whoopie pies step by step
Bring 1¼ cups apple cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ¼ cup; mine takes about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. It should look dark and syrupy, like warm honey. (Night-before friendly.)
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high until creamed, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the apple butter, cooled cider reduction, and vanilla, and mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. The batter will be thick and creamy.
Scoop 1½-tablespoon mounds onto the prepared sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the tops spring back when touched. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
Brush each cookie with melted butter and dip in the cinnamon sugar.
For the filling, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioner’s sugar, marshmallow fluff, cinnamon, and vanilla; beat on medium until combined. Taste; add a pinch of salt if it’s too sweet.
Pair the cookies by size, spread or pipe filling on the flat side of one, and top with its partner.
Apple cider donut whoopie pies
Some bakers call these apple cider donut whoopie pies, and the name fits: soft spiced cookies rolled in buttery cinnamon sugar, with that concentrated apple flavor you only get at the cider mill. If sandwiching cookies isn’t happening on a school night, my apple cider donut loaf cake delivers the same flavors as one simple loaf.
Sarah’s Tips for the best whoopie pies
- Get the reduction right. 1¼ cups of cider down to ¼ cup, dark and syrupy. Under-reduced cider makes flat-flavored, wetter cookies. Already keep boiled cider in the fridge? Use ¼ cup of that and skip the stovetop step entirely.
- Same scoop, every cookie. A 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop keeps the halves the same size so your sandwiches actually match up.
- Don’t rush the pans. The 5-minute rest on the baking sheet sets the cakey crumb; moving them early breaks them.
- Room temperature cream cheese, always. Cold cream cheese beats into lumps that never fully smooth out.
- Too-sweet filling? A pinch of salt, not more cinnamon, is the fix.
Common questions about apple cider whoopie pies
How to store whoopie pies
- Refrigerator: covered, up to 5 days. The filling means they live in the fridge, not on the counter.
- Freezer: wrap filled pies individually in plastic and freeze up to 3 months.
- Thawing: overnight in the fridge, or an hour on the counter.
That’s everything you need to make these apple cider whoopie pies the treat that disappears first from the fall cookie tray.
Recipe
Apple Cider Donut Whoopie Pies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) apple cider
- 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (58g) apple butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the filling
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 58g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups (350g) confectioner's sugar
- 1/3 cup (114g) marshmallow fluff
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Reduce the Apple Cider
- Bring the apple cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Let it boil until reduced to 1/4 cup (60ml)—start checking at 10, 15, and 20 minutes until you reach the right amount. Mine usually takes about 20 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before using in step 4. You can also make the reduction in advance, cover it, and refrigerate it, then bring it to room temperature before using.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger in a medium bowl.
- In another large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the apple butter, cooled reduced apple cider, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until completely combined. Batter will be thick and creamy.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop mounds of batter, about 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- While the cookies are baking mix, the sugar and cinnamon for the coating in a small bowl.
- Once the cookies are done, let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Brush each cookie with melted butter and dip it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, marshmallow fluff, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Then beat on medium speed until combined. Taste; if it is too sweet, add a pinch of salt.
- Pair the cookies by size. Spread (I just spread it on with a knife) or pipe (use a Wilton 1A Piping tip) the frosting onto the flat side of one cookie. Top with the remaining cookies to form sandwiches.
- Serve immediately. Cover leftover whoopie pies and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
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Notes
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- You can make the frosting up to 2 days in advance and store it in the fridge. It will thicken after chilling; just beat it with a mixer and add 1 tablespoon of apple cider or milk to thin it if needed.
- You can make whoopie pie batter a day ahead, cover it, and refrigerate it. Bring it to room temperature before baking.
- Baked and filled whoopie pies freeze well for up to 3 months. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe container, and thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
