Strawberry Whoopie Pies

Stawberries have such a fun, summery vibe that I thought it would be cute to add little gingham printed fondant hearts on top of each little pie.

                                            Fondant hearts painted in gingham print with food coloring

This recipe is adapted from Baked's Strawberry Whoopie Pie recipe, which is delicious. I wanted my version to be bright pink and girly to pay homage to the strawberry cake mix cakes I loved so dearly as a kid.

For the Strawberry Whoopie Pies (makes about 20 mini whoopie pie sandwiches)
Adapted from Baked's Strawberry Whoopie Pie recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups AP Flour
2 tbsp dehydrated strawberries (ground into fine powder)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh strawberry puree
2 large egg whites

Directions
Sift flour, powdered strawberry, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside.

Put sugar and oil in a large bowl and mix well, using a whisk to break up any lumps in sugar. Whisk in strawberry puree and sour cream until combined, then whisk in egg whites, one at a time, just until combined. Fold in flour mixture in two parts, being careful not to overwork the batter. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a pastry bag, pipe 1.5 inch diameter circles, spacing about 2 inches apart. Working in batches, bake until cookies are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 8-10 minutes (longer if you do large pies). Remove cookies from oven; cool completely.
TIP: The batter is fairly thick, so you may want to wet your index finger and smooth tops of batter before baking to prevent bumpy cookie tops.

For the cream cheese strawberry filling:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 block cream cheese
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1/2 cup diced strawberries (chop into fine pieces using food processor)
2-3 drops Americolor Deep Pink food coloring

Whip butter in stand mixer fitted with battle attachment. Add cream cheese and then slowly add confectioner's sugar. If mixture is too thick, add a splash of milk to make it easier to mix. Add vanilla and food coloring- mix well. Add in strawberries last and mix just until combined.

To assemble:

Pipe filling on one side of each cookie to create "sandwiches." Decorate as desired.