Recipe: Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

CARROT CAKE WHOOPIE PIES

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
Lemon Cream Cheese Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour oats into a food processor or blender and grind until they have a smooth texture. Whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add the eggs and beat well. Gradually add the flour mixture until just blended. Add carrots and mix just until combined; dough will be sticky. Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto greased or parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until cookies are set and just browning around the edges. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Spread filling over bottom of one cookie and then press another cookie, bottom-side down into filling. Refrigerate cookies if not serving immediately.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FILLING

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
Pinch salt
2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or milk), as needed

Beat all filling ingredients with electric mixer in large bowl, adding enough lemon juice to make a creamy consistency.

Makes 24 whoopie pies
Source: Tone's, ACH Food Companies, Inc.