It’s the night before the holiday cookie swap and you’re baking your favourite ginger cookies. When they come out of the oven, the cookies are stiff and unyielding, not light and chewy like they’re supposed to be. What happened? What did you miss? As you scan through the ingredient list to see what went wrong, you realize that you didn’t add the 1/2 tsp of baking soda that was called for. But how could missing such a tiny amount of a specific ingredient have affected the quality of your baking so dramatically?

Fleischmann’s, a trusted brand with over 150 years of expertise in providing reliable baking essentials (think Fleischmann’s Traditional Yeast and Fleischmann’s Corn Starch) understands the necessity for bakers to have a trust-worthy baking soda in order to produce exceptional baked goods. That’s why, just in time for the holiday season, Fleischmann’s has launched their own baking soda.

What is baking soda?

Chemically known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is a crystalline powder that has a variety of uses in cooking, cleaning, and even personal care.

Why is baking soda important in baking?

Even though the amount of baking soda called for in recipes seems tiny, it makes all the difference to the quality of your baked goods if you don’t use it. When sodium bicarbonate reacts with acidic ingredients like buttermilk, molasses, lemon juice or yogurt, it releases carbon dioxide gas. This gas forms bubbles, causing doughs and butters to expand and become light and fluffy. The tiny CO2 gas bubbles produced by baking soda allows for soft and airy baked goods such as cookies, pancakes, and cakes.

Fleischmann’s Baking Soda is a trusted choice for bakers who value perfect and consistent results.

Its fine texture makes it easy to mix in and evenly distribute. The packaging is designed to be mess-free and easy to use, offering the perfect scoop. It features a resealable canister lid that keeps the baking soda fresher for longer and makes it convenient to store in the pantry.

We love baking for the holidays, and we’re always trying new recipes. With Fleischmann’s Baking Soda, this recipe for Red Velvet Cake Whoopie Pies will become your family’s new favourite treat.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Recipe

Red velvet whoopies on cooling rack

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Light and airy as miniature cakes, these red velvet whoopie pie cookies have the light chocolatey flavour and signature red colour of red velvet cake. Cookies are sandwiched with a whipped cream cheese frosting.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Cookies

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
¾ tsp Fleischmann’s™ Baking Soda
¼ tsp Fleischmann’s™ Baking Powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup 1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 egg room temperature
⅔ cup buttermilk room temperature
⅓ cup beet juice room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

1 brick of cream cheese room temperature
½ cup 1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cup powdered sugar sifted
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line 2 large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and fine sea salt and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium high for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and add the egg. Beat until fully combined and mixture looks smooth. Add vanilla and buttermilk and beat on low, scraping down the sides as needed. It is OK if the mixture looks curdled. Spoon in dry mixture and continue beating on low until just combined. Add beet juice and continue mixing until the colour has just mixed through.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 8 portions per baking sheet, allowing 2” around each cookie.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. Repeat for remaining cookies.
Cool on a wire rack.

Filling

Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Turn to low and add the powdered sugar one spoon at a time. Scrape down sides as needed. Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to medium high and continue to beat for 3 minutes or until fully combined and smooth.

Assembly

Pair up fully cooled cookies based on their size.
Use a decorative tip and fill a piping bag with the cream cheese filling.
Take one cookie and pipe filling onto the bottom of the cookie. Top with the matching pair and repeat for remaining cookies. Top with some sprinkled powdered sugar.

Keyword red velvet, whoopie pies