This Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies recipe is the perfect dessert for spring. It’s everything you love about carrot cake but more compact. It’s a little bit cookie, it’s a little bit cake, and it’s a whole lot of deliciousness!
Place the oven racks in the middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using electric hand beaters, add the butter and sugars and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs & vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Dump in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined about 30 seconds. Fold in the carrots and shredded coconut.
Scoop and drop 3 Tablespoons of the batter, 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. (I used a 3 Tablespoon scoop to make this a lot easier). Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pans half-way through baking until the cake tops are just firm and spring back when pressed. Let the cake tops sit on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
MAKE THE COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl using electric hand beaters, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain about 30-60 seconds. Add the sifted powdered sugar, salt, and coconut extract and mix on medium speed until just combined about 30-60 seconds.
TO FINISH:
Add about 2 tablespoons of the frosting to the flip side of one of the cake tops. Gently press shredded coconut into the frosting and top with another cake top to create your whoopie pie. Sprinkle more coconut in the crevasse (optional). Repeat to make 11 more whoopie pies.
Store your whoopie pies by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and keep in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.