Red Velvet Mini Whoopie Pies (Paleo, Vegan, AIP, Gluten Free)
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These red velvet whoopie pies are little bites of heaven! They’re naturally colored and are totally paleo, gluten free, dairy free, and AIP.
I’ve been wanting to make whoopie pies for quite some time. Soft cookies and creamy filling? Yes, of course, I want that! What better time for cute little treats than Valentine’s Day? I don’t ever make a huge deal out of Valentine’s day, but baking a little something can be a fun treat to give family, friends, or to just make for yourself.
Red velvet is the next best thing after chocolate on valentines day, but I was put off by the unnaturally red color that’s often from food coloring. You can totally make red velvet without food coloring and while adding in some superfood ingredients… beets! No wait, don’t go! I promise these don’t taste like beets. These red velvet whoopie pies taste sweet, creamy, and don’t have any artificial colors or flavors in sight.
One thing to note about these whoopie pies is that they’re little guys! These are mini’s, and I prefer to make them that way so they hold better, and there’s more to share. I haven’t tried these are larger whoopie pies, but I assume it should work okay.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Coconut flour & arrowroot starch
This is the flour blend that I used for the cookies to keep them gluten and grain free. You should be able to use tapioca starch in place of arrowroot, but I cannot recommend a swap for the coconut flour.
A small beet
As I said, you can’t taste it! It really just colors the cookies. You’ll boil the beet to soften it and then puree it so the taste and texture disappear in the cookies.
Cocoa powder
This helps to mask some of the beet flavors. If you’re AIP, use carob powder.
Palm shortening
This makes the cookies nice and cakey and is the base of the cream filling.
Maple syrup/honey
Use maple syrup if you’re making these vegan, but honey will work too.
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PrintRed Velvet Whoopie Pies (Paleo, Vegan, AIP, Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
For the whoopie pies
- 1 small beet, peeled
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (sub carob powder for AIP)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp palm shortening
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
For the cream filling
- 1/3 cup palm shortening
- 1 tbsp light colored honey/maple syrup for vegan (see notes)
Instructions
- Add the beet to a medium-sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a low boil for 25-30 minutes or until the beet is soft. Drain the excess water and allow the beet to cool before using a blender to puree. Add 1 tbsp of water if needed. Scoop out 2 tbsp of the beet puree to use in the cookies. See notes for leftovers.
- Line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Using a medium-sized bowl, mix the coconut flour, arrowroot, cocoa powder, and baking soda until well combined.
- Mix in the beet puree, palm shortening, and maple syrup. Stir until the dough is fully combined.
- Scoop 1 tbsp of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet and use the palm of your hand to flatten into a cookie. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. You should have about 12 cookies.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Carefully move to a cooling rack and allow to cool. These cookies will easily break if not cooled.
- Prepare the cream filling by whisking together the shortening and sweetener.
- Once the cookies have cooled, add a spoonful of cream filling to the bottom of a cookie and sandwich it with another cookie. Repeat for 6 whoopie pies total.
- Chill in the refrigerator to set the frosting before serving (preferred) or eat immediately for a smoother frosting.
Notes
If you have any leftover beet puree, save it to add to soups or smoothies. It’s incredibly nutrient dense!
All nutrition facts are estimations and will vary.
For the cream filling, the honey yields a better color for the cream. However, you can also use maple syrup if you’re sharing with vegan friends.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 whoopie pie
- Calories: 337
- Fat: 26.9g
- Carbohydrates: 23.8g
- Fiber: 4.1g
- Protein: 2.4g
Keywords: red velvet, whoopie pies
Any swaps for coconut flour? I can’t have it.
I haven’t tried any other flour in this recipe, but I have a lot of coconut flour free cookies on the blog 🙂
YuM! I love that this is both vegan and gluten-free and also so pretty! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thank you so much, Jennifer!
They turned out just the right amount of sweet?!
I do have a question, as I’m super novice at baking! I used a heaping tablespoon and the cookies turned out regular sized and not mini. Was this too much?
Also, I used 2 tablespoons of beets, as directed. The batter was nice and pinkish red! But when they were done, the they looked like chocolate cookies. Next time should I use more beets? 🙂
Wow! They look amazing!
Thank you so much!!
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How long will these keep? I’m wondering if maybe the cookie part could be made in advance and they could be filled later?
They should keep for a couple of days in the fridge!