Bunny Bliss Whoopies

I was more than a little surprised when I received the following email this morning:

"Dear Camilla," the message began, "I am writing to let you know how much my whole family enjoyed your wonderful bunny whoopies. They were the hit of our Sunday supper!"

I blushed. Then I scowled. What the heck is a bunny whoopie?

Google to the rescue.

In seconds I found my recipe, and the lovely photo above, at the parenting.com website. I entered my carrot cookie recipe in their 2008 Cookie Bake-Off Bonanza several months back, a cookie that I originally gave the benign, but descriptive, moniker "carrot cake cookie." But at the last moment, I changed the name to Bunny Bliss Cookies. I never received any notification of my runner-up status, so it was a sweet surprise, and a good excuse to put everything else aside and make another batch while Nick took his nap.

If you are a carrot cake fan, as I most decidedly am, these are, indeed, bliss.


Bunny Bliss Whoopies

1 and 1/8 cups white whole wheat flour (e.g. King Arthur brand)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
¾ cup (1 and 1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened, divided
3 tsp vanilla extract, divided
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 cup pecans, chopped
½ cup dried cherries, roughly chopped (or use dried cranberries or raisins)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 package (8 oz) 1/3-less fat cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment. 2. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

3. Place sugars, egg, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.

4. Mix in carrots, pecans, and cherries at low speed.

5. Stir in flour mixture with wooden spoon.

6. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto 1 of the prepared sheets (spacing about 2 inches apart). Bake 13-16 minutes until just set at center. Cool 1 minute on sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool.

7. While cookies bake, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, remaining 1/4 cup butter, and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla with electric mixer until smooth.

8. Sandwich flat sides of cooled cookies together with a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Makes 14 whoopies.