Red Velvet Whoopie Pies {Gluten-free, Vegan, Paleo}

Red velvet in any form holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of my wedding cake. I can still recall the “omg-I-just-died-and-went-to-heaven” look my husband and I gave each other after sampling it at the cake tasting. What I love about red velvet cake the most is that it’s not your standard moist, fluffy cake. Red velvet has a dense, fudgy texture and when paired with cream cheese frosting, it’s simply amazing.

Not only does red velvet hold a special place in my heart, but it can also hold a (not so) special place in the midsection area. The good thing about these Red Velvet Whoopie pies is that they are mini portion-controlled sandwiches. Plus, they’re made with all natural and healthy ingredients, which makes them vegan and paleo-friendly (and gluten-free too!)! And the best part: this recipe includes one sneaky ingredient that helped put the red in these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. Hint: it’s not red food coloring.

It’s beets! Believe me when I tell you: You cannot taste them. We’re only using a couple tablespoons after all. Turns out a little beet goes a long way (sorry, couldn’t help it!) in getting that deep red color. So you will have some leftover beet to work with.

On Valentine’s Day, my husband and I plan to thoroughly enjoy these little treasures with a glass of wine once the kids are in bed.

Vegan Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Krista

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• ½ beet
• 2¼ cups water, divided
• ½ cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes
• 2 ½ tbs almond milk
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs agave nectar
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cups cashews (or any nut such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc)
• 1 tbs cocoa powder
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Instructions

1. Prepare the beet mixture Peel and roughly chop the ½ beat. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Boil beet pieces for about 15 minutes until soft and fork tender. While the beets are cooking, make the cream cheese filling. When the beets have finished cooking, place the beet pieces and ¼ cup water in a food processor, blender, or Nutribullet. Blend until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the beet mixture for the recipe. Save the remaining beets for a snack.
2. Make the cream cheese filling Give the food processor a quick rinse if you used it to puree the beets. Add the cashews, almond milk apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, coconut oil and vanilla to a food processor, blender, or Nutribullet. Blend until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Store the mixture in the refrigerator so it firms up a bit.
3. Make the red velvet cookies Give the food processor a quick rinse if you used it to make the filling. Add the 1½ cups of cashews and pulse until they resemble coarse bread crumbs. Add the 2 tablespoons of beets, cocoa powder, and agave nectar. Pulse until the mixture is uniform and sticky and still a bit crumbly. Form the mixture into 16 balls and flatten them into patties with your palm. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling on one patty and place another patty on top of the filling to complete the sandwich. Repeat the assembly process for all remaining patties.

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