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1
Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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2
In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In another bowl, mix the egg, oil, orange zest, and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the buttermilk, until all the ingredients are well combined.
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3
Drop the dough, a teaspoonful at a time, onto the prepared baking sheet, taking care to leave enough space between the cookies as they expand a little while baking, but not too much. Also try to keep the shape as round and even as possible, it makes it easier to match the cookies after they are baked.
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4
Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes, until they are slightly golden around the edges, but do not over-bake them. You want them to be tender, not hard. Once the cookies are done baking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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5
While the cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. In the bowl of your mixer of choice, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and the butter until light and well blended. Add the sifted powdered sugar, in batches, until the filling is perfectly smooth. Add the almond extract, mix well.
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6
To fill the cookies, you can use a spoon or a pastry bag to spread some of the filling onto one of the cookies and then sandwich another cookie on top. Fill and sandwich cookies until all the cookies are matched. You might have some filling leftover; it makes a nice frosting on cupcakes or muffins.
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7
Note: The number of whoopie pies you end up with depends on the amount of batter you use when you bake the cookies. I actually don't remember the exact number of whoopie pies I got with this recipe, as they were being eaten as soon as they were filled.
