Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

I made these a couple of weeks ago for some friends and they absolutely loved them. I mean they really really loved them. You know why? ‘Cause they’re awesome! My husband is a pumpkin fanatic so he was thrilled, as were his coworkers, who are my official “taste testers.”

I love pumpkin recipes. Anything with pumpkin and I’m in. Mostly because it reminds me of the holiday season.

They kind of remind me more of a muffin than a whoopie pie, but honestly, who cares about the name? They were so tasty, call ‘em whatever you want.

It’s an easy recipe, you’re going to want to save this one for the holidays!

Start with your dry ingredients. Sift away!

Then the brown sugar and oil.

Add your pumpkin puree. Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling, get pure pumpkin puree.

Then mix in your eggs and vanilla.

Slowly incorporate your dry ingredients and you’re ready to bake!

That looks like snow. I love snow, and this picture, in a really weird way, makes me happy. I’m a sucker for the winter.

If you have an ice cream scoop, this would be a great time to use it. If not, use a trusty ole spoon. I would highly recommend parchment paper. If you haven’t been using it, try it and you’ll discover how totally awesome it is.

Bake them until they bounce back slightly when you press on them.

Get your frosting ready while they cool.

Beat your butter until smooth, add the cream cheese and vanilla then slowly, seriously, slowly add your sifted sugar.

The more you beat it the fluffier it gets. If you like it thicker, don’t overbeat it.

Makes 12-14 pies
Ingredients

For the pies
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, slightly chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the filling
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation Instructions

For the pies:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

In a large bowl, whisk together sifted flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined.

Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined.

Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.

Slowly sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Make sure you leave room. They do expand and when they touch, well, that’s annoying, so give ‘em some room to breathe.

Transfer tray to the oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

For the filling:

Sift sugar into a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add your cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth.

The fun part:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag (or ziplock bag) and snip the end.

When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies.

Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate pies for at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Now call your local gym and sign up for a spin class. Trust me, you’re going to want to eat all of these.

Enjoy!