It’s mid-October now, so all bets are off when it comes to pumpkin.  Go for it kids…Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Lattes, you knock yourself out.  Me? I’d start with these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  Once upon a time, when I was a caterer for a living, I made so many of these pumpkin cookies that I smelled like them, 24 hours a day.

Not a bad thing.

If you are new to the game, and wonder what a whoopie pie even is, well, it’s a cookie.  A stuffed cookie, to be more precise, and the cookies are soft, moist, spongy cake. Really everything good about a cupcake and a cookie combined, as the perfect amount of cake to icing recipe is a given.

You can’t go wrong.

This recipe is also one of the easiest things you could ever make.  No cookie scoop? No big deal, just spoon out the batter into little round shapes.  Or heck, pipe the batter into round shapes (I did this a lot).  Don’t want to make the icing?  You can use premade if you like, but I’ll advise you now…the homemade version with cinnamon in it is worth the very limited amount of trouble you’ll face when making it.

Just know that once you’ve made these, the first time is just a practice session, as you’ll be making more, and often.  You’ll be getting pumpkin cookie requests until December, and I won’t mind one bit if you take all the credit. Doughmesstic who?, you’ll say?  It’s okay.  Celebrate the fanfare.  There’s enough goodness in my life right now to go around for all of us.

Enjoy!

Yield: 36 filled cookies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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Soft, cake like pumpkin cookies filled with creamy, cinnamon spiked cream cheese icing. You can't go wrong with this burst of fall flavor!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 47 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups plus 2 Tbsps all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 TBSP cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 3 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
2. In a Mixer Bowl, whisk the sugars, canola and melted butter together. Add the pumpkin puree and combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the wet ingredients and slowly whisk to combine. Do not overmix.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare to baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a SilPat.
4. Place entire mixer bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes while oven preheats, then transfer batter to piping bag fitted with a round tip* (or use a cookie scoop or spoon). Pipe or spoon cookies in about 2 inch circles onto prepared sheets. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until cookies look done. Once cool, fill centers with cream cheese icing.

Notes

To make Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter, Room Temperature
8 oz. Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
3 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar, maybe more
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
Dash of Salt
Beat Cream Cheese, Butter, Salt & Cinnamon until lump-free and smooth. Gradually add sugar until well combined. Add vanilla until just incorporated. Pipe onto cookies and sandwich them together. Enjoy!!