I Love Fall & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

By: Jenny Rabun

Its fall and for me that means pumpkin. I've been busy in the kitchen the past few weeks playing with recipes that call for fresh pumpkin. When I say fresh pumpkin I truly mean it. I get baking pumpkins from my local grocery store and I make my own puree. Don't get me wrong I'm ok with using canned pumpkin, but I really enjoy roasting my own at home and making it as fresh and healthy as possible.

I recently came across a recipe on the Facebook page of Solution For Every Day Problems for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese frosting. This is something I'd never tried before but I decided what the heck, sounds yummy, let’s give it a try!! Not only were they phenomenal but they were a HUGE hit with my family and friends. Since this was my first time making this recipe I followed the directions to the letter.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
(adapted from Solutions for Everyday Problems)
(printable recipe)

For the Whoopie Pies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree (see recipe below)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple-Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.

8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.


Pumpkin Puree

1.Take a small baking pumpkin, cut it in half and remove all insides.

2. Place on baking/cookie sheet cut-side up, sprinkle with a touch of sea salt and about 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Cover with foil.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour (depending on size) until tender when poked with a fork.

4. Let cool 15-20 min. Spoon meat of pumpkin into a medium size bowl.

5. Mix in 2-3 Tablespoons of all natural applesauce, 1 tsp. of nutmeg, and ¼ tsp. of fresh ground cloves. I use a hand blender but any mixer or food processor would work equally well.

Usually yields about 2 c. pumpkin puree, depending on the size of the pumpkin.