Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

Let’s Make Whoopies!

These are slider sized Whoopie Pies, but you can make them half this size.

I recently happened upon a local bakery’s version of Pumpkin Whoopie Pies recently that got me intrigued. This was a really well regarded local brand here in Connecticut and I was really excited to try this classic New England treat. However when I tasted it, I knew I could do better myself. It clearly had been frozen and the cake part was pretty soggy, and the filling was just your basic frosting. I was underwhelmed but I still loved the idea of a pumpkin flavored tasty treat.

Then I came across the cookbook New England Desserts and happened to flip to the page with the Pumpkin Whoopie Pie recipe. Well ta-da! Here is my version based on that recipe. The filling is really the star - it tastes like cheescake without being too sweet.

For Cakes

Ingredients:

-2 cups organic all purpose flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
-1/2 cup avocado oil
-2 eggs
-1 cup organic pumpkin

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. When well blended, slowly add dry mixture until you have a smooth consistency. The success of your little sandwich cakes rests on the batter at this point. You want it thin enough that it will spread during the baking process a bit rather than holding a round form. It’s much easier to eat these when they are like little finger sandwiches rather than little snowballs.

Spoon onto baking sheets using a cookie scoop, or a measuring cup to get the size you want.

Bake about 12 minutes - keep an eye making sure there is no burn. Remove from the oven when a toothpick can be cleanly removed. Allow them to rest.

Filling recipe follows.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are an Autumn classic you can enjoy all Winter long!

Filling

Ingredients:

-1 stick butter
-2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
-1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and bowl. Add butter to bowl and beat on low, then medium until butter is reasonably creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add cream cheese and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Assemble just as though you’re making a peanut butter sandwich. Add as little or as much filling as you desire … you really cannot “overstuff” them as the filling is dyno-mite!

These store in the refrigerator just great for up to a week.