This was my first encounter with a whoopie pie… I’ve always associated them with those cheap lunch snacks like Little Debbie, ya know? Maybe I’m pulling that reference out of thin air, but that’s just the way I think about them. Correction- that was the way I thought about them.
They are SO good! Have you ever had one? Well if you haven’t you’re going to have to stop what you are doing and whip some up. Now. They’re like miniature slices of cake in a cute little sandwich cookie form. They make the most perfect individual snack. I really wanted to make these for a group of people because they just seemed like a perfect party treat… but I made them for just myself instead. I’m not complaining.
What makes these whoopie pies even better is the fact that they are pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling. You absolutely can not go wrong with that kind of combination. Plus, they are a very easy recipe! Just like making cake, but scooping it into a cookie.
First thing is to mix all of the dry ingredients. In this case that is the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil and the brown sugar. It does get VERY thick, so unless you have a ballooned whisk, you might want to use a spoon/spatula to combine.
As you can see… I did not have a balloon whisk. I spent more time than I like to admit scraping sugar mixture out of my whisk.
Throw in the 3 cups of CHILLED pumpkin puree and whisk. Yes, you can use your regular whisk now.
And no there are no exceptions to the chilled pumpkin rule. This allows for a thicker batter, which prevents the spreading of your whoopie pies.
Add the 2 eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again to combine.
Sprinkle in the dry mixture and begin folding it into the wet mixture with a spatula.
No dry lumps should remain! Your batter should look like this. Nice and thick, but not firm like cookie dough.
Use a cookie scoop with a release mechanism to get nice, even whoopie pies.
The size cookie scoop will determine how long they bake for. If you make little scoops they will probably only take 10 minutes in the oven. BIG scoops take more like 14.
Aren’t they just beautiful? When they come out of the oven let them cool completely on a rack before filling.
Here is a nice trick to frost the filling. But only if you want to be neat. If they are for you and you don’t care what they look like, just take a butter knife and spread the filling on if you’d like!
That’s what I did with my first one… No time for fancy fun, I just wanted one in my belly immediately.
Anyways! Just fill a small ziploc bag with frosting and push it into the corner. Then snip off the corner and BAM! You have a quick and easy piping bag.
Lay a cookie flat side up and pipe onto it. Make sure you get a nice thick layer of frosting! That’s what makes the whoopie pie…
Yes. All that frosting is necessary.
OMG. Gorgeous. Now, try and tell me you don’t want a bite out of this?
Well, all you have to do is make them and you can have your bite : D
This is another great recipe adapted from “Baked: A New Frontier in Baking” by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tb cinnamon
- 1 Tb ginger
- 1 Tb cloves
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 cups CHILLED pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and fold together with spatula until completely combined.
- Use a cookie scoop with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pan, about 1 inch apart. Baked for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the filling.
- Sift the confectioner’s sugar in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure (the filling can be made one day in advance. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using).
- Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up). Use an ice cream scoop or piping bag to place a large dollop of filling on the flat side of the cookie. 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.
- The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days on a parchment lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Or you can freeze unfilled cookies for about 2 months.
