Make Pumpkin Whoopie Pie!

B suggested we make pumpkin whoopie pie for a thanksgiving potluck last fall as a joint project. I love pumpkin, I love whoopie pie! That chewy brownie-moist cakey texture reflected a well-proportioned recipe ( from SeriousEats). Even after refrigeration, the cakes were still moist and the crumb was tender. I would dare say that they tasted even better after a few days. The cream cheese frosting was amazingly good. I'm not much of a sugary sweet frosting kinda person but the slight savoriness of the cream cheese made me scarf down more WP than I'd like to admit. We got pumpkin-in-a-can so no excuses about pumpkin not being seasonal now.

Here's the recipe, accompanied by pictures I took.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
- makes 12 whoopie pies - 

(Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

Ingredients 

For the pumpkin whoopie cookies:

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

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

Procedure 

Make the Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

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

 3. 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.

 4. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

 5. Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 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.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling

1. Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

2. 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.

3. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.)

Assemble the Whoopie Pies

1. Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up.)

2. Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto 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.

 3. The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.
(Although I kept mine for up to a week in the fridge, no problem-o)