Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

As promised (okay, it's technically Saturday, but shhh..), this post will focus on Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. So...I like pumpkin. A lot. Before Thanksgiving, I went on a pumpkin spree. Waffles, bars, pancakes, and whoopie pies. What exactly is a "whoopie pie"? A deliciously sweet filling is stuffed in between two fluffy, light cookies. Traditionally they're made with chocolate cookies, but I decided to live on the wild side and try them with pumpkin puree. And they turned out to be pretty much the best thing on Earth. No joke.

The cookies are so airy, it seems like they will float off the cookie sheet. And are super simple to make! I experimented with different fillings (all powdered sugar, traditional marshmallow creme) and by far the best one I tried is a classic buttercream filling. It brings out the natural spices of the pumpkin cookie, and is so dang good you can't just have one!

This is what the cookies will look like after being removed from the oven. I used a small ice cream scoop and it worked wonderfully to keep a nice circular shape and allowed for even cooking. You can fit quite a few on a single cookie sheet as well. They will be done in 9 minutes, then 1 minute on the pan until they can be transferred to a cooling rack. Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before filling them.

RECIPE

Adapted from AllRecipies.com

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

•  Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheet.
•  Beat oil and brown sugar until combined. Add the pumpkin and eggs, beating until well incorporated.
• Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Mix together well.
• Scoop dough with a small ice cream scoop onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, then leave on the pan for 1 minute. Carefully remove the cookies and place them on a cooling rack until they're cool enough to fill.

FILLING

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons hot water

• Blend butter and vanilla extract until combined.
• Gradually add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add cinnamon.
• Add water one tablespoon at a time, until desired spreading consistency is obtained. This could require more or less water.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this recipe out. It always amazes me how many compliments I get on them! One little tip though - don't stack the pies. Since the cookie is so light, they have a tendency to stick together. Use a piece of parchment to seperate the layers.

Happy Baking!