Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I’m going to share a memory with you. When I was a kid, and we’d be in the car for a family drive I remember my mom would, without warning, reach her hand into the backseat and briefly hold my foot, give it a little squeeze, and then move on to my siblings’ feet. I don’t think I’ve ever told her this, but I loved when she did that. It was nothing, and it was everything. I do it now to my own kids, and it usually goes along with me asking, “Where’s my Cammie? Where’s my Wessie?” Sometimes Cameron doesn’t want me to hold his foot because he’s  fiery and a redhead. Wesley will always because he’s 3. He has even started requesting it, and if I’m driving on the highway I usually say no and then have to listen to his screams until I’m able to reach back and make it right. I know they probably see this as nothing, just a simple squeeze that might make them smile or giggle, but in time I hope that one day they’ll see it for what it really is–everything. Here, I made you some pumpkin whoopie pies.

I got this recipe from Better Homes And Gardens Fall Baking magazine (Fall 2016). These pumpkin whoopie pies are delicious! The cookie itself is not too sweet, which provides a great base for the cream cheese/ brown butter filling, and it’s the filling that takes it to the next level. The brown butter flavor, which has a rich nutty taste, comes through perfectly.  Whoopie pies are across between a cookie and a cake, which led me to this question: what makes a cookie more cake-like? After doing some research using a calculator and the internet I’ve concluded that:

1. A higher percentage of fat to flour makes a cookie spread more, and this particular recipe has less fat to flour than a normal cookie, therefore less spread.
2. This recipe uses brown sugar only. While white sugar makes a cookie crisper in texture, brown sugar absorbs moisture, which makes for a chewier cookie.
3. This recipe uses equal amounts baking soda, and baking powder. Baking soda neutruilzes the acidity, which makes a cookie brown nicely when baked. Baking powder does not reduce the acidity level, which makes a more puffier cookie.

Okay, let’s do it. You begin by mixing all of fall’s colors together in a bowl (aka the dry ingredients).

You then mix together melted butter, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, canned pumpkin, and vanilla. Now stir the dry ingredients into it.

Once you’ve scooped out the batter onto a cookie sheet bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 14 minutes.

The filling is easy to make (it’s a basic cream cheese frosting), and also amazing because of the addition of browned butter.

Spread or pipe the filling onto half of the cookies, and then top with the other half.

Chill the pumpkin whoopie pies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then sprinkle with some powdered sugar before serving. 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2016-10-11 11:55:08

Yields 50

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For the whoopie pie

1. 3 cups (375 g) All-Purpose Flour
2. 2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
3. 1 tsp. Baking Powder
4. 1 tsp. Baking Soda
5. 1 tsp. Salt
6. 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
7. ¼ tsp. Ground Cloves
8. 2 cups (400 g) Dark Brown Sugar, firmly packed
9. ¾ cup Vegetable Oil
10. ¼ cup (56 g) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
11. 2 Eggs
12. 2 and ¾ cups (671 g) Canned Pumpkin
13. 1 and ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

To make the brown butter filling

1. 5 TBS. (71 g) Unsalted Butter
2. 4oz. (113 g) Cream Cheese
3. 1 TBS Maple Syrup
4. ¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
5. ¼ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
6. 1/8 tsp. Salt
7. 3 and ½ cups (437 g) Powdered Sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling on top

To make the whoopie pies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cloves).
3. In a bowl connected to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and melted butter until combined. Add the eggs one at a time. Finally, mix in the pumpkin, and vanilla. Beat for one minute. Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until fully combined.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, drop rounded scoops onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.

To make the brown butter filling

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the butter over medium-heat until melted. Continue heating, and watch closely, until the butter begins to turn a golden brown color. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and pour the brown butter into a bowl, so as to stop it from cooking. Cool for 15 minutes.
2. In a bowl connected to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the browned butter, and cream cheese until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until you reach the spreading consistency you desire.

To assemble the whoopie pies

1. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the filling onto the bottoms of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Special equipment needed

1. Large baking sheet
2. Parchment paper
3. Bowl connected to a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment
4. Ice cream scoop
5. Piping bag (optional)

Adapted from Better Homes And Gardens Fall Baking (Fall 2016)

Adapted from Better Homes And Gardens Fall Baking (Fall 2016)

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