Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Every time I think of this these cookies, Louis Armstrong's song plays in my head. In fact it was playing while I was mixing the dough, scooping it out, baking the cookies, and frosting them. Is that considered a sign of insanity? The worst part is that I don't even know all the lyrics so I would just hear the voice of Charlie Brown's teacher in place of Louie's during the unknown sections. The name of these cookies is quite suiting. No, not for that reason. They are so exquisite and fill you with such happiness that they almost want to make you shout 'whoopie'. Which is actually how they acquired their name.

There are two basic varieties of whoopie pies, chocolate and pumpkin. They have been on my to-bake list for such a long time. So, to make the decision easier I waited until Autumn when pumpkin would be the obvious choice. But since these were so unbelievably good, I can't wait to try the chocolate. I saw some creative bloggers who actually combined both flavours but I wanted to stick to the traditional side of this recipe. And who better to guide me than Martha Stewart?

I know some may roll their eyes when I say that these are now one of my favourite recipes yet. Though I can't say they are my favourite cookie recipe since I don't consider them to be 'cookies'. They are fat little mini cakes stuffed with filling and left unfrosted.

I did not expect to fall in love with these. Pumpkin, in any form, is something I will normally pass on . But it is Autumn after all and I am willing to give anything a fighting chance. Oh, and the fact that the filling was made out of cream cheese, that had nothing whatsoever to do with my willingness to make them.

When I sampled the batter, the fist thing I noticed was that had a definite pumpkin taste but not so intrusive that it marred all the other ingredients. The mounds plumped up nicely in the oven and even someone like me found that they were good enough to eat alone. They were surprisingly moist for being on the 'cakey' side and the cloves, ginger, and cinnamon offered a lovely throat warming after taste. If I had to compare these to anything I would say that they would be in the carrot cake family. The slight spiciness, the soft texture, and that amazing cream cheese frosting. The frosting is perfect, I can't think of anything that cream cheese frosting would not get along with. The smooth, rich, creamy flavour was enhanced even more when it was sandwiched between two pumpkin cookies. I have to admit that I had more than I should have. But they were so worth the extra mile I tacked on to my run.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
( recipe by Martha Stewart )
* printer friendly Recipe *

Cookie Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground cloves

2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days

Enjoy!