Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

As Sarah mentioned in the previous post this past weekend was the annual fall INDIEana Handicraft Exchange. We had such a great time! To celebrate the arrival of autumn I made pumpkin spice whoopie especially for this occasion. We do not sell whoopie pies in our shop, because they do not keep and we are unable to ship them. I look forward to events like this where I can stretch my baking chops and break out my icing bag. If you were fortunate enough to snag a pumpkin spice whoopie pie at the fair and want to make more, or didn't have the opportunity to grab one before they sold out today is your lucky day. Here is the recipe I used to make the whoopie pies:

Makes 12 large whoopie pies (I doubled the recipe which is why there is a lot of batter in the photos)

Ingredients

• FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
• 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

Directions
1) Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

2)In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice; 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.


3) 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.

4) 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. You can also use a 1 gallon ziplock bag and cut off one corner. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large spiral 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.

5) 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.)

6) Eat & enjoy!!!