Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

Whoopie Pies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I substituted canola oil)
• 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. 1

   Prep the cookies first. Preheat your oven to 350°F Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. 2

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

3. 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. (You may need to trade to a spatula here unless you have a large, sturdy whisk.).

4. 4

   Sprinkle the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture a half-cup at a time and whisk until completely combined. Do this until all flour is added and combined.

5. 5

   Use a small ice cream scoop or a large spoon to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, about one inch apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan (or move them to a wire rack to reuse the sheet) while you make the filling.

6. 6

   To make the filling, sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

7. 7

   In another bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until it's completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

8. 8

   Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Don't overmix the filling or it will lose its structure.

9. 9

   To assemble the cookies, turn one cooled cookies upside down so the flat side facing up.

10. 10

    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 this until you use all your cookies.

11. 11

    Chill the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving. They will keep for a couple days in the refrigerator if you don't eat them in one sitting.