However, to remind myself that it really is Fall and that we're really in October now, I wanted to bake something with one of my favorite Fall ingredients: Pumpkin! I bought a can of pumpkin from the grocery store last weekend, determined to make something sweet with this tasty squash. I searched and searched for recipes on the web, debating between pumpkin bars swirled with cream cheese or maybe even pumpkin pie flavored ice-cream (did I mention it was in the 80's!). Finally, after viewing many mouth watering pictures of these treats, I couldn't resist trying my hand at making Whoopie Pies.
This was my very first attempt at ever making whoopie...pies that is ;) And trust me, there was a lot to learn. I got the recipe from researching many others and cutting and pasting to create something I thought would work for me. It turned out to a little more challenging than the impression I got from other recipes. First off, my whoopie pies did not spread much while baking. I used my little cookie scoop to dish out uniformly sized cakes and on the first batch as I expected them to spread into flatter cookie-like shapes. This did not occur! Instead, they puffed straight up into little mounds! They looked super cute and tasted great, but it definitely wasn't what I expected. For my second batch, I tried using a spoon to flatten them out a bit, you know, give them a little direction as to which way to go. But alas, still poof and no spread. Finally, I got the idea to put the batter into a pastry bag and actually pipe out little swirls of the shape I was looking for and Volia! It worked beautifully! Besides being the perfect height and shape, they sure looked great topped with a little swirl designed that kept it's shape in the oven. It's funny how sometimes the last batch is the best :)
While my little pumpkins were baking I whipped up a little cream cheese frosting to go in the middle of the whoopie pie sandwich. Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and just a hint of cinnamon... so simple but sooo yummy! Filling the whoopie pies also turned out to be another challenge altogether but that's mainly because I was trying to make them look nice by using a pastry bag and pipe out the filling with a star tip. But I suppose too much pressure is a bad thing with cream cheese frosting because the bag busted as I was trying to squeeze out a pretty design! Trust me folks, the best way to get whoopie pies filled is just to use a big ol' spoon and slather away! Plus once you squish the top half onto the bottom, the frosting does that lovely oozing thing, which in my opinion, it a sight to behold all in itself.
Oh and because I used cream cheese as a filling, I think these whoopie pies taste phenomenal on the next day after being chilled in the fridge over night. The pies stay moist and the filling is soft and sweet, yet firm. But hey, it's up to you. They taste great either way. I highly recommend you try them as a way to kick off the pumpkin-y season because the smell of baking these will fill you with that cozy, "fall season" sensation.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
Makes 12-14
3 cups AP Flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Splenda (use could white sugar if you like)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 - 15 oz. can of pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together brown sugar, Splenda, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl, shift together the dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.
Cream Cheese Filling
1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 - 16 oz. package of powdered sugar
about a capful of vanilla extract
a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)
Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece.
Enjoy right away or chill overnight.
Those look so yummy, I will have to try... although I don't think I'll use splenda and I'll try to make it with fresh pumpkin that I will steam to soften - the markets in NY are packed with pumpkins.
ReplyDeleteWow Ms. Lydia! I couldnt sleep this morning and found this gem on your blog. The frosting is delicious! I have yet to chill them, but they are wonderful to last bite room temp. Good blog! Good luck!
ReplyDeletethese look yummy! i'll be making these soon for the cookie carnival!
ReplyDeleteyum, pumpkin and cream cheese. there is no better combination this time of year :) and your photos are lovely!
ReplyDeletethey look pretty inviting!:)
ReplyDeleteoh good idea with piping the cookie dough. I made these a month or so ago and getting the cookies ready for the oven was by far the most time time consuming part. My dough was REALLY thick though but I might have to give this technique a go.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
yum! those look delicious! i love the cream cheese filling!!!
ReplyDeleteThese look great!!
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy!! This is the baking challenge for cookie carnival this month, however the recipe looks a bit different.. I simply can't wait to make these pumpkin whoopie pies !!!
ReplyDeleteI just made these and they smell sooo good coming out of the oven! I also love the fact that they come out looking exactly like yours did...mmmmmm
ReplyDeleteThese have been a HUGE hit with my family and coworkers! One coworker said she would leave her man to live with the pumpkin deliciousness forever!! Haha! Thanks for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteWow!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great response everybody! I'm so glad to that those of you who tried the recipe really enjoyed them. They really are worth the effort.
Thanks for keeping up the positivity :)
Those cookies look good! I like the sound of using pumpkin in cookies.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, I've seen these around, too! I need to jump on the bandwagon! Yours looks good, I do like the swirl effect yours had, very nice! Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDelete~ingrid
made these last weekend, sooo tasty, i had to start giving a lot away b/c i couldn't stop eating them haha. thanks!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely the most delicious cookie I've eaten!!! Many thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
ReplyDeleteUsing butter instead of oil will make the cookies spread. I modified this recipe to make it gluten-free and substituted my own flour blend 1:1. My chef brother asked for the recipe - which I took as compliments to the non-chef (me)! My compliments to you for a great recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI saw Sarah's posting and would like to know if she shares the gluten free flour mixture that she made her Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with? Below is her posting....
Thanks Hillra
Using butter instead of oil will make the cookies spread. I modified this recipe to make it gluten-free and substituted my own flour blend 1:1. My chef brother asked for the recipe - which I took as compliments to the non-chef (me)! My compliments to you for a great recipe!
November 29, 2008 5:24 AM
I am wondering if I need to do anything to the baking pan itself. Do I grease it or put parchment paper on it?
ReplyDeleteJust saw these on pinterest! Can't wait to try! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI left America 10 years ago and I desperately missed my pumpkin whoopie pies. NO idea why I never thought to make it myself but I saw this on pinterest and gave it a go. It was brilliant! Thanks so much!!
ReplyDeleteI just made this and they were FABULOUS!!! Just what i needed to make up for the bland pumpkin bread i made!
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to leave out the ginger? I'm deathly allergic. OH NO!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness these look perfect and so mouth watering!!!! I will definitely make these and link back to you. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
ReplyDeleteSweet Dreams,
Annamaria
I really need to stop visiting Pinterest when I'm having a craving for sweets. These look amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't even put the frosting on yet and the cookies are OUTSTANDING! Yum yum and more yum! Thank you Pinterest!
ReplyDeleteI am posting these on my blog today! I just finished making these, and they are amazing! Thank you!
ReplyDeletehttp://sweetpeapartydesigns.com/
I've been making a version of these (mine are Pilgrim Pies!) for years. I've smoothed batch after batch out with my finger. I never thought of piping the batter! What a great idea! Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try. The kids will love them.
ReplyDeleteI bake many things for my boyfriend and he usually says "this is pretty good!" but this time, he was like "OMG THIS IS THE BEST" haha. Thanks for the great recipe:) It was super easy.
ReplyDeleteAnother SUPER EASY recipe:
ReplyDelete1 15oz can pumpkin
1 box spice cake mix
1/2cup water
Mix all ingredients together (will be tempted to add more moisture, but don't!)
Spoon into cupcake pan - can use linrs or just grease the pan. Cook per cake package directions. A toothpick inserted that comes out clean means they're ready. Top with cream cheese frosting.
I tried this in a regular cake pan, but it was heavy and cooked unevenly, muffin pan is really best. Also, can add nuts or raisins or both!
just finished a batch of these wonderful treats. we dont do much baking round here since the wife and i work different shifts, so our selection of spices is lacking somewhat. but when we were at the store earlier, laura found a can of pumpkin spice{which is made from cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves). so a little adjustment to the indredients and out popped some great tasting cookies!
ReplyDeleteJust made these for a party...tasted great but do not look as great as yours! My frosting was really runny so it was running out of the cookies...very messy, but still really tasty!
ReplyDeleteThese look so good!!! Perfect fall treat :)
ReplyDeletethese were super yummy! Thank you for the recipe! My frosting was runny too..... so I added more powered sugar.
ReplyDeleteHOLY CRAP, these are seriously good!! I just baked them, and of course couldnt wait. I battered one up and OOOOOHHHHH my mouth was in heaven. I will now take a picture, and post it to my pinterest with the link, so all my friends can give them a try to.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a wonderful recipe!! :D
An addendum to my post. I made this recipe EXACTLY as is, and had no problem watsoever with the frosting being too runny. The only thing I did differently was to pipe straight down, and spread out slightly with the back of a spoon to my desired size.
ReplyDeleteSo yummy! Cookies looked just like yours and I am in love with the frosting. I used 2 bake sheets, oiled one and not the other. No need to oil at all though. (they look prettier if you don't).
ReplyDeleteMade them yesterday evening....family loved them.....got at least 20 cookies (doubled)from the batch and some of them were quite large. I like them best chilled in the fridge. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletethese were a hit at my nephews birthday party this weekend! I'll have to be the debbie downer and ask though, do you have any idea how many calories are in one of these heavenly pies?
ReplyDeleteThese were a hit at our football party last night! They were so good and easy to make! I loved the pastry bag idea! The recipe made more than I expected, which was great since we loved them so much! :-)
ReplyDeleteI just made these and they came out wonderful! They are delicious!!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone made these substituting applesauce for the oil?
ReplyDeleteSabrina,
ReplyDeleteCalorie count for any recipe can be figured out using the recipe tool at myfitnesspal.com. You input the ingredients and how many servings the recipe makes, and it spits out the calorie count and nutritional information. You must have an account to use the tool, though.
Ok i don't understand how much cream cheese and powdered sugar to use I'm confused please help!!!!!!:)
ReplyDeleteYou use an 8 oz. Pkge of cream cheese and a 16 oz. Pkge of powdered sugar.
DeleteI made these today with my 4yr old daughter and they are wonderful! I just piped the frosting onto the cookies, the same way I piped the batter and had no issues. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe!
ReplyDeletehi
ReplyDeleteI'm Doaa from Saudia Arabia, I just want to thank you for this wonderful recipe.I made them today for my family and they were great n yummy.
again thank you.
Ok gals. I made these this morning for a Halloween party tonight. They are AWESOME! The swirl on top makes such a difference. I had to try one and OMG....delicious! Thank you for this recipe!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust made these for my husband's battalion holiday dinner, and they were gone so quickly! I made them the night before and then put them in the fridge, and they kept just fine. Also I made mine smaller, maybe 1.5 inches across, and found that 8 minutes at 350 was a good baking time for them.
ReplyDeleteI also created some crazy brown sugar maple cream cheese-buttercream concoction to fill them with. I don't really know what I did specifically- just kind of kept adding things to the bowl until it was just right. They were fantastic- thanks for the recipe!!!
I so want to make these, and just bought a Whoopie Pie Pan. How much batter do you think I should fill each cavity with?
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe, just made today, wouldn't change a thing!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOkay so not to be a Debby downer but the instructions for this are a little bit unclear in terms of just the lack of steps and I didn't know if this was a grease the pan kind of recipe (it wasn't). For the first four I made I forgot the oil... That was a mistake. I regretted it. Otherwise though... PERFECTION. I ate (no exaggeration) 8 cookies in the past hour... You are a genius.
ReplyDeleteAs an American transplant in New Zealand, I needed some pumpkin in my life. Made and brought these to work today, everyone loved them and most had never had anything like it before. Total hit. I used pumpkin pie mix so just left out about 1/3 of the sugar and some of the spice since the pie mix already has it in there. Otherwise went really well!
ReplyDeleteThese are so yummy! I used some store bought frosting (chocolate caramel) for the filling instead; the cookies themselves are very cakey and tasty!
ReplyDeleteThis is my third year making these. They are always perfect and delicious! Everyone love them!
ReplyDelete11 minutes seemed too long as the first batch of cookies came out a little over done---bit could be my oven. I have second batch in the 9 minutes. Our apartment smells like heaven. We are babysitting 3 of our friends kids and they keep asking when they'll be ready. I'm sending them home with a batch for their family to enjoy :-)
ReplyDeleteWill make these for sure. Will not use Splenda, however. Can't imagine. That stuff is poison. All the rest sounds great!
ReplyDeleteMaking these now. Thanks!
ReplyDeletei make these every pumpkin season. this year i made them bite size. so good
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