Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

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

Recipe

• 1 prep the cookies first. preheat your oven to 350°.
• 2 line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 3 in a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together and put aside.
• 4 in a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined.
• 5 add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly.
• 6 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.).
• 7 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.
• 8 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.
• 9 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.
• 10 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.
• 11 to make the filling, sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
• 12 in another bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until it's completely smooth, with no visible lumps.
• 13 add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
• 14 add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. don't overmix the filling or it will lose its structure.
• 15 to assemble the cookies, turn one cooled cookies upside down so the flat side facing up.
• 16 use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie.
• 17 place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling.
• 18 press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie.
• 19 repeat this until you use all your cookies.
• 20 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.