Description
Delightfully soft and spiced pumpkin whoopie pies filled with a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting. This autumn-inspired treat combines tender pumpkin cookies flavored with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, sandwiched with a smooth, sweet filling. Perfect for fall gatherings or cozy desserts.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar (440g)
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil (160ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (113g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (360g)
Instructions
- Prepare the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until evenly combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, packed light brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined. Gradually fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until you have a consistent dough without any dry streaks.
- Shape the Cookies: Using a small ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop out dough portions onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the centers look dry and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once done, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Filling: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract on medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium speed until the frosting is fluffy, approximately 30 seconds.
- Assemble the Whoopie Pies: Pipe or spread the cream cheese frosting on the flat side of half of the cooled cookies. Gently press the remaining cookies on top to form sandwiches. Chill the assembled whoopie pies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set before serving.
- Storage: Store the whoopie pies covered in the refrigerator for up to one week to maintain freshness.
Notes
- You can prepare and refrigerate the cookies and filling separately ahead of time; assemble just before serving to prevent the filling from melting and to keep the pies looking perfect.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before assembling to avoid melting the cream cheese frosting and creating a sticky mess.
- If you don’t have a cookie scoop, try to portion the dough into evenly sized balls so that the pies sandwich together nicely.
- Adjust the size of the whoopie pies by varying the scoop size; just remember bake times will need to be adjusted accordingly.
- For best pumpkin flavor and texture, use a thick, rich pumpkin puree like Libby’s brand as some brands can be watery or lighter in color.
- Ensure your brown sugar is soft and moist for ideal results. Hardened brown sugar can be softened by placing it in a sealed container with a slice of bread overnight or using other techniques.
- Measure flour accurately using a scale or the spoon-and-level method to avoid dense, dry cookies from too much flour.
- Bring eggs to room temperature before mixing to ensure smooth incorporation; a quick method is placing eggs in warm water for 5 minutes.
- Avoid overmixing the batter to keep the cookies tender and soft rather than dense.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 whoopie pie
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
