PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
I don't usually engage heavily in the pumpkin baking craze that stumbles along every October, but I didn't feel right to let the season go by without doing one pumpkin bake, and whoopie pies seemed like a fun outlet for it. They turned out to be completely delicious, which makes sense given that they're essentially super-moist little cake rounds stuffed with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Regardless, I'm definitely adding these to my repertoire of fun fall bakes for Octobers to come!
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Bake time: 12-18 minutes per tray (3 trays total)
Makes a about 16 whoopie pies
Ingredients for the whoopie pies:
1+1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ingredients for the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions for the whoopie pies:
1.) Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F and lining 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking pads or parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2.) In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, maple syrup, vegetable oil, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and use a rubber spatula to fold the dry into the wet until no dry streaks remain. Transfer the batter to a gallon ziplock bag and put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to stiffen up slightly.
3.) With all the batter pushed to one corner of the bag, cut off a small corner, and holding the bag in place, squeeze 12 piles of batter, roughly 2 tbsp each, spread evenly on each sheet. Smooth each pile into an even-ish disk with your finger. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12-15 minutes, or until fully set and springy. Refrigerate the other sheet while you wait. Repeat with any remaining batter.
3.) Cool whoopie pie halves on their respective trays for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. In the meantime, make the frosting.
Instructions for frosting and assembly:
1.) In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip together room temperature butter and cream cheese on medium speed until fully combined and fluffy. Add half the powdered sugar and beat on medium for about 15 seconds until fully incorporated. Repeat with second half. The frosting should be fluffier with all the sugar added. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate any unmixed sugar and add maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl. Beat for another 15-20 seconds until all ingredients are well combined.
2.) With whoopie pies cooled, scoop a heaping tablespoon of frosting onto half of the whoopie pies. Sandwich together, press gently, and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.
Whoopie pie batter adapted from Epicurious.com