Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

It's October! And that means I can legitimately start making pumpkin desserts--yay!!! See, I love anything pumpkin. Actually, I love most things associated with October and the fall. It might have something to do with the fact that my birthday is on Halloween, and my parents used to always call me their little pumpkin. But that's just a guess. In any case, I plan on making probably one pumpkin dessert a week during October, so we'll all get our fill of pumpkin goodies. And it all starts with these pumpkin whoopie pies. They were an excellent way to kick off the month! I brought them to Movie Night at my dance studio, and they were a huge hit! People couldn't stop raving about them! So, do yourself a favor, and make these next time you'd like a pumpkin treat!


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (adapted from Martha Stewart)

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 Tbl. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbl. ground ginger
• Scant 1 Tbl. ground cloves
• 2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 3 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
  
• 3 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Sift together the first seven ingredients, flour through cloves. Don't be scared of the large quantities of spices. These have the perfect amount of spice to them--seriously. In a large bowl, mix together the oil and brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin puree. Stir in eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add sifted dry ingredients, and stir just until combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tbl. capacity), scoop dough out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave an inch or so between cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool.

In a medium bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add cream cheese and 1 tsp. vanilla, and beat until combined and smooth. Add powdered sugar, and beat until combined and creamy. Pipe the frosting onto the flat side of half of the cookies, then top each with an unfrosted cookie, forming a sandwich. Devour.

Note: Martha's recipe says it makes 12. I wasn't sure 12 would be enough, so I debated doubling it. I'm really glad I didn't, because I got 22 good-sized whoopie pies out of the recipe!