Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Whoopie!  I won!  Last week I recieved an email from Stephanie of Eat. Drink. Love. letting me know that I won her giveaway of a Wilton Nonstick 12-Cavity Whoopie Pie Pan and the cookbook Whoopies!: Fabulous Mix-and-Match Recipes for Whoopie Pies!  Stephanie has lots of great recipes on her blog, but the Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting  really had had me drooling.  I was so excited that I won, and I couldn’t wait put my new pan and cookbook to use.  I have to confess that I have never made whoopie pies before, but this cookbook gave me lots of ideas.  It is arranged by by season, so I went directly to the fall recipes.  I decided to make the pumpkin whoopie pie recipe from the cookbook and then adapt the cream cheese filling recipe to add maple flavor.

Whoopie pies, where have you been all my life?  I guess because I didn’t have a pan, I never gave these beauties a try.  The thing is, you don’t even need a special pan.  The book explains that you can use large baking sheets lined with parchment.  You do need to leave a good amount of space between your whoopies because they will spread during baking.  I love these little cakes--they are much less messy than a cupcake, yet you still get cake and frosting.  I immediately thought of my son’s teacher who didn’t like cupcakes in her classroom because they were too messy.  (I mentioned her when I posted this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.)  I think she would love whoopie pies, and I am pretty sure they would be acceptable birthday treats in her classroom.  Our family certainly enjoyed them, and I look forward to trying lots of different combinations of cake and filling.    

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

by Jill {www.dulcedough.com} October-8-2011

Perfect for fall--a pumpkin whoopie pie filled with maple cream cheese.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• pinch salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk

    For Filling

• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease whoopie pie pan or prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.2. Beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined; beat in egg.3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour. baking powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt.4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.5. Stir in the pumpkin and buttermilk until combined.6. Use a large scoop (or heaping tablespoon) to make 24 halves by filling whoopie pie pan or by putting batter on the prepared baking sheet, leaving room between.7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until firm to the touch; remove from pan to cool on a wire rack.8. To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and maple flavoring; gradually beat in the sugar. 9. After whoopie pies have cooled, frost 12 halves using a pastry bag with large tip or by using a knife; match each with an unfrosted half and lightly press together.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 12 whoopie pies

Recipes adapted from Whoopies! Fabulous Mix-and-Match Recipes for Whoopie Pies by Susanna Tee.

Updated
October 8 2011