Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I know it’s only the first week into September and here I am posting a pumpkin recipe.  I personally love summer and I’m sad to see it go but fall brings some of my favorite flavors and obviously pumpkin is one of them!  These whoopie pies have a cinnamon nutmeg filling sandwiched between two soft pumpkin cookies.

Whoopie pies were created in the Amish community in the 1920’s.  They were originally made from left over cake batter!  Whoopie pies gets it name from when kids would find them in their lunches and yell out “Whoopie!”  Whoopie pies are also popular in New England.  The reason being, Fluff was invented in Massachusetts and in the first Fluff cookbook there was a recipe for chocolate Whoopie Pies with Fluff frosting!  The recipe caught on and is still very popular today!

Pumpkins have been around for almost 8,000 years.  They are native to North America.  Pumpkins are related to watermelons, cucumbers, zucchini and cantaloupe.  Over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the US each year.  Out of that 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins, 800 million pumpkins are picked in the month of October alone!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cookie Recipe

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon molasses

Cinnamon Filling

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1. To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.                                  
3. In a large bowl combine sugar, oil and molasses.  Once mixed, add eggs one at a time.  Add the vanilla and pumpkin.
4. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.           
5. Using a medium sized scoop, scoop batter onto parchment lined sheet trays.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.                                                
6. For the frosting:  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter.  Add everything else and mix until a thick piping consistency (you may need to add more milk).
7. Pipe frosting onto the bottom of one whoopie pie cookie and top with another.

I refrigerate mine after they’re assembled, they’re just as delicious out of the fridge as when they’re warm!