I know, I know, nobody wants to hear how meaningful food is to someone. Here’s my story anyway. Sorry, not sorry. Skip to the recipe deets if you must.
My husband will unabashedly tell you that I’m a planner. However, I prefer the term “dreamer”. I like to think far off into the future. Not only do I imagine what it will look like, I work hard (read: pray hard) to create that future for myself and my family. One of my dreams is for my (honor roll) college-attending kids to return home for regular visits begging me to make certain comfort foods for them. The reality is that they will more than likely return home demanding certain dishes from their dad who is a million times better in the kitchen than me. But just let me return to my fantasy for a minute. One of the treats that I hope will be a family favorite are my (ok, Martha Stewart’s) pumpkin whoopie pies. They are heavenly! I have my work cut out for me though. I only have 7 more years to come up with several more recipes that Keira can demand from me during her Thanksgiving break!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Ingredients:
Cream-Cheese Filling Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (Anyone else feel a sense of accomplishment just by hearing the noise of the oven doing its thang?) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together oil, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Add brown sugar and whisk until combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
(Or if you’re lazy/efficient like me, just mix it all together at the same time and call it a day.)
Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop with a release mechanism (or a spoon and your forefinger), drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let ’em cool completely on the pan.
Make the filling: Sift (or don’t sift) confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance, but it’s best not to lest you eat it all before the whoopie pies are made.) Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.
Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days. But trust me, they won’t last that long.
