I am a creature of habit who is wedded to traditions for every season and holiday.
However, I am also curious and I love to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking for friends and family. Therefore, I protect the traditions that are sacred to me, but I also add unexpected ones along the way.
For example, Christmas dinner will always have a decadent cut of beef, but one year it may be Ina Garten’s tarragon roasted filet with basil pesto mayo, and the next, a show-stopping roast beef with popovers and horseradish sauce. This keeps things exciting. The fall season will always be filled with pumpkins, soups, and all things orange — now add a little flare with these amazing pumpkin whoopie pies and see if they earn a spot on your list of annual traditions.
The first time I made them I was skeptical. Pumpkin pie is my least favorite pie. Don’t judge me. I really want to like it, so I always try it, but I never fall in love. Then I came across this recipe for whoopie pies that checks the “pumpkin” box but includes cream cheese frosting, which is my favorite. This treat really gets you in the fall spirit and gives you another reason to buy all that organic pumpkin puree that is so prominent at the grocery store right now.
Festive and elegant, these can be served as a dessert at a dinner party, but they are also the perfect after-school snack or Halloween party treat. You could even pair them with a batch of traditional whoopie pies (which have a dark, chocolate color) and put them all on the same plate for a true Halloween presentation.
These whoopie pies could become the new thing on your list of Halloween traditions — and I’ll bet they earn the right to stay there for years to come.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes 10 pies
Ingredients:
For the cookies
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the filling
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
4 Tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Make the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350° F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, egg and vanilla until combined. Mix in the flour mixture until just moistened (do not over stir).
Drop mounds of the dough (approximately 2 TBS each) onto baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden and firm to the touch, 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling:
With an electric mixer, beat all ingredients until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Make the whoopie pies
Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling onto flat side of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. If soft, chill for 20-25 minutes.
