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Monday, November 22, 2010

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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All I can think of when I hear the word "whoopie" is this scene from The Little Rascals (if you can't see this via email or google reader, click through to watch the video)

Adorable, right? Well, here's another adorable whoopie association: whoopie pies! I'd never eaten whoopie pies before, despite seeing them all over Maine last September when we visited. Paige made them for this month's girls dinner and I kicked myself for never having tried them sooner. Less than a week later, I was busy in my own kitchen, making another batch. More cake-like than anything else, these are perfect little discs of pumpkin goodness, with a burst of cream cheese frosting sandwiched between them.

This would be another great dessert for your Thanksgiving table. While they are a little time-consuming to make, with the separate components and then the sandwich-making, you can make them a day or two before serving and store in the refrigerator. Note: I halved the below recipe and made 16 sandwiches (32 individual cookies). Even with halving, I had leftover cream cheese frosting, so feel free to adjust accordingly or be prepared to find other ways to use it up!


One Year Ago: Mom's Famous Sugar Cookies (these would be great if you had some fun Thanksgiving cookie cutters!) 


In case you missed the Thanksgiving recipes from the past few days:
Pumpkin Knots
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Walnuts
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
as seen on Tracey's Culinary Adventures (originally from Baked)


Ingredients:
for the cookies-
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tbsp cinnamon
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp ground ginger
-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup packed light brown sugar
-1 cup canola oil
-3 cups canned pumpkin
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract

for the filling-
-3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
-1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix sugars and oil. Add in pumpkin puree, mixing to combine well. Mix in eggs and vanilla, whisking until combined.
4. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring to combine completely.
5. Using a small cookie scoop or a large spoon, drop rounds of dough (approximately 1.5 tbsp) onto baking sheets. Place dough rounds about one inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the frosting, beat butter in a bowl with a mixer until smooth. Beat in cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
7. Using a knife, spread cream cheese frosting on the flat side of one cookie. Press another cookie (flat-side down) on top of frosting to form a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Note: do not place cookies on top of one another in a storage container unless there is a layer of wax paper between them; they will stick otherwise!