Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

There are a few food trends that I have come to embrace only after I started to write a blog. Pumpkin in October is one of them. I am generally a person who loves any and every fruit and vegetable at any point in the year. That does not mean I will buy them when they are not in season or overpriced (Berries are an exception) But with pumpkin, I have a feeling that the entire universe conspires for you to bring it into your kitchen. In the Northern Hemisphere, without a doubt! In our part of the world, I feel a little lonely writing about mangoes and lychees at this time. This is the time of the year when berries and stone fruits are close to season but not abundant…We are a little fed up with mandarins and apples…we’ve had enough of strawberries (we have two seasons remember?) So we end up buying pumpkin too. We don’t get the ready made puree here. I wonder why!

We make our own puree. This year I made a big batch and used it in sweet and savory recipes. These whoopie pies taste great. I think it’s the spices I like more than the pumpkin in it. And the creamy cheese filling that goes harmoniously with the soft cake like whoopie pies. My whoopies had a slight speckled look as the puree wasn’t quite as smooth as the canned version.

 

The recipe is from Joy of Baking. I’ve halved the recipe for the whoopie pies and they were a success, though the colour was a few shades lighter in my case. Possibly due to the home-made puree. If you are using canned, I think yours will look just like the original ones. For the filling, I’ve swapped the vanilla frosting for a cream cheese filling. You could use either one.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Cream Cheese Filling
Makes 12 sandwich Whoopie Pies

11/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1/4 tsp salt
120 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
220 g pumpkin puree (canned or home made, no spices added)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced). Lightly grease two baking sheets and line them with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
In a different bowl, with an electric mixer or by hand beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Beat in the flour until just incorporated.
Scoop out 1 tbsp balls of the dough, roll them between the palms of your hand and place them on the baking sheets (5 cm apart). Smooth the tops and flatten them with moistened fingers or with the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling
120 g cream cheese, room temperature
60 g unsalted butter, room temperature
11/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
a few drops vanilla extract

In a large bowl, with an electric or hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add icing sugar and vanilla extract, beat until blended.

To assemble : Take one cookie and spread (or pipe) a heaping tablespoon of the filling on the flat side of the cookie. Top with another cookie. The assembled cookies can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.