There is something about Fall. It just makes me want to bake. Usually with pumpkin. I think there are few reasons. First, baking in the summer? Only if I have to. That’s one heat stroke I just don’t have to have, you know? Second, my mother’s pumpkin cake…and thirty-something years of expecting to smell it every time I walked in the door this time of year. Finally, the abundance of apples and pumpkins just makes me feel like there must be pie (or cake or cookies…) somewhere, and somehow, I can’t resist baking and reading Little House on the Prairie. They just go with Fall.
So, today, I tried something simple and delicious…as well as fairly quick to do.
Perfectly Pumpkin (Whoopie) Pies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
For Filling:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 stick butter, softened
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, whisking well. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and pumpkin and mix well. Add dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Spoon onto greased or parchment-covered cookie sheet, using your fingers to smooth the tops. (Wet them a bit with water first.)
Bake 10-15 minutes then remove to wire cooling rack.
Meanwhile, make the filling.
Beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy. Add powdered sugar a bit at a time until it is the thickness you prefer.
When the cookies are cool, spread a bit of filling on one and top with another. Enjoy!