Something to Try: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I've always been more of a "traditional" whoopie pie kind of gal (because my mother raised me right), but I've been wanting to try a particular recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies for some time now. I saw it in a recent issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine (great read, by the way). The boys and I are having company for lunch tomorrow, so I thought these might make a perfect dessert. Well, the recipe did not disappoint, let me tell you. The pumpkin cakes are light, airy, and oh-so-rich. I must admit, I substituted half of the white four with whole wheat pastry flour, and I was afraid it might make the texture too dense, but it didn't at all. The cream filling was simply butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar, and the consistency was just perfect. The recipe states that it make twelve whoopie pies, but I ended up with nine. I think next time I will shoot for ten, because the end result was quite a large whoopie pie. So, if you have some extra time on your hands today, and have a can of pumpkin lying around, you may just want to give this recipe a try.


Pumpkin cake ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups flour


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and the brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a spatula, fold in the flour. Drop by heaping tablespoons full onto baking sheets. Bake until springy to the touch, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.


Cream Cheese Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 cup confectioners sugar


With electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the sugar and salt, then beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spread the flat side of each cake with filling, then top with another cake.