Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Filling
Did you get all that? You may want to read it again. Go ahead. I have time. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Filling.
I know. I get chills every time too. Good chills. The kind where something inside you confirms that the flavors pair well with each other. Come on! What could be bad about pumpkin, fall spices, and cinnamon cream filling?
I don’t even have to woo you with the thought that these can be made reduced fat by using at least half applesauce and low-fat cream cheese.
Please just let me feel good about that.
Anyway, these are GREAT for giving to friends and neighbors. Give them a try…believe me.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Filling
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 3c flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2–3 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4tsp cloves (optional, but recommended)
- 1c granulated sugar
- 1c brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2c canola oil
- 1/2c applesauce
- 3 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Cream Filling:
- 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese (I used light/Neufchatel), softened
- 6Tbsp butter, softened
- 3–4c powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1–1 1/2Tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk sugars, oil and applesauce together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Add flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and stir until completely combined. Scoop batter onto a cookie sheet in heaping tablespoons, about 1 inch apart. (I used my small cookie scoop.) If you’re feeling fancy, you could pipe the batter onto the sheet, but let’s keep things simple here, shall we?
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely while you make the filling.
For the Cream Filling:
- Directions:
- Cream butter and cream cheese together so there are no lumps. (Getting the cream cheese softened is the key). Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Stir in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. I used about 3 1/2c total. Pipe or scoop onto one cookie and top with another to sandwich the filling. If you want to be fancy, sprinkle the tops of cookies with powdered sugar or powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon.
- Made about 2 1/2 dozen whoopie pies (using 2 cookies per whoopie pie)
- (If you feel nervous about the filling making it through all the cookies, you can make 1 1/2 recipes’ worth for more generously filled cookies.)