Yesterday my little family ‘o mine headed to our friends, Janelle and Nelson’s house for a little game day fun. Janelle had all the food covered and despite her and Tessa telling me not to bake anything I still decided to whip up a new recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies. If you haven’t noticed by now, I don’t listen very well. I am so in love with these mini cake sandwiches and even more so that there were about a dozen left that I am going to freeze to see how they handle. I have been doing a lot of this lately, I guess I am just trying to prepare myself for a possible mayhem that might develop once having a second child and who knows I might want to make dinner and bake once we’re home. I do highly doubt this so this is why I am stocking my freezer up! These “cookies” are sweet but let me tell you they went fast! Even the toddlers went back for a second round!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: Recipe adapted from joy of baking
makes roughly 30 cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar (I used dark to give a more robust flavor)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 – 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
To make the whoopie pies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (I used my silpat to ensure no sticking would occur)
In a bowl combine: flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated, do not over mix!
Fill a 16 ounce pastry bag with mixture, cut a big enough hole to where the batter with come out with ease. On your lined baking sheet pipe a silver dollar sized amount of batter going upward. I went around three times which looked like mini bee hives. With the back of a spoon, dip into water and smooth out the tops of the cookie. This will ensure that you receive the flattened look. Make sure to not put a lot of water on the cookie because once they’re baked they will come out with soggy tops. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes just until the tops spring back.
Remove cookies from baking sheet and place on a paper towel or a surface that the moist cookies will not stick to.
Take your cooled cookies and frost every other cookie with buttercream to the edges. Place tops on gently.
Enjoy!
For the Browned Butter Buttercream: (my recipe)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
In a small saucepan take the 1/2 stick of butter and melt over medium to low heat until it becomes frothy and brown. You will need to watch this carefully after the five minute mark to ensure the butter doesn’t burn. You want to see the residual at the bottom of the pan with small brown flakes that are a deep brown in color. Remove from heat and cool. I began this step prior to beginning the cookie process.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment cream the two sticks of butter until fluffy. Slowly incorporate the browned butter and vanilla mixing until well combined. Next, slowly add in the powdered sugar in one cup increments. Once all the sugar is combined whip the frosting on medium speed for about five minutes. The color will go from a yellow/brown to white with brown specks. Slowly add in the milk and beat again for another minute or so.
Fill a 16 ounce pastry bag and cut a small hole from the bottom. Pipe the cookies from the outside in, make sure not to go completely to the edge otherwise the frosting will ooze out from the cookie.
Oh my yum. Cannot WAIT to make these!
Oh my! Whoopie pies are my fav! I make chocolate ones all the time! I can’t wait to try these!!!
let’s see, my toddler went back for THIRDS! these were SO yummy Melissa. i’m so happy that you don’t listen 🙂