Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Cream Cheese Filling

Chilly days lead to warm thoughts of autumnal flavors simmering on the stove or baking in the oven. This time of year I love to make butternut squash soup, apple pies, spice cake, and anything with pumpkin. I usually can't wait for Thanksgiving Day to dig in to a homemade pumpkin pie so two weeks ago I made one and devoured it with Mike's help in three days. As I was finishing the last few bites of pie I started thinking about what else I could make using pumpkin.

I searched the web and quickly found a recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies on Martha's site and was amazed, no shocked, to find that it was not a Martha original. She credited Matt Lewis of Baked Bakery in Brooklyn for the recipe. I guess even Martha has a few "go-to" people for great cookie recipes.

I brought these to a family party celebrating my uncle's 60th birthday and they were a big hit. The cake is very moist and spiced with generous amounts of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. The cream cheese filling is a perfect complement. While sweet, it balances perfectly with the pumpkin-spice cake.

I think I'll make them to bring along on Thanksgiving Day when Mike and I make the trek to Long Island for our feast!

Baker's Note: Be sure to use pure canned pumpkin in a 15 ounce can, not something in a similar can called pumpkin pie filling. The latter has spices already mixed in and will lead to an over-spiced cake. At the start, open the cans of pumpkin, place in a bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill. Finally, if you don't have a pastry bag to pipe the filling, don't stress. I used a spoon to gently dollop the filling onto each cookie.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Cream Cheese Filling

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream-Cheese Filling

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add chilled pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

Make the Filling:
Sift confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. Filling can be made a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.

Assemble Whoopie Pies:
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Transfer filling to a pasty bag or a plastic bag, snipping off the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with the flat side of another cookie. Press down slightly so the filling spreads toward the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and refrigerate cookies for at least 30 minutes before serving. Best eaten within 3 days.


Cookie press rating: 5 cookies! (out of 5) A perfect score!

Black & Whites

I don't remember when I tried my first Black and White cookie, but I know that they now rank solidly in my top five all-time favorite cookies. All-time is big. It's like making it to the top 10 on American Idol or to the all-star team of whatever sport you're good at.

Black & White cookies can be found in almost every bodega and bakery in the city. The commercially made versions are tightly wrapped in cellophane and slightly smaller than the size of a salad plate. I'm not exaggerating when I say they are huge. These cookies are perfect for sharing because they are so big you would feel like a glutton if you ate a whole one. And you'd be on a sugar high for days. Store bought Black & Whites are iced with a layer of smooth white icing on one half and chocolate fondant on the opposite side. Which side to eat first if a hotly debated topic. My advice is to go with your gut instinct and you can't go wrong.

I found this recipe in one of my go-to cookie books, Got Milk? The Cookie Book by Peggy Cullen. I think it's a winner. Try making mini Black & Whites by simply reducing the amount of batter you spoon onto the baking sheets. You'll have more to ice, but the small cookies will look great if you're making a variety of cookies for a dessert platter.

This cookie requires a trip to the store to pick up a few things you probably don't have in your pantry.

1. Parchment Paper (a must here to keep the cookies from spreading too much or sticking to the baking sheets).

2. Cake flour (usually comes in a box). Do not buy self-rising cake flour.

3. Whole milk and bittersweet chocolate. I used a bar of Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate.

Ready, set, bake!

Black & Whites

1 stick softened, unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Icing

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, sift the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a medium bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl using a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again with spatula. Add the milk.

On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with spatula and mix again for just a few seconds.

Scoop the batter onto prepared baking sheets using an ice cream scoop, leveling it off across the top before dropping onto sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Do not crowd the mounds of batter on the sheets. Bake one tray at a time for 15 minutes, or until the centers spring back lightly when touched. Do not allow cookies to brown.

Let sit for five minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Do not overbake.

Icing Instructions

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microware, being careful not to burn or allow any water to come in contact with the chocolate or it will seize.

In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine confectioners' sugar and boiling water. Add the vanilla. The consistency should be slightly runny, but thick enough to spread. Add more water to thin if necessary or more sugar to thicken it. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread half of the flat side of each cookie with icing.

When all cookies are iced with white frosting, add melted chocolate to the remaining icing and thin with additional hot water if necessary (it's okay to add hot water to chocolate). Spread chocolate icing on remaining half of each cookie. You may need to add hot water a few times to keep chocolate icing from becoming to thick.

The cookies are best the day they are made. You can store them un-iced, refrigerated in an airtight container overnight, or freeze them for up to two weeks before icing.

Makin' Whoopie (Pies)

The snowy weather is getting me down. I'm lucky that I don't have to get out there with a shovel and strain my back lifting the heavy white stuff that seems to be falling every other day. Still though, putting on boots, a scarf, heavy jacket, gloves and a hat every time I go out is just plain tiresome. I long for the days when I can just go outside in a t-shirt and the only thing on my head is a pair of Ray Bans.

When the days are short and the weather is below freezing I love to make comfort food. But what's the equivalent of comfort food in terms of cookies? One could argue that all cookies are comfort food but I prefer to think there are some extra decadent cookies that get my endorphins going without the monotony of a treadmill. I think I found the ultimate comfort cookie in the Whoopie Pie.

Just the name puts a smile on my face. Whoopie! I did a google search and found an article in the N.Y. Times about the resurgence of the Whoopie Pie published just about this time last year. These cakey mounds of deliciousness are perfect with a tall glass of milk. The buttercream filling is so decadent it will make your blood vessels scream for a dose of Lipitor. But they are worth it. There will be time for exercise later, but for now, I'm all about the Whoopie Pie.

Whoopie Pies Recipe

I suggest making the pies a bit smaller since a few of mine came out very large and were difficult to handle. The mounds of batter spread in the oven, so be sure to leave enough room in between. Cool completely before filling with buttercream.

Instead of the suggested buttercream filling, I used a very simple recipe for buttercream as follows:

Simple Buttercream Filling

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 T milk
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t salt

In the bowl of a mixer, beat softened butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and salt and continue mixing for about two minutes. Add vanilla and milk and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. If the filling is too thick, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. If the filling is too thin, add powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

Let cookies cool completely before spreading a generous dollop of buttercream on one half and gently pressing another half on top. Store at room temperature for up to three days if they last that long.



Cookie Press Review
Wow. These are so decadent and delicious. I'm not even sure I would classify them as a cookie. These pies are more like the best cupcake I've ever had in my life. The sea salt adds just a hint of salty flavor while the chocolate cake combines with the buttercream to create a perfect storm of sweetness. This is one guilty pleasure in which I was glad to indulge.

Cookie press rating: 4 1/2 cookies (out of five)