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!

Glazed Lemon Cookies

My dear friend and former co-worker Wendy simply adores these cookies. The first time I gave her one she took a bite and her eyes opened wide. The first thing she said was, "Wow, why are you still working here when you could be making these all the time!" She's probably right, but for now I refuse to give up my day job. Since Wendy first tasted these cookies I've switched jobs but I still share cookies with her whenever I can. One of my new co-workers, Sheryl, loves them just as much as Wendy (maybe even more).

These cookies are full of lemon flavor and remind me of springtime. The glaze is made with a tablespoon of cream cheese, two tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. A simple concoction that elevates a good cookie to a fantastic cookie.

Try them for yourself and feel free to leave comments.

This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated's, March/April 2003 issue.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
2 T grated lemon zest plus 2 T juice from 2 lemons
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
1/2 t vanilla extract

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process granulated sugar and lemon zest until sugar is damp and zest is incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Add flour, salt, and baking powder, pulsing to combine (about 10 one-second pulses). Scatter butter chunks over the mixture and pulse until dough resembles fine cornmeal (about 15 one-second pulses).

In a small bowl, beat together lemon juice, egg yolk, and vanilla with fork to combine. With machine running, add the mixture in a slow, steady stream (about 10 seconds) and continue processing until dough begins to form ball, 10 - 15 seconds longer.

Turn dough and any dry bits onto the counter and working quickly, gently knead the dough until it comes together and no dry bits remain. Shape dough into log about 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap dough in parchment paper (or wax paper) and twist ends to seal tightly. Chill dough until firm and cold, about 45 minutes in the freezer or 2 hours in the refrigerator.

To bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap dough log and using a sharp knife, slice dough into rounds 3/8 thick. Place on baking sheets 1 inch apart and reshape into rounds if cookies loose shape. If dough gets too soft, place back in wrapper, close tightly and return to freezer for a few minutes.

Bake until edges are golden brown, about 14 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool cookies on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze

1 T softened cream cheese, softened
2 T juice from 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Whisk cream cheese and lemon juice in medium nonreactive bowl until no lumps remain. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.

Spoon a scant teaspoon of glaze onto each cookie and spread evenly with back of spoon, 1/8 inch from edge of each cookie.

Variation: Lime Glazed Cookies
Substitute lime zest and lime juice in equal proportions.

Cookie Press Review

These cookies are a hit with every single person who has ever tasted them in my presence. They're easy to prepare and the glaze is virtually fail proof.

Cookie press rating: 5 lemony cookies (out of five)