Bake: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

The whoopie pie has a contentious past.  Maine, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania all lay claim to (what I describe as) the cupcake sandwich.  Some historians claim the treat originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch, where housewives would place the snack in their husbands' lunchboxes; at lunchtime, the men would pull out the pies and exclaim "Whoopie!"  Maine contends that it was invented in their state by a commercial bakery employee attempting to use up leftover cake batter.  Maine is so certain it originated the whoopie pie that it designated the pie as official state treat.  Others assert that the pie was invented in Boston as a way to sell more marshmallow Fluff.  We may never know the true history of the whoopie pie.  What we do know is that they're delicious.  My fall-inspired recipe after the jump...



Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 large or 12 mini

13 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
0.5 of 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 c flour
0.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz confectioner's sugar

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

(2) Cream 8 tbsp butter and brown sugar

(3) Add egg, mix until combined

(4) Mix in pumpkin puree and vanilla

(5) In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and 1 tsp salt

(6) Slowly add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, just until combined

(7) Place mounds of batter on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet - 2" diameter for large, 1" for mini - leaving 2" between mounds

(8) Bake for 15 minutes

(9) Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely

(10) In a clean mixer bowl, whisk together remaining butter and cream cheese

(11) Add in confectioners sugar and mix until combined

(12) Spread a generous amount of frosting on one cake; top with another cake; repeat until finished

(13) Enjoy! (delicious for breakfast also...)

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What was cooking this time last year?  Two years ago?

Notes: I made these a second time using gluten free flour.  If you do that, press down the batter mounds so that they are flatter before they go in the oven - the gluten free version does not spread as flat as the glutinous one.  Store in refrigerator, but remove 30 mins prior to eating to soften frosting.  Use leftover pumpkin puree to make a half batch of my Pumpkin Dog Biscuits as holiday gifts for the dogs on your list.

Xerox and Salty hunting their Thanksgiving duck