Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

These pumpkin whoopie pies are made with soft pumpkin cookies sandwiched between a filling of maple cream cheese frosting. The ultimate fall treat full of pumpkin flavor!

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 10

Cool: 1

Total Time: 1 45

Servings:

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg , optional (for extra spice)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil , I like to measure just shy of 1 cup
15 ounce can pumpkin puree , (not pie filling)
2 large eggs

Maple Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese , softened
½ cup salted butter , softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup

Instructions

Pumpkin Cookies

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon, 1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin spice, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Cream wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup vegetable oil. Stir in the 15 ounce can of pumpkin and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add 2 eggs and mix until combined. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until the batter is smooth.
Scoop and bake. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool. Remove from oven and let cool 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Maple Frosting

Combine ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1/2 cup softened butter and 8 ounces cream cheese 1 to 2 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Add 3 cups powdered sugar a little at a time until combined. Stir in 3 Tablespoon maple syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla smooth.
Chill. Place frosting in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and place in the refrigerator 30 minutes.
Assemble the whoopie pies: Turn 1/2 the cookies upside down. Snip a small corner from the zip-top bag. Pipe the frosting onto a cookie, being careful not to pipe all the way to the edges or else the frosting will drip over. Place another cookie, flat-side down, on top of the frosting and press down slightly. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator to firm before serving.

Notes

Quick cookies: Instead of making the cookies above, use this recipe for easy pumpkin cookies with cake mix. They work well when short on time. Make the frosting and assemble as instructed.

Variations

Feel free to mix chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans into the cookie batter for added sweetness and crunch.
Instead of maple, flavor the frosting by making a cinnamon cream cheese frosting or caramel cream cheese frosting. Both taste delicious with pumpkin! Or keep it classic with an easy buttercream or sour cream frosting.
Instead of making pumpkin sandwich cookies, you can frost the tops of each cookie, similar to my favorite pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting.

Freeze: Wrap each whoopie pie individually in foil and store in a freezer bag. They should keep in the freezer for a couple of months. To serve, thaw at room temperature until ready to eat.

Storage: Place the whoopie pies in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Nutrition