Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Like cake pops, desserts with bacon, and mini everything, whoopie pies have exploded in popularity over the last few years. I, for one, am surprised it's taken so long. I grew up in a small Mennonite community where the glories of the whoopie pie were well known. In fact, a few women in our church were practically famous for their perfectly crafted chocolate and cream sandwiches. I was curious why these little treats were so popular in my home town, so I decided to do a little research (read: Wikipedia-ing) on the origins of this fun little treat.

As it turns out, both Maine and Pennsylvania Amish communities claim origin to this fine dessert, which explains why my little Amish/Mennonite neighborhood was celebrating the whoopie pie long before foodies began extolling its charms. Food historians claim Amish women would bake up the cookie cakes and place them in their husbands lunch boxes before they went out to work the fields. When the farmers discovered the delicious treat their wives had left them, they would shout "Whooooopie!." And so the little sandwich earned itself the name Whoopie Pie!

While I have a certain fondness for the chocolate and cream whoopie pies I grew up with, these pumpkin whoopie pies may be my new favorite. The cookies are soft and perfectly spiced, but just sturdy enough to hold their own against the fluffy filling. And the filling...about that. Cream cheese...sugar...maple syrup. Drool. The combo is absolutely perfect for this time of year. 

The joy a whoopie pie brings really should be shared, and lucky for us, the recipe here makes enough to feed an army (or a few people who really, REALLY love whoopie pies!).  So take these to your next holiday gathering and you'll have people shouting "Whoopie!" all over the place! 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
Yield: 4 dozen smallish assembled whoopie pies. 
Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

For the cookies:
3 cups flour
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups chilled canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking, soda, slat, ginger, and nutmeg.
3. In another bowl, whisk sugars and oil together until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk again. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk a final time until well combined.
4. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture in 3 separate additions, whisking after each addition until combined.
5. Using a large spoon, drop the batter onto the parchment paper in heaping Tablespoons. If you would like larger whoopie pies, drop 2-3 Tablespoons worth of batter.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are firm and a toothpick inserted in center come out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Add maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt and beat a final time.
8. To assemble the whoopie pies: pick up one cookie and hold it with the bottom facing upward. Place a heaping spoonful of the filling on top of the cookie. Place another cookie, bottom down, on top of the filling and press down gently so filling spreads out to the edge of the cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
9. Place finished whoopie pies in the fridge for 30 minutes of freezer for 15 minutes before serving. These freeze wonderfully wrapped in saran wrap. Simply remove from freezer and thaw for 30 minutes on the counter top or overnight in the refrigerator.