Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Ginger Cream Cheese Filling

It seems as soon as it turns into October this happens

And it's true. But I am also in the Midwest, where we are perpetually ten years behind all things current. So while I brushed by Posh Spice bob haircut, put on my Uggs and turned on season one of Breaking Bad, I made these pumpkin whoopie pies. 

Naturally, I modified a recipe from Martha. I liked the idea of a simple pumpkin and cream cheese combo but I wanted something with more flavor. I keep crystallized ginger on hand since it works great for an upset tummy, so I decided to add some of that to the cream cheese to give it a nice kick.

The addition of the ginger gave the filling just the right amount of kick and cut the sweetness of the whoopie pie. I made The Good Husband take these to work with him and everyone loved them.

Ingredients For the Cream-Cheese Filling
3 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon crystallized ginger 
For the Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies
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 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

~Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; 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 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 confectioner' 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, ginger and vanilla, beat just until smooth.

 

~Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

 

recipe modified from the great herself