Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are one of the signature dishes from Baked in Brooklyn. They have quite a following, and this recipe replicates them very well. I brought these to work and they were a big hit, but I have to be honest—these aren’t my favorite (although that hasn’t stopped me from eating them). I think that I like pumpkin things less that I am supposed to. Maybe it’s a texture thing? For the pumpkin fans out there, I think you will really love these.
Despite by moderate enthusiasm for the cakes, the frosting in the center of these is AMAZING. Like really, really AMAZING. If nothing else, just make the frosting and eat it with a spoon—it is that good. It is a caramel cream cheese frosting that is surprisingly easy to make. I can imagine using it on a variety of cakes. I think it would be a delicious topping for a basic yellow, or buttermilk cake recipe. If I were to attempt these again, one thing I might try doing is adding a little orange zest to the batter. It might brighten these a little and make them even tastier.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
(The recipe says this makes 12 pies, I ended up with more like 20. I guess it depends on the size of the cookies. These are rich and I can’t imagine them being any bigger than what I made.)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and oil together until combined. Add the chilled pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, form sandwiches using Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting.
Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 pound box of confectioners sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 stick of butter at room temperature
Sprinkle 1/2 cup powdered sugar over bottom of small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts (do not stir). Continue cooking until sugar turns deep amber, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Carefully stir in 1/2 cup cream, vanilla, and salt (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until any caramel bits dissolve. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Strain into small bowl. Cool caramel to room temperature.
Sift remaining powdered sugar into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Add cooled caramel and beat well. (I only used about 3/4 of the caramel, taste as you add it until it gets to desired amount of caramel flavor.) Cover and chill frosting until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.
Beth says:
October 14th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Hi Tim, it’s Beth Bliss (Teague)….Sue Warmelink shared this site on Facebook. It’s GREAT! I, too love to cook, entertain and bake, and I am addicted to food blogs. I will be adding yours to my list!
Sarah says:
October 16th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
One thing you’ll learn about Tim is that he can be a bit modest. As a sampler of these whoopie pies, I can honestly say that they were AMAZING. I’ll also admit to not being the biggest fan of pumpkin-flavored things, but seriously, people, these were TO DIE FOR. You’ve got to try them!
Deborah says:
October 18th, 2008 at 10:43 am
These look so good – and the caramel cream cheese frosting just puts them over the top! Love it!
sara angel says:
October 18th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
these look great. there’s a different variation that i will be trying out this week for cookie carnival.
My Sweet & Saucy says:
October 18th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Boy do these look tasty! Great flavors!
Karin says:
October 18th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Made these for my family….a huge hit! everyone wanted to recipe. this tim guy must be a genius or something. *sarah palin wink*
ingrid says:
October 20th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Oh, my goodness, those look sssssssooooo good! I want one! Ok, and I really want that cream cheese filling you said was AMAZING!
I just ordered the book. I can’t wait for it to come in.
~ingrid
Tim says:
October 20th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Thanks Ingrid- I hope you like the book. Let me know what you think…
Rima Rantisi says:
November 1st, 2008 at 2:51 am
I will try to make these today. I am throwing a party. They look like pumpkin pillows from heaven.
What book? Do I need it? :P
Rima Rantisi says:
November 1st, 2008 at 2:57 am
PS , what if i dont have baking soda? do i need it? and can the pumpkin puree be canned????
the party is in 10 hours
Tim says:
November 1st, 2008 at 7:43 am
Rima- Yes, pumpkin puree can be canned (mine was!) You can substitute extra baking powder for the baking soda, but it might affect taste. You need to find yourself some baking soda girl. Here is a link on substituting baking soda:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodchemistryfaqs/f/powdersoda.htm
Rima Rantisi says:
November 10th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Child, ain’t no pumpkin puree in Lebanon. I bought all the ingredients only to find out this fun lil fact… seriously! I was very upset and my party was less tasty because of it. Do you have advice for a substitute that may taste good?
PS – I love this blog. Also, the pics are wonderful, but when will someone be eating this stuff in the pics? Yalla, put some models to work. You know that all your friends are beautiful :)
Tim says:
November 10th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Snaps Rima. I’m sorry to hear that. Are there pumpkins? Or even butternut squash? You could make your own puree….although that would be a whole process. You could find a recipe for chocolate whoopie pies, which would be different but still good. Or you could try making one of other recipes….?!!!!
I am waiting for you to come here so you can model all of the food.
Cecilia says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I made these for some friends and they were a consistently met with, “Holy (various expletive)!” My friend Betsy referred to them as inside out cupcakes and they were just generally loved all around.
The leftovers were also perfect to come home to after all the Halloween festivities died down and all I wanted was something sweet before bed. Thanks for sharing!
Tim says:
November 4th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Yay, Cecilia! I am so glad they were good.
Tiffany says:
October 31st, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Yum! So tasty… Exactly what I was hoping they would be. Received tons of complements, perfect for Halloween!
Laurel says:
March 19th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Just made these and am really pleased with the result. However, I substituted coconut oil (first time with coconut oil) for the vegetable oil and it made the pies lumpy because the cold pumpkin puree caused the coconut oil to form hard lumps of sugar and oil. They taste delicious and hold together, but are not smooth. Wondered how important it is to chill puree…
Tim says:
March 19th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Hi Laurel- Once you switch to the coconut oil, I have no idea. You chill the batter so that you get nice, rounded cakes that don’t spread very much. I don’t bake with coconut oil, so I can’t offer any advice. Sorry!
kari (tanglewood baked goods) says:
December 7th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
hey tim! i might make those walnut sandwiches cookies that you have on here, and i just saw this and was wondering if you thought this filling would go well with those cookies. my taste for caramel is never quenched!
Hannahkate says:
October 18th, 2013 at 11:13 am
Hello – I know this is a super old post, but I want to thank you for this recipe. I brought them to my office and everyone LOVED. THEM. Thank you for the best cookies I’ve ever made!