Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

It's been an interesting month here for me at casa Baking and Mistaking. I semi-dealt with a superstorm, had a semi-vacation and survived a semi-war. And what better way to deal with everything than baking - specifically, pumpkin whoopie pies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting?

If you don't already know, whoopie pies are two cake-like cookies sandwiched together with frosting. In this case, the pumpkin and cinnamon flavors in the cookie pair perfectly with the smooth cream cheese frosting. I may or may not have eaten 10 of these.

Recipe: Makes about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine, melted
2 cups packed light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups (about 1 15-oz. can) canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (OR 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder 
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/3 cups flour




4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Whisk together the butter and sugar until well combined, then whisk in the eggs until well mixed.
Add the pumpkin, spices and vanilla and mix together until you have a smooth mixture.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour and mix just until smooth.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out tablespoon portions of dough onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, leaving about 1" between cookies.
Bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes, or until cookies spring back when lightly touched.
Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar and cinnamon until completely smooth. Chill until needed.
Spread or pipe a generous layer of frosting on the side of one cookie then sandwich with another.
Store in the fridge but serve at room temperature.