Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies

Recipe on Our Best Bites  from Brown Eyed Baker & Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

I found myself second-guessing the recipe the entire time. It seemed like a lot of salt. It seemed like a lot of cinnamon. It seemed like a lot of oil. It seemed like a lot of batter. Was I setting myself up for failure? Was I making a giant mess for nothing? And what about that maple? I'm not really so much a fan--like, the tiny bottle I have in the picture below is all I have because I hardly ever use it. But I trust the Brown Eyed Baker, and I'm super glad I did. I made two batches of these in a 48-hour period.

If you're wondering what a whoopie pie is like, the cakes are kind of like a cross between a cake and cookies that never flatten back down. The batter is thicker than cake batter--kind of along the lines of quick bread batter.

Cakes
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. oil
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
3 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 8-oz. package cream cheese (you could use light)
3 c. powdered sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup of 1/2-1 tsp. maple extract
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level with a knife. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, white sugar, and oil. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop or a 1/2 tablespoon measure, drop the batter onto a baking sheet (lined, if possible, but not necessary), leaving about 1" between the batter. Try to keep the batter as circular as possible. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until the tops are done and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

To prepare the filling, beat the butter on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, maple, and vanilla and beat until combined. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and cut 1/2"-1" off the corner.

Flip the cakes over on a flat surface. Squeeze about 2-3 tablespoons of filling per large whoopie pie (less if you used a 1/2 tablespoon measure) onto every other cake. Top each pie with the remaining cakes. Serve immediately if possible; otherwise, these can be refrigerated in an airtight container. Makes about 30 large whoopie pies.