...because we all have our motley moments!


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Let the baking begin!



It's October, and that means we have officially entered the holiday season! For me, that means it's time to break out the sprinkles and work on honing my baking skills. I am a pumpkin fanatic, so when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies on the Martha Stewart website, I had to try them.

A couple notes before you get to the actual recipe:

1. I swear that when I read this recipe I thought it called for nutmeg, so before I realized it didn't, I had added a whole tablespoon of it to the batter. Guess what? It was great--I highly recommend adding nutmeg to the recipe along with the full amounts of the other spices.

2. I used canned pumpkin and it was fine. I also forgot to chill it, but that didn't seem to be a problem.

3. I baked the pies as directed, but at 15 minutes they were still pretty doughy in the middle. I ended up baking them for 20 minutes instead of 15, and they were perfectly done.

4. We let the kids fill these, and they had fun doing it. They looked really pretty rolled in sprinkles, too.

Enjoy!

Makes 12 large sandwich cookies

Ingredients
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

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

Directions

  1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
  5. 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.
From The Martha Stewart Show October 2008

10 comments:

Bryssy said...

I totally got to eat these and they are delish!!! A MUST MAKE for fall. And, I loved the nutmeg!

Liz said...

You had me at "cream cheese filling." :)

Rachel said...

Thanks, Bryssy! The cream cheese filling is divine, Liz.

Donna said...

So...glad you enjoyed making whoopie...pies, that is. ;)

I found canned pumpkin at Walmart (it was not available at Publix as of last week) on the middle aisle with all the fall baking stuff. I can't wait to make our first fall batch of pumpkin muffins...and their spices are very similar to your mix in this recipe (including nutmeg!). I LOVE pumpkin muffins with cream cheese spread, so I'm sure I would love these whoopie pies, too! Mmmmmm...whoopie...

Liz said...

I'm so shocked at Donna's double entendre. Isn't everyone else? ;)

Bryssy said...

I for one, am not shocked at all. You should hear what she talks about at Bible Circle!! LOL :-)

Donna said...

Hmmm...it seems I have developed a bit of a reputation. But, hey! We're all grownups here (please note: if you are not a grownup, I have no idea what they are referring to. I really do love cream cheese and pumpkin pie flavors...also, there are many more appropriate things for you to be reading right now, other than this blog. Now go outside and play!)

I just love giving Rachel a hard time! ;)

Pam said...

Donna - you are so funny! These pies sound great. I might make a whole batch and eat them tonight :)

Karly said...

I am sorry I missed this exchange earlier in the week. You all are too funny! Especially you Donna!!!

These look AMAZING!! If I stilled in lived in LW I would totally come over and eat these...uninvited! Yummy!

Lindsay said...

I LOVE pumpkin woopie pie, I make them EVERY year!!!