a sweet pumpkin recipe...

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  • Ingredients for the pumpkin cookies...
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • (i didn't have ginger, so i used nutmeg)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cloves
  • 2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup apple sauce
  • 3 cups pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • Ingredients for the cream cheese filling...
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions...

      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper & set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. 

In another large bowl, mix together brown sugar, oil & apple sauce until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated.

Use a spoon to drop desired amount of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. I prefered them to be small. Bake the cookies for about 10-15 minutes depending on the size you made them. If you inserted a toothpick into the center of the cookie & it comes out clean they are done! Let cool completely.

To make the filling: Whisk the confectioner' sugar in a medium bowl; set aside. In another bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. 

To assemble the whoopie pies: Put the filling in a disposable pastry bag (or ziplock bag) and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a dollop of filling on the flat side of one of the cookies. Sandwich with another cookie, pressing down slightly.  Best served chilled.

i did change a few things from the original recipe & i am sure they aren't quite as good, but they are a bit healthier & they were still very yummy! Also, I did find that these cookies can be messy... So I chilled them in the freezer before serving & that helped them to set up pretty good.

yumm... :)