Midterm Break...Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

Need a recipe for left over pumpkin puree? I did! I walked by a store today that had a red velvet version and I decided to tweek a recipe to make the cakes with pumpkin. I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing taste. A perfect respite from a ten page midterm paper--they only took about 20 minutes to make!  Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 stick of melted butter (4 ounces)
1/2 stick softned butter (2 ounces)
+ a little butter to line pans
2 eggs
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt and 2 pinches

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter 2 baking sheets
In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar and melted butter
Add in eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, 1 tsp salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder
Once these are all mixed together, fold in flour slowly

Taking a tablespoon, plop dough onto baking sheets (16 in all)
Cook for about 10 minutes, doing the knife check
Leave on a rack to cool for 5 minutes before adding fluff

While these are cooking, make the fluff
In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and softened butter
*I use an emersion blender and put the whisk as the setting because I don't have a large mixer
Add in 2 pinches of salt and confection sugar
Stir with a spatula or spoon until fluffy (about two minutes)

When the cake halves are cool, and the fluff is ready, sandwich fluff between two cake pieces (smooth side touching the fluff)

Enjoy for up to three days! Good luck keeping them around that long...


Copyright © 2012 Rachel Pollard