These easy Pumpkin Whoopie pies are filled with a light and tangy cream cheese frosting! Perfect for fall with the delightful combination of cake and cookie.
Be sure to try all of the delicious whoopie pie recipes on the site! My favorites? Classic Chocolate, Red Velvet, and Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies.
RECIPE FEATURES
- Easy: This recipe comes together quickly and gives you the perfect bite sized cake pieces.
- Customizable: Fill with tangy cream cheese frosting, marshmallow fluff, or even basic vanilla buttercream for a delicious flavor combination.
- No-Fail Dessert: This recipe is so easy that you cannot mess it up. Perfectly puffed cookies every single time.
This pumpkin whoopie pie recipe is honestly one of the very best desserts for fall. One batch makes 10 servings, which can easily be doubled for parties, and it is packed with pumpkin flavor. It leaves you with a light and fluffy soft cake rounds that are filled with the most dreamy whipped cream cheese frosting.
The traditional whoopie pie are a New England treasure, and an Amish favorite, that were said to have started at Labadie’s Bakery in Maine way back in 1925! The cakes caught on and are now a popular treat served in bakeries across the world. Making them at home is so simple, and they look bakery worthy with almost zero effort!
WHOOPIE PIE INGREDIENTS
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin puree, not pie filling, works best for these cake like cookies. If you wanted to you could even make your own using a sugar pumpkin!
- Sugar: Brown sugar gives these a slight molasses flavor that pairs perfectly with the spices.
- Oil: To keep these moist, use oil instead of butter. I’ve successfully made this recipe with vegetable, avocado, and coconut oil. Use an oil that has less flavor so the pumpkin can shine.
- Egg: One egg to help give structure to the cookies.
- Flour: Cake flour, or classic white flour, is the best to use in this baking recipe.
- Spices: A handful of spices and leavening agents are needed to add lift and flavor to the base. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are all fall baking staples that will set you up for the season!
- Vanilla: Always opt for pure vanilla extract. Imitation will work in a pinch, but it can leave a slightly chemical aftertaste the the baked goods.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: I’m using my whipped cream cheese frosting from my pumpkin cupcake recipe to fill these whoopie pies. However, you can definitely use store bought frostings, buttercream, or marshmallow frosting!
PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking trays with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside for later.
- MIX: Make the batter by mixing the pumpkin, oil, and brown sugar until combined. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract. Shift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cloves into the pumpkin mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
- BAKE: Drop 2 tablespoons of batter onto the prepared trays, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges start to pull up from the pan.
- FROST: Once the cookies are cooled, pipe or spread the frosting onto the back side of half of the cookies. Press the unfrosted cookies onto the top of the frosted, creating a cookie sandwich.
HELPFUL TOOLS
- Baking Trays: I am a big fan of my Nordic Ware pans (affiliate). I have both the half sheet and full pan sizes and they are amazingly easy to clean.
- Silicone Baking Mats: Parchment paper is king in my kitchen, but only when both of my silicone baking mats (affiliate) are dirty. They are SO great for so many things and worth the $13 for a set of 3.
- Cookie Scoop: You can use a measuring spoon. However, a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop (affiliate) is so handy and makes the process extra speedy.
Recipe Notes:
A whoopie pie is essentially a cake baked into a cookie. The small cakes have an incredibly moist and soft texture which will not harden like a traditional cookie. It’s supposed to be sticky, I promise.
Once filled, these cookies will last up to 3 days. Be sure to keep them covered and stored in an airtight container.
This whoopie pie recipe is best stored in an airtight container inside the refrigerator. Place a piece of parchment paper between each layer of cookies to keep them from sticking together.
Yes. Whoopie pies can be frozen for up to three months. This recipe, however, is best frozen without the frosting as cream cheese frosting tends to separate when frozen.
I find that using a piping bag, or a zip top bag with the corner snipped off, is the easiest way to fill a whoopie pie. Pair two cookies, turning once upside down, and pipe the frosting right into the center. Press the top cookie onto the frosting gently pressing.
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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
Instructions
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside for later.
- Whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl until combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. Stir until incorporated.
- Shift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and cloves into the pumpkin mixture. Stir until the batter comes together.
- Drop 2 teaspoons of the batter onto the baking trays, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. Bake 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to pull away from the baking tray.
- Transfer the cookies from the baking trays to a cooling rack while you make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the butter and cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Stir, on low speed, until the two have combined and are slightly fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well to combine with the butter.
- Add the cream and vanilla extract, scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Stir on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy and soft.
- Spread, or pipe, 2-3 tablespoons of frosting between two cookies. Continue with remaining cookies.
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Comments & Reviews
Sharon Ettinger says
Very good.