Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Spice Filling

Fluffy, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Spice Filling. 1 bowl, simple ingredients,  festive and delicious.

If you have read this blog for any amount of time you are well aware of 2 facts.

1. I struggle with being a functional human before 8:00 AM.
2. I DON'T like baking.

With that said.. there is something about baking fall themed pumpkin-y creations that just feels happy and right. So every October I channel my inner Martha, tie on an apron (ok, not really, but it sounded domestic didn't it?) and spend a weekend or two creating all things pumpkin.

These pumpkin whoopie pies are without question one of my favorite things to come out of my kitchen during this year's bake-a-palooza (<-- it's a real thing).

Now let's just get this out there. The maple spice filling has sugar. Not coconut, not maple syrup, not agave... confectioner sugar. Annnnnnnd... it's not just a little.

99% of the recipes on my blog do not contain refined sugar, but occasionally we splurge. My family does eat sugar. We try to limit it to special occasions (like bake-a-pal-ooza)? but never having sugar touch the lips of my children has never been a goal of mine. I just want them to understand that it is something to be enjoyed in moderation.

With that said, when we do indulge, I prefer it to be on a homemade baked treat than a highly processed, pre-packaged sweet with artificial dyes and ingredients.

If we are being completely honest with ourselves we can admit... homemade ANYTHING tastes So. Much. Better than what you get out of a wrapper or a box anyway.

On a happier note... there are lots of changes that I did make to the recipe to make these pumpkin whoopie pies So. Much. Healthier. than the original recipe.

Let's break it down:

• I subbed applesauce for the vegetable oil that was included in the original recipe.
• Whole wheat flour took the place of regular white flour.
• Coconut Sugar swapped  places with regular brown sugar.

Hey... it's something!

Time Saving Tips and Tricks:

Prep: I recommend making the entire recipe at the same time (which is rare for me). You could make the frosting ahead of time and store in the fridge for 1-3 days OR you could pre-bake the whoopee pies. Buuut, when I bake I like to take more of a "get it done" type of approach.

Make Ahead: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are a perfect make-ahead dessert. They can be fully assembled and stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and still taste great!

Freezer: Yes! Arrange fully assembled Pumpkin Whoopie Pies on a baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Remove baking sheet from freezer. Arrange pies in layers (with freezer paper between each) and store in a sealed freezer safe container. The pies will store for 1-2 months. To thaw, remove from freezer and allow pies to come to room temperature.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Spice Filling

• Author: Bailey Sissom
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 42 minutes
• Yield: 12 whoopie pies 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1.2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbs ground cinnamon
• ½ tbs ground ginger
• ½ tbs ground cloves
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree, chilled
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ stick butter, softened
• ¾ cup confectioner sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla, divided
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tbs maple syrup
• ¼ tsp pumpkin spice

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray whoopie pie pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine applesauce, pumpkin puree, egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla until well combined. Add coconut sugar. In small batches, add flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
4. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release, drop dough into the center of each whoopie pie cup. Bake for 10-12 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from pan.
5. While pies are cooling, make the maple spice filling. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese, butter, confectioner sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, lemon juice, maple syrup and pumpkin spice. Beat until smooth and stiff peaks form.
6. Assemble whoopie pies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag. Pipe a heaping TBS of filing on the flat side of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Press down slightly so that filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Minimum 30 minutes.

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Helpful Hints:

1. When baking you can often replace 50% - 100% of the butter with applesauce. For these whoopee pies I replaced all of the butter with applesauce. The result  is a denser, moister whoopie pie.
2. Having a Wilton Nonstick 12-Cavity Whoopie Pie Pan (<--Affiliate Link) really improves the presentation of this dessert. With that said, you DON"T have to have one to make this recipe. Your edges just may be a little more "rustic."
3. I also used a OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop (<-- Affiliate Link)  to ensure that each pie had the same thickness. Again.. if you aren't serving these to company or taking pictures of them for the blog you definitely do not NEED to have this.

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