Halloween Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.5 tsp kosher salt
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.25 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 0.5 tsp ground cloves
• 0.75 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 egg (large)
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil
• 3 drop gel style orange food coloring (optional)
• 0.25 tsp gel style brown food coloring (optional)
• 4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (soft)
• 2 tsp milk
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cup powdered sugar

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. 2

   Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

3. 3

   In another bowl, whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, and vegetable oil thoroughly together.

4. 4

   Add orange food coloring to the wet ingredients, along with flour mixture, and stir with a whisk until evenly combined. Whisk in more orange food coloring for a deeper color if desired.

5. 5

   Transfer 10, evenly spaced, 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized portions onto 1 of the prepared baking sheets. Use a damp finger to flatten the batter slightly, while also making the portions as round as possible.

6. 6

   Bake in the preheated oven until cookies just start to turn golden brown ever so slightly around the edges, about 18 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven; do not turn the oven off. Cool cookies on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. 7

   Portion 10 more cookies on the second sheet pan as above. Add brown food coloring to the remaining batter; transfer into a piping bag fitted with a fine round tip (alternately, add brown batter into a resealable plastic sandwich bag and snip a very small piece of the corner off).

8. 8

   Use the darker batter to pipe whatever Halloween designs you want on top of the portioned batter on the second sheet pan.

9. 9

   Bake the decorated cookies in the preheated oven until they just start to turn golden brown ever so slightly around the edges, about 18 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. 10

    While cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Combine cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar in a mixing bowl.

11. 11

    Beat with an electric hand mixer on High speed to whip the mixture until smooth, light, and fluffy. Refrigerate frosting to firm up a bit before trying to pipe.

12. 12

    Spread frosting evenly onto the 10 bottom, undecorated cookies, and top with the 10 decorated cookies to create sandwiches.

13. 13

    Refrigerate cookies until thoroughly chilled before serving.

Notes

Refrigerate the frosting before piping to ensure it holds its shape. Chilling the assembled pies before serving helps the filling set and improves the texture.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• halloween
• pumpkin
• whoopie pies
• baked
• holiday
• snack