Oh hi.
I have a feeling you’re going to like this recipe.
In case you haven’t been bombarded with pumpkins and fall everywhere yet (like, perhaps, on my Instagram) then I am here to remind you it is officially fall! And you know what that means.
Pumpkin! I live for pumpkin flavoring as much as I live for the entire mushy feeling it provokes. Sure, sitting in front of a fire with a pumpkin spice latte and a pumpkin pastry and boots and a scarf is utterly cliché these days. But it is comforting and the cozy feeling is practically palpable. Pumpkin goodies let everyone know things are about to get a little slower and reminds us to soak up every sunny, not-yet-freezing day there is. Pumpkin says, hey, let’s go on a walk to crunch the fallen leaves and grab a warm beverage for the way home. It lets us know the holidays are just around the corner, cold cheeks and rosy noses need warming up, and the best season for fashion is upon us.
So! No eye rolling at yet another pumpkin treat, because these are too good to pass up. I’ve made pumpkin whoopie pies before, but these are definitely the best. The special addition of Nutella (because when is it bad to add Nutella?) is subtle and pairs incredibly well with the cream cheese frosting and pumpkin flavor. It just works!
I packaged these sweets up for our neighbors in cute little boxes. They are perfect for sharing or passing out as goodbye treats at a fall soirée! This is by far the best pumpkin whoopie pie recipe I’ve ever tried, so rather than recreate the wheel on this one, I went with a tried and true recipe. Oh…plus Nutella:)
PS More pumpkin goodness in the form of pancakes, bread pudding, the best pumpkin beers, and smoothies.
- FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Nutella
- FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
- Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
- Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of cream cheese filling on the flat side of half of the cookies and approximately one tablespoon of Nutella on the flat side of the other half of the cookies. Sandwich cookies together, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.
