Organic Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies
Fall has gotten a late start here in Texas this year. Our 100-degree days are slowly changing into cooler 70 degree days, and we finally got to the point this week where I wasn’t completely sweating in my fall-flannel shirt. And when this finally does happen, I suddenly crave hearty soups, cozy fires, visits to pumpkin patches and of course, all the pumpkin-flavored treats. Don’t you?
I picked up a few cans organic pumpkin puree at Sprouts (my favorite grocery store) the other day and wanted to put one to use this weekend. We did some fall festivities with the family and I wanted to end the day at the pumpkin patch on a sweet note.
Something I learned by trial and error in my process of making whoopie pies is that you can make your own brown sugar using cane sugar and maple syrup. For every 1 cup of packed brown sugar, you can substitute for 1 cup of raw sugar and 2 tbsp of maple syrup. So, if you’re like me and don’t have any brown sugar lying around, you can make your own and have some super fluffy, flavorful whoopie pies in about 30-45 minutes!
This recipe made about 25 whoopie pies for us, and I just loved the process. My kids also joined in and it was a family affair! I tried one fresh after a few minutes of cooling and constructing. It was SO fluffy and melted in my mouth. I later packed them up and kept them cool in the fridge. After having them both room-temp and cold, I prefer the room-temp, but my husband preferred the cold. This dessert can sit out for 2 days, but since I’m paranoid of bacteria growing, I put them in a sealed container in the fridge. π
I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think! Keep in mind, these beauties are SWEET, and are great treats to bring to neighbors and friends.
Cookie Ingredients:
2.5 cups organic all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp organic ground cinnamon
1 cup organic cane sugar
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
2/3 cup organic brown sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 15-oz can organic pumpkin puree
2 pasture-raised, cage-free eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients:
2/3 cup grass-fed butter
2 cups organic powdered sugar
3 tbsp organic heavy cream
4 tsp vanilla extract
sea salt to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper onto baking sheets.
- Mix sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar and olive oil together in standing mixer.
- Add pumpkin, vanilla and eggs to sugar mixture.
- Add flour slowly. Then add baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Beat until smooth and slightly goopy.
- Use a tablespoon and measure out blobs of dough an inch apart on the parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes.
- While cookies are baking and cooling in batches, it’s time to make your buttercream! Beat 2/3 softened butter until smooth in a large, clean bowl.
- Add 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Add 2 tbsp of heavy cream with 2 tsp of vanilla and a quick grind of sea salt. Beat until combined.
- Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar, and add 1 more tbsp of heavy cream with 2 tsp vanilla extract. Beat until it’s a thick, but fluffy consistency. Taste as you add the sugar to get to the sweetness and consistency you prefer.
- Load your buttercream into a gallon ziplock bag at an angle. I do this by opening the ziplock bag, placing into a tall drinking glass, and folding over the sides of the bag to create a wide opening. After buttercream is loaded, massage to the corner tip. Then snip large piece off bottom corner tip of bag to pipe onto cookies.
- When cookies are cool, flip them upside down. Pipe butter cream generously on bottom of cookie and place another cookie on top until the buttercream oozes to the edges. Continue this until all cookies have a partner, and your treats are ready to enjoy or gift to others!