I didn't make up the recipe or really even change much. I halved the ground ginger, took the easy way out of getting these babies on the baking sheet (you'll see) and used a different frosting because I don't do cream cheese in sweet situations.
I figured the post would be boring. A picture that could make anyone drool and a link. Boring?
I am, however, sitting on the couch, under my heating blanket- yes I keep a personal size heating blanket on the couch!, watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, drinking a steaming cup of Vanilla Chai while the cold Minnesota wind howls outside and eating my fifth cookie. Yes. Fifth! Oh they are good. They are goo-oo-ood with a capital OOD! Bonus points if you have heard that somewhere before- I hear it at least once a week ;)
I keep going back and forward between callings these gems cookies or whoopie pies- I just can't decide what they are. Maybe they don't like to be labeled. The original recipe called them Pumpkin Creme Pies but when referencing them quickly, they can't really be called a pie (because they are not a pie) so I call them a cookie. Call them what you want, or don't call them anything and eat the entire recipe yourself, never referencing them to a single soul. Then you won't have to decide.
The texture is that of a cake or a pumpkin bread- soft, moist, delectable. And the frosting is perfect. Seriously perfect. Just wait until you see the ingredients to this frosting. You will be shocked at what is in there. It is light and fluffy and smoooooooth like whipped cream, yet sugary and buttery and vanilla-y. Just the way a frosting should be.
My husband said they taste like pumpkin pie (duh) but he was actually spot on! The pumpkin cake part obviously has all the same flavors and spices as a traditional pumpkin pie and the frosting is so reminiscent of whipped cream that it is like a better textured, personal size version of the Thanksgiving staple.
This recipe makes a huge batch. I hemmed and hawed about making an entire batch of frosting or not and decided on the full which would have been perfect if my children had not decided they would prefer the cookies sans frosting (silly children). The cookies are perfectly delicious this way as well and I am left with just enough frosting to cover a dozen cupcakes-- we'll see how well it holds up in the fridge!
Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes about 30 sandwich cookies
Adapted from The Deutch Girl on Tasty Kitchen
For the pies:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbl cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
heaping 1/4 tsp ground cloves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together brown sugar, white sugar, oil and pumpkin.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mixing until just combined
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (I needed 3)
Scoop batter onto sheets using small melon baller scoop. They need to be about an inch or 2 apart.
Bake for 11-13 minutes depending on the size. Don't let these cookies trick you- they go from too soft to done in seriously 30 seconds. Set the timer for 11 minutes and watch closely at the end.
That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had
Check out step by step instructions from Mayce's favorite cookin' lady here- The Pioneer woman!
After the cakes had cooled, I took the same scoop that I used to put the batter on the pans (after I washed it of course!) and dolloped a generous amount of this gorgeous frosting on the flat side and sandwiched it with another cake.
I am storing the cookies that weren't devoured in the fridge and dropping a few off to my favorite prego tomorrow ;)
Enjoy!
