Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies -

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 t salt
* 1 t baking soda
* 1 t baking powder
* 2 T cinnamon
* 1 t ginger
* 1/2 t nutmeg
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
* 1 cup canola oil
* 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
* 2 large eggs
* 1 t vanilla

Maple Cream Cheese Filling

* 3-5 cups powdered sugar
* 1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
* 3 T maple syrup
* 1 t vanilla extract
* I had a lot of extra frosting, so if you cut this in half or by a quarter it’s all good!

Directions:

1. Make whoopie pies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix together both sugars and canola oil together. Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until no streaks remain. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and stir using a wooden spoon until mixed thoroughly.
2. Using a cookie scoop for smaller whoopie pies or an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism for bigger whoopie pies, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets (about 1-2 inches apart). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies look firmer and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. Make maple cream cheese filling. In a large bowl using a hand mixer on low, beat butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Add 3 cups powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Being careful not to over mix. If the frosting doesn’t seem thick enough to spread on the cookies, add up to 2 more cups of powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until frosting has firmed up. (I found that it was still a tad bit runny seeming, but it stayed well on the cookies.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that the frosting can firm up enough for a nice, non-messy bite to be taken out of the whoopie pie.