Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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If we have to choose just one recipe to welcome fall with, let it be these soft pillowy cookies filled with fresh vanilla buttercream. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are the dessert everyone loves, and everyone asks for the recipe, too!

Orange pumpkin whoopie pies on white plate.

These pumpkin whoopie pies are exactly how whoopie pies should be. The actual pumpkin cookies are super soft, almost like muffin tops. The vanilla buttercream filling is light and fluffy like clouds. Each bite is full of pumpkin spice, and truthfully, if you're already here reading this, you know you're going to love them so I don't have to convince you anymore!

This recipe makes 12 whoopie pies from 24 soft pumpkin cookies. While that is definitely too much to serve two people, I think you'll have no problem gifting the rest of them. Plus, they freeze so well, too!

Ingredients

If your pantry is ready with all of the fall baking ingredients, then you can make these pumpkin whoopie pies quickly! I love that this recipe uses 1 ½ cups of canned pumpkin, which is almost a full can. You can make my pumpkin donut holes with the leftover, which are baked and coated in cinnamon sugar!

Brown Sugar. This is the only sweetener we're using for the cookies, and we're using it because the molasses brings extra moisture and keeps these cookies soft and tender, like muffins. If you love brown sugar, try my brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
Oil. Use any neutral oil, like canola oil, grapeseed oil, or even vegetable oil.
Canned Pumpkin. Be sure to buy canned pure pumpkin, not the one called pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices.
Eggs. We need two whole eggs for the pumpkin whoopie pies, plus an extra egg white for the fluffy cream filling. I recommend using pasteurized eggs since the egg white won't be cooked in the filling.
Vanilla. Always bake with real, pure vanilla extract.
Flour. Use all-purpose flour here, not cake flour.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
Pumpkin Pie Spice. You can use 1 heaping tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, or 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and 1.5 teaspoons ground ginger.
Milk. A small splash of whole milk for the cream filling.
Powdered Sugar. This is for sweetening the cream filling between the pies.
Butter. Traditionally, the filling for pumpkin whoopie pies contains shortening because it stays soft at cool temperatures, but I much prefer the taste of butter. If you are searching for an old fashioned recipe, simply use this recipe but swap in ¾ cup of shortening instead of the butter. The photographs here show white shortening, but you can use butter or even butter-flavored shortening.

How to Make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

You really need a stand mixer for this recipe because the cream filling needs to mix for a long time. This is the stand mixer I use and love in my own kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 325°P. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the cookies: In a large bowl, blend together brown sugar and oil with a spoon until well combined.

Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla and continue to stir until smooth.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices, and then add to the wet ingredients, stirring only until combined (be careful not to overmix).

The batter should be completely homoegenous

For best results, spoon batter into a piping bag with a large tip and pipe mounds of batter (about 1 tablespoon each) of batter onto the lined sheet tray, about 3 inches apart. (If you don't have a piping bag, use two large spoons and space the batter in the same way.) You will get 24 cookies, and you will have to bake them on several sheets.

Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes, until they begin to turn golden. Let cool completely before sandwiching cookies together with the filling.

Cookie sandwiches will keep in a sealed plastic container in the fridge for a few days.

Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the egg white, milk, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar, then mix on high speed until the mixture is creamy and light.

Add shortening (or butter) and remaining cup of sugar, and whip on high speed until very light, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Take the fluffy filling mixture and scrape it into a pastry bag. Alternatively you can just use a spoon or knife to fill the pumpkin whoopie pies.

This recipe makes 24 cookies, so you will get 12 sandwich cookies for your final product, because 2 cookies makes one whoopie pie.

Storage

These cookie sandwiches will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days. You can freeze them, both with and without filling and then defrost in the fridge before eating.

Can you freeze pumpkin whoopie pies?

You can absolutely freeze the cookies after being baked individually or even with the filling. Lay the individual cookies flat to freeze, and then move to a freezer-safe storage bag to store for up to 3 months. You can also fill the pies with the cream filling, and then wrap them individually before freezing. Let defrost in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for a few hours. Do not ever microwave these, as the cream filling will melt and spill out everywhere!

Can you make this recipe with a cake mix?

While a cake mix has the ideal texture for making whoopie pies, that is not how this recipe is written. You would need to find a recipe specifically for using a cake mix to make pumpkin whoopie pies.

Can you make your own pumpkin pie spice?

Yes, just mix together 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Mix this all together and store for up to 6 months in a sealed container. Use it in homemade pumpkin spice lattes or any other pumpkin dessert you might like!

Yield: 1 dozen