Whoopie!

Occasional Sugar teaches you how to make whoopie...

...pies, of course.

Have you heard of the whoopie pie? Being a West-Coaster, it's quite possible that you haven't. Whoopie Pies are not really pies at all. They are a kind of cookie/cake sandwich, where you have a sweet filling pressed between two soft, round, cake-like cookies. The classic whoopie pie consists of vanilla cream filling, sandwiched between two chocolate cakey cookies. The ones I baked were a variation for the fall season. (Yes, this post is about something I baked way back in 2009! Sorry, I have some catching up to do)

The history of the whoopie pie begins with the Amish.

Food historians believe whoopie pies originated in Pennsylvania, where they were baked by Amish women and put in farmers’ lunchboxes.

Tired from a morning’s work, the farmers purportedly would shout “Whoopie!” if they discovered one of the desserts in their lunch pails, Ms. Emberling said.

My recipe comes from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. It was the selected recipe for the baking group I belong to. The photo in the book shows the "cookies" baking into a much more dome-like shape than mine turned out. I'm not sure what caused this, perhaps because I baked them on a silpat instead of parchment? However, they still tasted great, so I don't care too much about the shape. The filling was delicious and I would use it again as a go-to cream cheese frosting for cupcakes, etc...

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

From Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Whoopie Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp ginger

1 Tbsp ground cloves

2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups chilled pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Use a small ice cream scoop to drop heaping tablespoons full of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the filling.

Cream Cheese Filling

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to over-beat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made one day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.)

Assemble the Whoopie Pies

Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up).

Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.

The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.