Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Cream Cheese Filling
My fall baking moods seem to take on themes during certain months. Once September hits, I feel like I need to eat and bake with as many apples as possible. Even though they’re available throughout the fall and winter months, I feel a surge in September. It starts to wane towards the end of the month, and then October hits. For me, October is the month of the pumpkin. I know that Thanksgiving is typical pumpkin pie day, but by then I’m already full-on excited and planning for Christmas, so my pumpkin lust starts early. Plus, October gives us Halloween (pumpkin carving and pumpkin seed roasting!) and, more importantly, it gives us “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. I’m a sucker for holiday programming and feel very strongly that I should be baking (or, at the very least, eating) something seasonal during every Charlie Brown special or any of the following: Rudolph (the old school one, with the Land of Misfit Toys), Christmas Vacation, Elf or A Christmas Story. Well, October is only a couple of days away so let’s get moving with these whoopie pies!
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You may remember me talking about the whoopie pies vs. gobs nomenclature conundrum when I gabbed about s’mores whoopie pies over the summer, but I’ll lay it out there again. It’s weird for me to call these whoopie pies; I grew up calling all cookies of this type ‘gobs’. It’s regional. It’s Pittsburgh. But I also realize it’s a minority. So no matter what you call these, let’s be clear: you need to make and eat these! To celebrate October, of course. And the pumpkins. And Charlie Brown. The cookie-cakes themselves are soft and light and absolutely packed with spicy, seasonal flavors. Your house will smell like Thanksgiving while these are baking. And paired with a maple cream cheese filling? Heaven. An old colleague of mine shared this recipe with me years ago and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. They should become part of your fall baking rotation too!
Two years ago: Cream of Mushroom Soup
Three years ago: Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
For the Whoopie Pies:
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (218 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 3 cups (735 g) chilled pumpkin puree, canned pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Maple-Cream Cheese Filling:
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, (½ cup )
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
- 3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- 4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
- 5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
- 6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
- 7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- 8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread 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 before serving.
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Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I’ve made these twice…the first time they were very sticky. This time, I baked them a little bit longer and they were perfect <3 they just taste like Fall! No substitutions were needed. Thank you!
Who gives a f@#$ about the backstory!? Thanks for the great recipe.
Who hurt you?
Delicious! Easy to follow recipe. I used regular Vermont Maid “imitation” maple syrup as I did not have pure. The taste was fine in the frosting.
Delicious….came out perfect and already getting requests from friends and family to make them again! Will definitely make again!
Delicious….came out perfect and already getting requests from friends and family to make them again! Will definitely make again!
Just made these. They were wonderful. Sadly you can’t find pumpkin purée anywhere. Luckily I had two cans in my pantry from last year.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree
Just stopping back in after several years of making these because yes, they are in fact always just as perfectly delicious as I remember. This maple cream cheese filling is a dream.
These were so delicious!!! I’ve found a new go-to for the fall!!!
These are the absolute best! I’ve come back to this recipe for years- 8 at least! I make them multiple times a year (fall or not) and they always end up being the star of the show when I bring them to parties. I like to keep them in the fridge so the filling is nice and firm and doesn’t smoosh out when you take a bite. This year I started using the batter to make muffins and they’re such a treat. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites!
Made these with pumpkins I bought for Halloween and didn’t get to carve, they’re amazing!! With most of them I hollowed out one cookie before filling with frosting and squishing between another cookie- and I still had frosting left over.
Had to bake the cookies 20 minutes or more for them to set up. Mine are sticky, as the other reviews mentioned. I used a cookie scoop and they do not spread. I checked my oven temp and it was 350, also baked another kind of cookie and it baked in the time suggested. Sorry, for the trouble I had I will not bake them again.
This recipe was amazing! I made it twice in one week & everyone raves about it. The only thing I changed is that I swapped out 2 sticks of softened butter for 1 cup oil. I couldn’t see making this with that much oil in it. Came out perfect. Thank you!
I have seen similar recipe elsewhere that only calls for 1.5 cups of pumpkin. Would 3 cups make it too runny?
Hi Jen, I’ve never found these to be too runny!
Hi Michelle!
I’ve made this recipe before and LOVE it! I am hoping to make it for a bake sale fundraiser. I would need to bake the whoopie pies 6 days ahead of time to work w my schedule. Do you think they would stay in the fridge for that amount of time? I’m worried the freezer might ruins the cream cheese frosting but maybe not.
Thanks for all of your delicious recipes!
Aly
Hi Aly, I’m so thrilled to hear that! I would freeze the whoopie pie cookies and then make the filling and assemble the day before you need them for the freshest dessert!
I see the recipe calls for chilled pumpkin. Does it have to be chilled?
Hi Brooke, I think it would still work okay if it were at room temperature.
My go to pumpkin whoopie pie recipe! I’ve made them 3x in little over a month! An excellent holiday treat that’s a crowd pleaser!!
Personally, I think they’re better the next day! I leave them in the fridge overnight before eating…
Of note – I’m a Mainer that’s big on whoopies!!!
I was born and raised in the Great state of Maine and am 74 years young! Our siblings and most of Their Offspring still live around Portland!!! I would NEVER disrespect them or anyone else back Home by referring to them as Mainers!!!! The appropriate term is: MAIN(E)IAC!!!! We’ve always been up front about that!!!! No disrespect intended, simply sharing!! Happy Trails
When I found this recipe the other day I thought they would make a great bake sale item at my son’s school fundraiser. I’ve never made whoopie pies before but remember buying ones like these years ago in Maine. I sampled one before sending them off, and they are FABULOUS. Moist, lots of flavor, wonderful filling. I’ll have to make them again just for my family.
I made these Pumpkin Whoopi Pies With Cream Cheese Maple Filling
They are DELICIOUS! WOW . Instead of canned pumpkin. I made my own
pumpkin puree. What a better puree. Very easy to make. If anyone is
interested in making your own puree. Please email me.
Nummy nummy
I used cinnamon extract instead of vanilla. So good
THESE LOOK AMAZING!!! I am so pinning this recipe, it looks great! I also signed up for your newsletter all of your recipes look fantastic.
I made these for an early Thanksgiving theme potluck and they were a hit. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly. I didn’t have any issue with the frosting being soupy, but I did use my stand mixer so maybe that helped thicken it. This yielded only about 2 dozen assembled pies for me, but I may have made them a little on the bigger size. This is a great recipe, and will definitely make again.
I made these over the wknd. I had to experiment with the filling because I could taste too much of the vanilla extract. I put in a 1/4 cup of milk and more maple syrup than the recipe called for and it took the strong vanilla taste away. I couldn’t taste the maple at first so I added until I could get a hint of maple flavor.
You do need to chill these pies for the center does get soupy if left out too long. The pies were delicious. They came out perfectly done! I cooked them for 12 mins. I may add some choc. Chips in my next batch.
My friend from Uniontown, PA brought t a huge batch for Thanksgiving. Everyone raved about them. I had never heard of them, or cookies called ‘gobs’, and I am from Pittsburgh too! We must be from different neighborhoods. This is the perfect recipe to duplicate what he brought. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Thank you!
I am a very lazy cook and found pumpkin cake mix by Pillsbury in the baking aisle today. I followed the directions minus 1/2 cup of water and baked for 8 minutes. Turned out perfectly. But what really stole the show was your filling recipe–out of this world! My husband is licking the bowl as I type. Thank you! I am selling these for a soccer fundraiser tomorrow and my hubby assures me they are well worth the $1 price tag :)
These are yummy and lots of fun to make. I used a muffin top pan to make them, so anyone else who tries this (I think they are also intended for Whoopie Pies) they come out pretty big. I tinkered around and was able to make smaller ones with less batter, but just something to keep in mind.
Whoopie Pies were one of my favorite treats in high school. So I always have a soft spot when I see a recipe. I made these using a muffin tin that only makes muffin tops. Not sure if that was a good idea. They came out huge! Beautiful, perfect actually, but huge! I scaled the next batch down some and that was reasonable. Anywho, taste is super yummy, and they were a lot of fun to make:) thank you!
I made these a few times last fall and they were a hit! I made them for a bake sale that my son’s marching band hosted, and these sold oout in a matter of minutes! My daughter asked to day if we could make them, so later tonight we will make our first batch of the season. A friend of our said that they satisfy a sweet craving without being over sweet. That pretty much sums it up! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
I’m making these as a wedding favor for my son’s wedding and would like to make them ahead of time. Any suggestions on thaw time if I freeze them and how long are they ok out of the fridge?
Hi Jenny, I am not sure how long they would take to thaw, but they should be fine at room temperature for a day (take them out in the morning, serve until evening).
Hello! What a yummy recipe! I finally made these tonight and when the cakes cooled they seemed to look deflated. Wondering if I did something wrong or if this is normal. From your photo, I was expecting them to be fuller but mine look more the height of a cooke than a petite cake. I did not have a small scoop though so wondering if that is what makes the difference in height. I hope when sandwiched with frosting that the height will not matter but curious about what they look like before assembly in case I’ve made a mistake. Thank you!
Hi Helen, Using a larger portion of batter definitely could have contributed to this.