Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
I really, really used to dislike fall. I’m beginning to wonder how much of my love affair with fall is actually about the season and how much of it is about the food that comes with it. Seriously. I am loving all things pumpkin and apple right now from muffins to lattes to biscotti to pies and dumplings and cheesecake. There are hardly enough weeks to make all the fabulous desserts crowding my brain! Which may or may not be why at only twenty-three weeks gestation no one, and I mean, no one, is wondering, is she or is she not pregnant? We’ll just pretend that’s all baby and not baby padded with pumpkin.
One of my favorite fall treats is Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. I used to sort of kind of like chocolate whoopie pies until I discovered the filling was made of Crisco. Crisco? Who does that?? I mean, you may as well just dip a spoon into the can of crisco and eat it. I think I’d rather be gagged with the spoon. From then on, I could never look a whoopie pie straight in the face. Then, I discovered the marvelously delicious marshmallow creme recipe in a cookbook from a friend. Meanwhile, I sampled a pumpkin whoopie pie from my sister in law, Kristina. I added cream cheese to the filling recipe because what complements pumpkin better than cream cheese? The two merged together in a perfect match.
I’m not going to beat around the bush. Whoopie pies take a little lot of time. You bake cookies forever and make frosting and then you slap them together and only end up with half as many cookies as you baked. How is that supposed to be fair? But I promise you, this is worth it. Go ahead and sample them, but make sure you wrap most of those happy little orbs in plastic wrap and freeze them because they are even more perfect when they’re half-thawed. And really, who can complain about dessert ready to go at a moment’s notice? Not me. Especially when there is a carry-in at church every. single. week. Just don’t count calories.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Cream together:
2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
Beat in:
3 cups pumpkin
4 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
Mix in:
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
You want a bigger cookie than most of the cookie scoops used for things like chocolate chip cookies, so I used my Pampered Chef ice cream scoop and it was the perfect size. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. And here is what I love about this recipe. The dough is just perfect … not so much flour that they get dry. They are soft and perfect. But just enough flour that they don’t run all over the pan into oddly shaped cookies. They just stay there, round themselves perfectly in the center, and bake beautifully.
For the filling:
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 (7 oz) jars marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (8 0z) bar cream cheese
If you like plenty of frosting in a whoopie pie, you should make a batch and a half. Or at least add another half a bar of cream cheese. Otherwise you’ll end up with a few unfrosted cookies like I did. Spread filling on one cookie to your taste and find a mate that matches in size. Press them together and voila! You’ve just created a whoopie pie. Go ahead. You know you want one.
Fall is also when Muesli gives way to Steel Cut Oats.
Credit for this lovely little gem goes to Thelma Musser. When she posts recipes, I make them. They are just that good. This one and her Butternut Squash Soup are our family’s favorites.
I love Steel Cut Oats because they aren’t mushy like regular oatmeal. They’re just slightly nutty in taste and texture, but oh, so warm and comforting and unlike the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, nourishing. When people say healthy food doesn’t taste as good, I just smile because I know they haven’t tried the right foods. This oatmeal is perfection in a bowl. I love steel cut oats even more because I can find them in a gluten free version which means I can make one breakfast for our entire family and everyone loves it. Let me tell you, this is huge!
Steel Cut Oats
3 cups water
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup steel cut oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
Bring water and milk to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a skillet until just beginning to foam. Add the oats and toast, stirring constantly until golden and fragrant, about 1.5 – 2 minutes.
Stir the toasted oats into the simmering liquid, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently until the mixture thickens and the oats absorb all the liquid, about 20-25 minutes. Add the salt.
When serving, toss in a handful of frozen blueberries and drizzle with real maple syrup. Side benefit of the blueberries (besides the punch of flavor): it will cool the oatmeal to the perfect temperature for kids to enjoy.
The other morning we had steel cut oats, pumpkin-apple muffins, and pumpkin lattes for breakfast. I’m just telling you, it’s hard to hate mornings when you’re facing all of that.
So go ahead. Your stomach will thank you. I bet your family will, too.
I want to come eat breakfast with you!!! My poor children would be in shock if they came down stairs to a spread like that. 🙂
Oh, please DO come eat breakfast with me! But give me a day’s warning because that spread isn’t normal! Normal is called just steel cut oats. 🙂 But it WAS fun and worth going to bed ridiculously late the night before because I stayed up to make muffins for us and Liam.
Your food photography is amazing! I need to dig out my box of steel cut oats and have that for breakfast on this first day of November . . . and those whoopie pies~oh my. They aren’t very trim & healthy, but I do make exceptions for exceptional things~and of course, my family can eat most of them. 🙂 And I am so with you about AT LEAST they don’t have crisco icing~which gives me chills just thinking about! 🙂 Oh, and you look GREAT with that baby bump. Doesn’t look too pumpkin-padded to me!
Yes! So glad November is more of the same food! I think you’ll find these worth an exception and you can always just eat one bite out of one of the kid’s cookies and tell them it’s an “I love you” bite. 🙂 As Christy and I discovered when photographing the new cookbook for our cousin, one bite of something rich and satisfying is actually satisfying!
An “I love you bite”?! That’s wicked. I’m going to try it! Hhaha!
😉
I wonder if my children would fall for the “i love you” bite propaganda!? It’s a brilliant idea. 🙂 I must tend to take a bite of their food before giving it to them, because lately they’ve all taken to saying, “Mom don’t take a bite” when I preparing their bowls, buttering their toast, etc. oops!
That’s hysterical! You’re definitely going to have to rename those bites. 🙂
It all looks so good!
Your baby bump is so cute too….you look beautiful and happy….when is the due date?
Xo!
Aw, thanks! With the other two I always thought I looked so huge and then I’d take pictures and think, “Why doesn’t my largeness look as big as I feel?” This time I know I’m kind of big, but I keep thinking surely it’s not that bad and then I see pictures and my eyes start bulging and I’m like, “HOW did that happen?” So I kind of scare myself thinking about what this is all going to look like. 🙂 I think I’m so happy to be pregnant I just don’t care. 😉 I’m due February 25th.
Love back!
I am SO with you on the crisco filling!! I pretty much don’t make or eat whoopie pies for that very reason! I’ve also thought pumpkin whoopies are by far the best – because I just love pumpkin food so very much – but have always wondered WHY there isn’t a cream cheese filling for it? And now, voila – here it is! So, I just may need to add this to my fast-growing list of pumpkin recipes this fall. 🙂
I’ve never made steel-cut oats, but your picture looks SO good that now I think I will have to try them. 🙂 Your food photography is just SO great!
And, I love the first picture!! Way to celebrate autumn and new life and darling baby bumps!!
Yes, you really should try them! BTW, the biscotti is delicious and easier to make than I expected! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Everything looks so yummy!
Steel cut oats, pumpkin-apple muffins, and pumpkin lattes? Sounds like a breakfast for champions!! 😉
Yep, we’re champions around here …. champions of things there probably aren’t categories for, but…
I’m not gonna lie, I sort of wish I had all of that facing me today! 😀 looks delicious.
Me too, Beth, me too!
I think you’re feeling better. 🙂 Looking good!
I AM feeling so much better! Down to some occasional gagging over my toothbrush and bathroom cleaners and random wierd things, but not feeling sick as long as I eat protein. And it is beyond wonderful to have energy again.
My sisters-in-laws and I had this long discussion on Whoopie Pies. Apparently they do not turn out unless you use Crisco. I hadn’t known because I never make them -because of all the reasons you stated. Anyway- my in-laws have spent much time perfecting their recipes, and Crisco is the key to making Chocolate Whoopie Pies turn out. -Now you know. 🙂
I’m not quite as opinionated about crisco used as shortening while baking something … for some reason it helps to visualize it melting in the oven and the molecules being well distributed. 🙂 It’s crisco in something like filling that makes me gag like a pregnant woman when I’m not. But this make me curious. I’m pretty sure I used butter when I baked chocolate ones and they turned out fine, but now I can’t remember for sure. I’ll have to try it and find out. 🙂
Ohhh but you are looking quite lovely, not large, just perfect.
I want. a. whoopie. pie. NOW! I don’t think dieting and Fall go hand in hand with all these good things to eat. But then you have the Christmas season, so I guess my dieting will have to wait till Jan, Feb and March. 🙂
After all, January is just made for salad and New Years Resolutions. How boring would it be if we couldn’t add that to the list? 😉
you are so STINKIN cute pregnanat!! cannot wait to meet that child.
that pumpkin recipe, i made it, and it was perfection. I didn’t make them into pies, just iced them with cream cheese frosting and they were divine.
Steel cut oats. you make me blush. but thanks for the reminder of their goodness, i always kinda forget about them till summer is over…they are such a perfect winter breakfast.
Now I’m blushing. Welcome to the cannot wait to meet that child club. Liam asks almost weekly if it’s time and I can NOT wait. What a fabulous idea to just frost the cookies. Then I get twice as many. 🙂 And you honestly do share the most amazing recipes. If you ever do a cooking blog I’ll be the first one in your fan base and I don’t even follow cooking blogs.
I love steel cut oats but I’m wondering where you get gluten free ones?
Marlene, I first found g/f steel cut oats at a local bulk food store. Later I found them at Martins, our local grocery store. They’re in the health / natural food section as opposed to with the other oatmeal. I hope you find them! You could also check Amazon?
I made the steel cut oats this morning !!!!!! Delightful!!!!! I will be making them some more this winter. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I also am going to make those whoopie pies!!!! They look wonderful.
So glad you liked them! Aren’t they just the perfect description of warm and comforting? Let me know how you like the whoopie pies.
You’re so funny. I just love you …
Sweet baby bump- you look great!
Thanks, Jennie! Warm fuzzies right back atcha!
haha. love your humor. and how beautifully adorable are you~ like the most perfect little pregnant belly in the world!!!!
whoopie pies always make me smile, just by their name! and cream cheese is the best invention ever – it makes everything taste better~
have a happy sunday there dearie. xo
Yes (!) about the name! I bet a boy named whoopie pies. 🙂
I didn’t take the time to read all the comment through, but one thing that really helps save a lot of time when making whoopie pies is, to use a cookies scoop for the frosting. I’m not sure what size of scoop I have. I’d say a normal size. Not to big or to small and you just put a scoop of frosting on one cookie and put the other on top and squish it together. The frosting just kinda squeezes out and takes all the work out of frostin them! It’s really quite dandy and quick!
Today I tried the whoopie pies. They are just D.E.L.I.G.H.T.F.U.L. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Its a keeper. Blessings on your weekend !!!!!
Oh, good! I’m so glad you liked them!