okay…so truth?
This project food blog challenge had me completely, one hundred percent, totally stumped. It was simple enough—bake something with pumpkin—but I knew the stakes would be high. All twenty three of the other contestants are some of the most talented food bloggers and chefs I’ve ever seen, and each one of us wants this bad. Last challenge, I was totally blown away by Angela’s blondies, Emily’s soup and Annalise’s chocolate cake.
So, I’ve been making lists. Should I go savory or sweet? Plain or gourmet? Pie or cake?
My initial thought was to wow you all with some fancy schmancy savory pumpkin focaccia or petit four… but then last week I had an epiphany.
I could make something that might impress you outwardly or I could make something that I know, hands down, was absolutely delicious and something that you could easily replicate at home.
I guess when in doubt, go with butter something you trust.
Something you know is the best pumpkin dessert you’ve ever tasted.
…and something that’s stood the test of time in many American home kitchens.
Folks, I bring to you today the pumpkin whoopie pie.
It’s not fancy and it’s not really all that gourmet. But, it’s loved by kids and adults alike, and when I first made them in October of 2008, the whole kitchen staff at the yacht club I worked at loved them so much that they earned a permanent spot on the restaurant dessert menu. Soon, we were selling out of pumpkin whoopie pies every night, the main takers being older folks, slyly grinning while loudly whispering,
“honey! they’re makin’ whoopee back there!”
I couldn’t bake them fast enough and soon, started to bake many different versions including red velvet, carrot cake and dark chocolate.
But pumpkin always won first place. The big, soft pumpkin cookie sandwiched between a fluffy pillow of real vanilla buttercream always won everyone over. I experimented with cream cheese frosting, but found buttercream was better. More old fashioned.
I also experimented with different kinds of buttercream. Typically, I prefer one that’s made with shortening because holds up better when decorating cakes, but here I found that using plain ol’ butter was best.
Did I tell you that making these is a breeze? You don’t need a Kitchen Aid or any fancy kitchen gear…just an honest wooden spoon, two bowls, some measuring cups and an oven.
To start, mix together one cup of oil with two cups of brown sugar.
Add a cup and a half of pumpkin, along with two eggs
Whisk that well and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the three cups of flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Then..you know the drill. Add wet to dry!
Scoop out golf ball sized portions of batter onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for twelve minutes. They’ll be light and springy when done!
While the cookies are cooling, get to work on the frosting. Like I said earlier, I just made a very basic buttercream…but you could really make any kind of frosting you like.
Fill the cookies when they’re totally cool (you don’t want to melt the frosting!)…
These make me so happy.
So, so happy.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
adapted from a recipe found on allrecipes.com in 2008
makes about 18 whoopie pies
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin
1 tsp baking power
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
for frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 T pure vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar and oil. Add the pumpkin and eggs and mix well. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon, ground white pepper, salt and nutmeg.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix.
Scoop (or pipe) golf ball sized portions of batter onto lined baking sheets. Bake for twelve minutes. Let cool thoroughly before sandwiching together with frosting.
For the frosting, cream the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat for about ten minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract at the end and mix well.
{ 125 comments… read them below or add one }
These are gorgeous and I want to eat one right now. I was completely stumped on this one too – seems so simple, but that is the challenge. GREAT job!!
Jenna, these are so SO cute!! I love the history of them (your yacht story) too. Can’t wait to make some for myself! Great job
YUM! These look perfect!
OH my OH my!
Now that is creative and probabally the best thing to look (drool) at ever.
Great idea and I love your pictures(especially the dollop of cream on the spoon with the leaf background.) I hope to try these out.
Go Jenna!
These look delicious. Can they frozen? I am loving your blog and read it everyday!
no
they really shouldn’t be frozen. They’re best eaten the same day they’re made!
I think I could handle that…. my heart is a fluttering.
May I ask out of curiosity why they can’t be frozen? Just curious! Is that the rule for most baked goods? I live by myself and can eat 1/2 a dozen in one day, but then, well, I might be going overboard after that – y’know, maybe…;)
Oh a whoopie pie!!! I feel like I’m five years old again, and I’m not complaining one bit
Nice job, Jenna!
These really are adorable. Finger foods or dress them up on a plate with chocolate sauce!!
Those are FABULOUS!!! Love them!
Simple and delicious is sometimes so much better. THey look and sound amazing, best of luck.
These look amazing and so cute! I’ve been wanting to try to bake whoopie pies for a while now. Do you think I could sub pumpkin pie spice for the spices? Like 1 1/2 tsp?
absolutely. that would work fine.
Ya know, I don’t think I’ve ever tried a Whoopie pie…Crazy huh?! That need to change immediately, especially since there’s a pumpkin kind
Gorgeous photos, btw.
you’ve NEVER tried a whoopee pie!!??!! random but Hannafords sells incredible pumpkin, maple, chocolate or peanut butter ones. you know, in case you’re not in the mood to bake.
Your pictures look great Jenna!
Those look like a yummy treat! I’ve never had a whoopie pie before. Just some store-bought Oreos, lol. I think simple recipes for foods that everyone will enjoy are the best ideas of all.
Love these! Your pictures are fantastic too!
I absolutely love your project food blog posts! Yours have been so creative and I love that you have kept things so classy yet simple at the same time. Definitely pulling for you to take home the prize!
I’m so glad you decided to make whoopie pies.
It’s a simple concept..but so, so delicious and FUN!! That’s more important than some way-out-there idea.
I think your idea to go user friendly was great! I can’t wait to try these myself- I’m a HUGE fan of whoopie pies. DELISH- good luck with the challenge
My roommate makes these for special gatherings (thanksgiving) and I know she always uses cream cheese in the frosting…while I’ve never attempted to make them myself I thought that cream cheese was necessary to get the right consistency…is this the more traditional way to do it? have you ever tried putting cream cheese in the frosting?
Dear Other Sana,
I know I am creepy, but do you write a blog?
-Sana
One of my favorites of all time. Absolutely mouthwatering.
ok I just saw your reference to buttercream vs. cream cheese in the description before the recipe lol
I want to pop each whoopee in my mouth!
I’ve always wanted to try pumpkin whoopie pies. They look so good!
LOVE this post. Love all of your posts!
I love, love, love these, but as a western Pennsylvania native, I refer to them as “pumpkin gobs.” But you know what they say … a gob by any other name …
Will definitely be making these before Christmas.
I agree, you can’t go wrong with such a classic item – these look fantastic! Just curious, does pumpkin focaccia really exist? Because I thought I would only find such a thing in heaven.
whoopee pies are my specialty so it’s interesting to see what you put in yours-my new favorite is oatmeal or gingerbread…i have started cut each recipe I have in half (choc., pumpkin, oatmeal and gingerbread) and bringing them all to social gatherings…that way you get the filling of so MANY different ones…fluff and butter and crisco, my 3 favorite foods.
Jenna, I’ve been wanting to make pumpkin whoopie pies for years now! I promise to give these a try if you’ll try my aunt’s famous pumpkin harvest cookies! I just finished my post about them.
http://ateenagegourmet.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/my-aunts-famous-pumpkin-cookies/
Oh Jenna, you’ll continue to get my vote, that’s for sure! Those look delicious.
These look great! I think you made a wise decision for PFB. When can we vote???
i lovvvvve pumpkin! i’d like a maple flavored frosting with those!!! mmm.
did you use ground ginger – it is in the picture, but not in the recipe?
Lookin’ good Jenna! Glad you went with something I could actually make
CUTE! my mom actually sent me some mini pumpkin woopies made right here in Maine. Yours look great!
wow, i remember when you first made them! good choice:-)
I officially want these NOW! I’ve seen pumpkin whoopie pies all over the blogosphere lately! I NEEEEED to make them! I kind of have a pumpkin obsession myself:
Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies :
http://cookiesncardio.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkin-dark-chocolate-ok.html
Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes:
http://cookiesncardio.blogspot.com/2010/10/perfect-pumpkin-pancakes.html
Pumpkin Cupcakes:
http://cookiesncardio.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-pumpkin-season.html
Maybe not gourmet, but delicious nonetheless. Anything with icing in the middle and pumpkin on the outside sounds good to me.
Now, if I only had access to pumpkin!
This is so awesome and it’s what I say about “good recipes”. That good doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive: “You don’t need a Kitchen Aid or any fancy kitchen gear…just an honest wooden spoon, two bowls, some measuring cups and an oven.”
Yay for that!
And they look..glorious! Wow I would love to sink my teeth into one of those bad boys right now!
I admit to loving twinkies as a kid. I havent had one in years, and for some reason, your whoopee pies remind me of a more decadent, wonderful, homemade version of spongey cake + frosting middle. YUM!!!
Ahhh! These look incredible!
Now I know what else to do with the giant can of pumpkin in my fridge. As if I needed something else
I vote for show-casing the carrot-cake version sometime though!
I made some with a maple cream cheese frosting that was amazing!
whoopee!!! I just love saying that! What does buttercream NOT go with?!!??!
Haha I found this recipe from Martha Stewart and they were a Thanksgiving hit!
These look incredible! You definitely don’t have to go fancy to be tasty
You have my vote!
I think you definitely made the right choice- they look delicious!
Thanks for making something that we too could make at home without alot of struggle. Whoopie pies are classic and yours look so flavorful and plump!
These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are amazing!!!
As a Pennsylvania-Dutch girl, I have full authority on these things. Whoopie pies are always(always) the right answer!
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
those look sooooo good!!
heavenly! I made whoopie pies a couple of Christmases ago (before my baking skills really kicked in) and have been wanting to try them again every since!
Wow! This looks GREAT!!!! Mmmm…
GL! I’ll be voting for ya! 
I remember you making these at the yacht club where you worked! Just goes to show you that these are super memorable pumpkin whoopie pies, not to be soon forgotten. I can’t wait to try them for myself.
Fabulous choice for the pumpkin competition!
I hadn’t ever heard of or had a whoopie pie until I moved to New England. They are my new favorite treat!
Good idea! I’m originally from Maine and think of these as mostly a Maine thing (though popular elsewhere in New England.) In my experience, most others don’t even know what whoopie pies are. I’m surprised you’re making them in California!
(Illustrated by the comment above me, which I hadn’t even seen when I posted.)
I don’t know if it’s just not a Canadian food or whatever else, but I never really knew what a whoopie pie was before reading blogs! And I still have yet to try them! But anything with pumpkin and frosting is bound to be amazing.
jenna, i’m pretty sure this is love
simple yet delicious
I squealed when I saw these. I am gonna make em tomorrow!
my favorite pic is the filling on the spoon with the leaves in the background!
good luck!!
very cute! I especially love them with the fall leaves as a background, echo-ing the pies’ colors.
I. am. in. love.
Such a fun idea!
I think it’s great to take an idea that has been around
for a long time and reinvent it and make it your own.
Nice work
Another super challenge response. Magazine worthy fall styling–totally cohesive. Looks very yummy. Unique + simple enough for anyone to make. Terrific Job!! Off to vote!
Oops! Voting isn’t till tomorrow!
So, I just made these.
Hands down the best frosting I’ve ever had. Ever.
Annnd I’m sharing them in class tomorrow with all my classmates…who said you can’t bring treats in college
Ha! I’m doing the same thing on Thursday–taking them to my college class for our end-of-semester party
Here in western Pennsylvania, we call those gobs
Yours look delicious.
making something easy is inspired and also the reason you deserve to be the next food blog star. You’ve got my vote!
These are fancy enough for me! They look wonderful. As always, your photography is amazing!
Wow these look amazing! I was just wondering if you don’t have access to canned pumpkin (I’m from Australia) could you just use fresh pumpkin mashed and strained? Thanks
You make me wanna try stuff. These look amazing. Amazing and simple. I never would have thought that making buttercream could be a one liner.
you got my vote once again jenna
OMG those look amazing! I make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this time of year but I may need to push them aside and give these a try! Or, ya know, make both!
Thanks for sharing! Great pics too! Love the fall leaves.
omg I made pumpkin whoopies just like these in October! I added some maple syrup to the buttercream and they were aMAZing!
I’m definitely craving them again now : )
AWESOME! I made whoopie pies not too long ago, nothing beats them! Good luck:)
Simple’s always best. These look delicious and I love that they’re simple to make
Wow…I really need to make these!
I made these for my family way back then when you made them the first time. So good! I even veganized them a time or two for relatives with special diets. They were still super good!
I can’t believe nobody has made the “makin’ whoppie” joke yet! Oh well, I shant be the first so I’ll just say great job and good luck! GREG
hahahahaha I’ve been waiting..and waiting….thank you, greg!!
wow, i just made these and i can’t believe how easy they are! and they are going to be delish! the only thing i would change… i tasted the frosting before and after the vanilla and i actually liked it better before. maybe thats just me, though
thanks for the awesome recipe!
They look amazing and I am subsequently incredibly hungry!
I have never had a whoopie pie!! These look super delicious and so adorable! No wonder everyone loves them, young and old! Good luck – just voted for you.
Heidi xo
Hee hee, these are so cute!
Yet again, seriously drooling over these. I think I bookmark practically everyone of your recipes…can you please come out with a cookbook already
Jenna, Do you think i could make these into mini-whoopie pies if i portioned out the batter smaller and decreased the cook time? Have you ever tried that?
great recipe! i made with my kids and we love them! i posted earlier looking for the ginger in the recipe – did you revise the recipe or did i just miss the ginger in the recipe the first time i read ?
I knew it was fate telling me to make these whoopie pies as my first ever foray into whoopie pies when I had all the ingredients on hand–plus a little over a half can of pumpkin puree to use up. (I didn’t have the white pepper but I kind of missed that when I skimmed over the ingredients.)
These whoopie pies are amazing! I never really made whoopie pies before because every website I read described them as cake-like and I’m not a fan of cake-like cookies but mmm, these are good. I couldn’t wait for my butter to become room-temperature consistency so I used a bit of cheese cream frosting from a container in my fridge. (It was past its expiry date but the cookie was so good it was so worth it. I ate two!)
I made this recipe last night AND tonight. I think it’s the only recipe from a blog I’ve ever made twice in a row, for absolutely no reason. So, in conclusion, thanks! This recipe totally rocked my socks off and I’ve now eaten five in these in a row (in this evening’s baking). At least I can’t say I’ve never eaten a whoopie pie.
I love pumpkin whoopie pies! They’re delicious! Great treat to bake
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. My wife is from Pennsylvania, and I’m certain she would love these pies.
Sometimes simple is better than anything extravagant! I’m sure these were absolutely delicious and you’ve got my vote girl!
Beautifully done! Voted!
Yeah! I love that you made whoopie pies! They are such a cute little dessert, simple and fun. Great post, good luck this round!
Wow, thanks for the mention!
Would you believe that I’ve never actually made whoppie pies before? Yours looks so delicious! The photos are beautiful. Good luck this next round!
These look great. Whoopies are hands down one of my favorite desserts. Your recipe looks like one of the easiest I’ve ever found. I will try to make these gluten free!
Yummy!
All I have to say is WOW! I saw these when you posted a few days ago and then tonight a friend and I decided to make these for dessert. They were fabulous! And the buttercream was fantastic! Thanks for posting something soo yummy!
i just saw these on “working class foodies” this week! they look lovely!
These are so delicious! This was a great choice to make too. Better to go with something simple and classic!
I made 2 last night but I think I may need to make some more – I already finished them!
It wasn’t until I moved from good ol’ MA to NC that I realized how limited a scope whoopie pies have – they’re really a New England thing! I’m super excited they’re starting to take off on a more national track, because everyone should experience the bliss of soft cake and frosting. So sinful, simple, and delicious!
I am baking these tonight. Yes. As I live alone with my cat, I will be blessing my coworkers with the majority of them tomorrow.
Your blog is WONDERFUL.
Love your Fall photography. Great choice for the competition. Good luck!
LL
WOW! Butter! You blew my mind.
not really. I’ve seen it, heard it, tasted it. whatev.
Don’t be hatin, butter is one of nature’s gifts (well… after humans manipulated the ingredients to make it, that is).
WOW! Butter! You blew my mind.
not really. I’ve seen it, heard it, tasted it. whatev.
Great job! You earned my vote with going back to something simple enough for even me to make!
Gotta love Whoopie Pies – great post! They look incredibly yummy. Good luck in the rest of the competition!
jenna,
just made these lil puppies and they are fabulous. best pumpkin tasting cake i have had yet. the icing is soo sweet though, any suggestions for something less sweet next time? we love the taste of the cookie/cake part and don’t want it to be overpowered.
thanks!
Just use less powdered sugar
Maybe 2 1/2 cups instead of three?
thanks!
getting ready to make the boyfriend beef tenderloin with apricot for dinner!
Making these as I type this! Thanks for another great recipe
I just wanted to encourage you about something…
I found this entry via Willow Bird Baking. I follow her site and voted for her in this round (sorry). I was looking at the other entries for possible things I could make for the kids at the boarding school where my family lives. I had some fresh pumpkin puree and needed inspiration. Anyway, your recipe leapt out at me and I made a dbl. batch on Thurs. They were gone in a heartbeat with numerous requests for more… soon!!! Thank-you for sharing an entry that I could actually make and will re-make time and again. Whoopie pies are one of those things that seem unapproachable, but now I know they are easy as, well, pie!!
If I’d been allowed to, I would have voted for you as well!!!
God Bless You!
I’ve never heard of or tried these. But they’re in the oven now.
Hope they taste as good as everyone says and as pretty as yours looks!
I made these for the first time last night, and they turned out fantastic! They were even better today when my belly was empty instead of almost full with pumpkin batter and frosting.
Thanks for the great recipe and fun pictures!
I made this for a holiday party and they were such a hit! Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely be making this again. Simple but delish.
I made these a couple of weeks ago and they were so good! It was a good use of all of those extra cans of pumpkin. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
just made these and they are so amazing! thank you for the great recipe/instructions.
Thanks for sharing these! I just made a batch (substituting one cup of flour with whole wheat), and they came out delicious. :^)
I don’t think I whipped the frosting enough but they are still awesome. My son had three of them after school and was still begging for more.
hi! so I have made these twice already (is that why my jeans feel tight?!) and love them. However, i need help getting them to look a little prettier! how did you get the cake parts so uniform looking? what kind of a scooper did you use? sorry i am pretty much a disaster in the kitchen but can sure follow a recipe! i am making these for my bf to take to his work pot luck tgives lunch on friday and i want them to look as yummy as they taste
thanks
I just followed the link to here from your Ginger Cremes recipe post, and now I plan on making both, as soon as possible! I’m thinking these whoopie pies will be a huge hit at the Christmas gathering of my dad’s side of the family – he’s one of 8 siblings, and I’m one of about two dozen cousins… every one of us with a major sweet tooth! I’m wondering about the size of them, though – it’s hard to tell in the picture exactly how big they are. Do you think it’d be possible to make them more bite size, so there’d be more of them to go around? I’m always leery of not following directions “to the t” the first time I try out something new. I suppose I could always cut them in half, but that might ruin the packaging value… there’s something about those little round pillows of cakey goodness, like little individual presents
Thanks for sharing so many *amazing* recipes!!
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