Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: the decadent, delicious sandwich cookies to make this fall

If you're looking for a fun, easy recipe to bake this fall, you'll love these incredible pumpkin whoopie pies. These fabulous sandwich cookies are an autumn version of classic whoopie pies.

It's made with chewy, soft, spiced pumpkin cookies and packed with a sweet, lightly tangy cream cheese filling. It's hard to have just one pumpkin whoopie pie! Serve them at holiday parties or as a festive, tasty treat that requires little effort but seriously delivers in flavor.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Ingredients

Whoopie pies are fluffy, with an almost cake-like texture. Flour, baking soda, and baking powder help make the cookies so soft, while vegetable oil and eggs give them their moist, chewy texture.

You'll need cinnamon, ginger, and cloves for that pumpkin spice flavor (or use pumpkin spice mix instead).

Either fresh or canned pumpkin puree works in this recipe.

Brown sugar not only sweetens the cookies, but it also helps keep them tender and moist while offering a richer flavor compared to white sugar.

Combining butter, sugar, and cream cheese will give you the creamiest, most decadent filling.

Add some vanilla to the filling for extra flavor.

How to Make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Making pumpkin whoopie pies is easy. It's a great way to spend a chilly fall afternoon. Set your oven to 350F to heat, then line your cookie trays with parchment paper. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl.

Grab a second bowl, and combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes completely smooth. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, but don't overmix the cookie dough! Dollop the cookie dough onto the baking trays, then bake your cookies for about 12 to 15 minutes. Leave them to cool completely before you start making the whoopie pies.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add the powdered sugar bit by bit, allowing it to mix into the cream cheese fully before a new addition. Beat the filling until fluffy. Scoop the filling into a piping bag. Pipe the frosting onto half the cookies. Top the filling with the remaining halves to form a cookie sandwich. Pop the whoopie pies in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set, then serve.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Use pumpkin spice mix as a substitute for individual spices if you prefer.

Looking to save time? Use a cake mix for the cookie batter – just don't forget the spices!

Don't overwork the cookie dough. Overmixing the batter causes tough, dense cookies that don't rise when baked. If you want to avoid flat cookies, only mix your cookie dough until it's just combined.

Let the cookies cool completely before you start assembling the whoopie pies.

You can prepare the cookie dough and the filling up to a few days in advance, then bake and assemble them on the day you're planning on serving them to save yourself some time.

Use gluten-free flour to make gluten-free pumpkin whoopie pies.

How to Store Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Because of the cream filling, it's best to keep whoopie pies in the fridge. Refrigerating your pumpkin whoopie pies will also prevent them from getting sticky. Put them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to one week.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Whoopie Pies?

Absolutely! Wrap your whoopie pies individually in plastic wrap then put them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Pumpkin Recipes You'll Like

• Pumpkin brownies
• Pumpkin crème brulée
• Pumpkin spice truffles

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line two cookie trays with baking parchment.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl.

In a second bowl, beat pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until completely smooth.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until just combined.

Spoon two tablespoons of cookie dough onto a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then set them on a rack to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth using a handheld electric mixer.

Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Scoop the filling into a piping bag.

Pipe the frosting onto half the cookies. Close with the remaining halves to form a sandwich. Place in the fridge for half an hour to set.

Notes

Make sure to use room-temperature ingredients to make your whoopie pies.