Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

These Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling are a great fall treat!

My sister is an awesome baker. You may remember her Peppermint Pattie Brownies, or her Armadillo Cake. Well, this Thanksgiving she really out did herself. She made Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling. (Want to make a Thanksgiving Pumpkin Arrangement like this one? Follow my step-by-step instructions for this fun harvest floral design)

To say they were amazing is an understatement….they were easily the highlight of our Thanksgiving weekend.  (Sorry turkey, you just can’t beat fall themed Whoopie Pies)

She bought the Wilton Harvest Whoopie Pie Pan which came with pumpkin and maple leaf shapes.

How appropriate! It was like they were made for this recipe. You can also make these by piping the dough out, but more on that in a minute.

What you Need to Make Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

• Wilton Harvest Cake Pan
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Ginger
• Ground Nutmeg
• Granulated Sugar
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Canola or Vegetable oil
• Pumpkin Puree (Canned Pumpkin)
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Powdered Sugar
• Cream Cheese
• Unsalted Butter
• Real Maple Syrup
• Vanilla Extract

You can use the Wilton Harvest Whoopie Pie Pan, or just make them the traditional drop cookie way by lining baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

Preheat oven to 350 °F. You can use the Wilton Harvest Whoopie Pie Pan, or just make them the traditional drop cookie way by lining baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

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

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.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

If using whoopie pie pan: Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough into each cup in the pan, and carefully spread along the entire bottom. Make sure that they are only about half full, as they tend to puff up if filled too much, which will make it harder to put together with the filling later.

If not using whoopie pie pan: 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.

Bake for 10-12 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.

She made the cookies the night before, let them cool and wrapped them up for the night. They smelled absolutely heavenly when we unwrapped them the next morning. I love pumpkin spice!

How to Make Maple Cream Cheese 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.

To make it easier to pipe the icing, she cut the corner off of a ziploc bag to make a small hole, and then spooned in the icing. It is a great makeshift piping bag that makes cleanup easy.

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.

Makes about 4 dozen whoopie pies, depending on how big you make them.

I think that from now on these are going to become a fall baking must with my family. Even my great aunt, who isn’t a big sweets person, packed up an extra one to take home.

My favourite part was the Maple Cream Cheese Filling. This would be great drizzled on Pumpkin Spice Raisin Muffins too!