NomNom: Pumpkin whoopie pies & Ramblings

I have a confession to make. I made these whoopie pies a couple of weeks ago and decided not to post the recipe because I was so dissatisfied with how they turned out. Don't get me wrong, taste wise it was awesome but looks wise...it was as hot mess. The cake part should have been more smoother and I got so excited about assembling the whoopie pies that I didn't allow the cake to cool completely so guess what happened? The filling part thinned out due to the heat from the cake and it became more icing like. <Facepalm> I don't know if it's fellow bloggers who read my blog or you're just passing by, but as a newbie blogger I realized that whatever I choose to post, I have to love it. I have to love how the food taste and I have to love how the outfit looks because well, I want you to enjoy them too. There have been times where I've taken outfit or recipe pictures and after seeing the pictures on the computer I decided not to post them either because the pictures were too blurry or simply me just not being satisfied with how they looked or tasted. It's incredibly frustrating after putting in all that effort and discovering you don't love what you see; but, it's also been a great learning process. In my ideal world, I would love to publish more frequently but between balancing a full time job, buying my first home, and learning about blogging, it can be a bit overwhelming. Kudos to those who push those blog posts out like no other. So anyway, let me stop with my rambling and get on with the good stuff.

My love affair with whoopie pies began at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia a year ago. If you've never been,  it's a glorious place filled with fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, hand made jewelery, and food courts. In short, it's an open air market that is indoors. As I was navigating my way through the market I came across this bakery called The Flying Monkey where it featured whoopie pies. Not knowing what this dessert was at the time, the girl behind the counter explained to me what exactly it was (apparently it's popular in PA) and after tasting them, I was sold. I swear, it is the BEST whoopie pie I've had so far and I've tried many after, but nothing compares to The Flying Monkey. As I was stalking browsing through this blogger's website I came across her recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies. She calls them soft pumpkin cookies but hey if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....yea. After baking them the 2nd time around, I made a few adjustments to the recipe.

High five to those who are off today and low five to those who aren't? I don't know. Who cares? It's the weekend so relax, make some whoopie pies, and come visit again:)

Recipe (adapted from acozykitchen.com): Yields 12
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

Cream cheese filling:
1/4 cups butter, softened
4 ounces, cream cheese, softened
3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Procedure (for the cake):
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix and set aside.
3. In another medium bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and softened butter until combined and blended. Add the egg, vanilla extract, pumpkin and beat until smooth.
4. Grab a spatula or wooden spoon, and in two batches, gradually mix in flour mixture, until thoroughly combined.
5. Using a stainless-steel ice cream scoop (with one of those hand releases), drop the cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet, being sure to leave room for the dough to spread. If you don’t have an ice cream scooper, you could also drop the dough using two teaspoons.
6. Bake for 17 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown. They should still be soft to the touch. Carefully transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Procedure (for the filling and assembly):
1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until completely smooth.
2. Flip half of the cookies upside down. Using a butter knife, dollop one teaspoon of the icing in the center of each upside down cookie. Smooth it around with your knife until the icing just reaches the edges. Top with another cookie and gently press the two cookies together.
3. Cookies should be stores in an airtight container and will be moist and delicious for up to 2 days.