Musings on Life & Cooking

It's that time again, the end of the month...time to post all the fabulous recipe that I've been baking all month right? Right?! Well, it's all about DIY and interior decorating around here at the moment, which is a welcome change after the post-cast removal dip and the early days of my rehabilitation from knee injury. Now that I'm off the crutches, walking without too much of a noticeable limp and feeling ready to take on the world again, I'm more into getting out of the house then staying in the kitchen. 

However, it is my duty to share with you these fluffy chocolate pillows of deliciousness with you! I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious these babies were. The filling possiblities are endless, but I really liked pumpkin filling. I actually upped the amount of pumpkin in the filling, because I thought it was too subtle. Although the recipe called for a shortening-butter combo, but I went the all-butter route. So my whoppie pies spread and didn't look at all mini, but they tasted so great I didn't give a damn. I'd rather have cookies that spread, then use shortening. The only drawback of the "dreaded cookie spread" in this case, was that I ended up with more cookies then I had filling. Should I make them again, I'd definitely double the filling.

As you may have noticed, no process pics this week, instead I give you photos of my lovely colleagues enjoying the fruits of my labor. These are the ladies who keep me from eating all my own baked goods and they deserve a round of applause!

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cookies:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp coarse salt

¼ cup + 1 tbsp (71g) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Filling:

4 oz (113g) cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup confectioners' sugar

½ cup (122g) canned solid pack pumpkin

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down. --- makes about 20

Chef's Notes:

This is my version of Martha's fabulous, but shortening-laced recipe. For Martha's orignal verison, follow this link.

This is my submission for the 9th installment of Cookie Carnival, a wonderful monthly event for cookie lovers everywhere, hosted by Kate over at The Clean Plate Club. Be sure to check out Kate's write up on this month's participants!

Previously by Mevrouw Cupcake for Cookie Carnival:

Pink Grapefruit & Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Blackberry Bars

Snickerdoodles

Vanilla Thins

Raspberry Swirl Cookies