Whoopie Pies with Pumpkin

Satisfy your fall sweet tooth with this small batch of Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! With especially soft and flavorful pumpkin cakes sandwiched together with a maple cream cheese frosting, they will be a big-time favorite for sure!

Why this bake works

This house-made pumpkin whoopie pies recipe was an easy adaptation from the Pumpkin Cinnamon Cookies recipe.

With their super-soft, cake-like texture, I realized they would make the perfect whoopie pies! It is basically the same recipe, but we're just using a larger-sized cookie scoop and baking them slightly longer.

These whoopie pies are soft and tender, not overly sweet, and easy to prep! They pair nicely with the maple cream cheese frosting and taste flavorful when chilled. It's a small-batch recipe that makes seven medium-sized whoopie pies and is perfect as a fall-season after-dinner treat!

Enjoy!

What goes in

The following ingredients are needed to make these pumpkin whoopie pies with maple cream cheese frosting. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that need a bit more explanation.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

• All-Purpose Flour. I used the King Arthur brand, but use what you like best. I did not make this with any other type of flour.
• Cinnamon. Gives the pumpkin a nice added bit of flavor! For a more intense, bolder flavor, Try using a Vietnamese cinnamon. It is very good!
• Vegetable Shortening. I know some do not care for using vegetable shortening in their recipes, but I do recommend it for this, as it gives the whoopie pies their nice dome-like tops and keeps them from spreading much during baking.
• Canned Pumpkin. We're using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin butter. Try using Libby's Organic Canned Pumpkin.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese. Use the Philadelphia original cream cheese, but any brand will be fine as long as it's the full-fat kind.
• Powdered Sugar. Ensure it's sifted before adding it to the frosting mixture.

For quantities and instructions, please see the method card below.

How it comes together

Below is a quick overview of how to make this pumpkin whoopie pies recipe. For the full printable recipe, with US customary or metric measurements, visit the method card below.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Step 1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set to the side.

Step 2. Beat the shortening and sugar together until light and airy.

Step 3. Add in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended.

Step 4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until the batter is just combined.

Step 5. Scoop the whoopie pie cake batter onto the baking sheet. Space 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350ºF.

Step 6. Remove from oven, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. The whoopie pie cakes should be completely cooled before frosting.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1. Beat the cream cheese and unsalted butter together until smooth and well blended.

Step 2. Add in the vanilla extract and maple syrup.

Step 3. Add in the sifted powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Step 4. Frost the cooled pumpkin whoopie pie cakes with maple cream cheese frosting.

Baker notes

• You can chill the dough. Since technically, this is a cookie recipe, you can chill the dough for up to 24 hours. This is handy if you can't get to the baking part immediately. The pumpkin whoopie pie dough should be kept in the refrigerator and covered with plastic wrap.
• Space out your pumpkin whoopie pie cakes. Try not overcrowding your baking sheets. I baked six whoopie pie cakes per baking sheet, giving them enough space to fill out. They will rise into dome shapes and spread slightly, but not too much.
• You can bake the pumpkin cakes ahead of time. Another time-saver tip—you can bake the pumpkin whoopie pie cakes ahead of time. Keep them in a sealed container at room temperature, adding a layer of wax paper in between to prevent them from sticking to each other. They'll keep at room temperature for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container. If you notice the cakes are a little tender on top, leave the lid open to let some air in before frosting them.
• Amount of frosting. This maple cream cheese frosting recipe makes just enough to pipe all seven whoopie pies.
• Piping. I used the Wilton 8B decorating tip, which was very large but worked evenly for these pumpkin whoopie pies. You can use any decorating tip you prefer or apply the maple cream cheese frosting with an offset spatula. Use a smaller decorating tip if making smaller-sized whoopie pies.
• Easily double the method. If you plan to feed more people, you can easily double the pumpkin whoopie pie cake recipe and the maple cream cheese frosting. I would also recommend making them smaller using the 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop.
• Let the cakes cool. Before piping on the maple cream cheese frosting, ensure your pumpkin whoopie pie cakes have cooled completely. Otherwise, the cream cheese frosting will melt, which is not fun.

Questions on this bake

What is the best size cookie scoop to use?

For larger pumpkin whoopie pies, like the ones I made here, Try using a 3 1/2 tablespoon-size cookie scoop. The cookie scoop I used is size #16 from Solula. This will give you a roughly 3 1/2-inch-diameter domed cake. For smaller pumpkin whoopie pies, use a 1 1/2 tablespoon-size cookie scoop.

How long will whoopie pies last in the fridge?

In a tightly sealed container, they will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze whoopie pies?

Yes, you can easily freeze these pumpkin whoopie pies! You will need plastic wrap and a sealed food container or freezer bag for storage. You can also just freeze them with plastic wrap. Try wrapping them in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Stored properly, house-made pumpkin whoopie pies will last about three months in the freezer. You can do this for my Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies and Apple Cider Whoopie Pies as well!