I made these whoopie pies last year for the first time, and I don't know why it took me so long to make them again. These are really moist and really yummy and if you like pumpkin then you're sure to like these. I was halfway into making the recipe when I discovered that I didn't have enough pumpkin puree in my cabinet. Thus began my journey across Massachusetts in search of pumpkin, where I heard the same thing repeated over again, "I'm sorry but we won't carry pumpkin until October." One grocery store gave me a little more info. Apparently, there is a pumpkin shortage (who would've thought?), so make sure you stock up when pumpkin does come out so that you can make these and make the infamous Libby's pumpkin roll as well! Even though I traveled across the world to get the puree for these (I finally got some from my mother-in-law), it was well worth it when I bit into one.




pumpkin whoopie pies with mascarpone filling
adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe found here

ingredients for the cookies:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1 t. ground cloves
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. canola oil
3 c. pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
ingredients for the filling:
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 c. powdered sugar (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add the pumpkin gold to this mixture until combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla and whisk again. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto your lined baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes or 10 minutes for mini whoopie pies. Let cool on pan.

For the filling:
In the bowl of an electric mixture, whip cold mascarpone cheese until creamy(er). Pour in powdered sugar 1/4 c. at a time until reaches desired sweetness. The pumpkin cookies are fairly sweet, so I preferred the icing a little less sugary.

Put a dollop of icing between two cookies and sandwich together, pressing together slightly so the filling reaches the edges of the cookies. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

note: if you are making mini-whoopie pies, which are great if you're making these for a lot of people, use an extra-small ice cream scoop and the yield is about 3 dozen whoopie pies. I put the mini ones in decorative mini-cupcake liners to make them easier to eat.