Recipe: festive pumpkin spice whoopie pies

Pumpkin spice whoopie pies with maple cream cheese icing. Courtesy Magnolia Bakery

It’s festive season and you know what that means — pumpkin spiced everything. If you’re sick of the same old pumpkin desserts, try these fun pumpkin spice whoopie pies from Magnolia Bakery.

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Makes 60 halves, or 30 whole whoopie pies

Recipe from Magnolia Bakery

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 and 1/2 cups, plus 2 Tbsp, plus 2 tsp pure pumpkin

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp orange zest

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Method

Preheat oven to 165°C. In a large bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, allspice, salt, clove and nutmeg. Whisk together and set aside. Pour the sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil into a stand mixer and mix together using the whisk attachment. It will look grainy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl and mixing well after each addition. Next, add the pumpkin, vanilla and orange zest to the mixer and mix until well blended. Then stir in the flour mixture by hand until just combined. Stir in the dried cranberries. Using a small ice cream scooper, scoop the batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. When cool, spread maple cream cheese icing between two halves to make a whoopie sandwich. Dust the top and bottom of each whoopie pie with icing sugar and serve.

Ingredients for maple cream cheese icing

1 cup cream cheese, softened and diced

1/2 cup butter, softened

6 Tbsp maple syrup, Grade B

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 cups icing sugar

Method

Using the paddle attachment and starting on speed one (or low), mix the cream cheese and the butter in a stand mixer. After cream cheese and butter have combined, turn mixer up to speed two and beat using the paddle attachment until smooth, about three minutes. As the butter and cream cheese are mixing, add the maple syrup and vanilla. Gradually add in the icing sugar two cups at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. Beat until all of the sugar is incorporated and the icing is smooth and creamy.