Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
October 26th, 2007
Stumble it!
Stewart and I went apple picking a couple weeks ago, and in the little farm store we saw pumpkin whoopie pies. Stewart asked if I would make them, and when I said yes, he bought a sugar pumpkin to increase the chances of me keeping my promise.
I’ll be the first to admit that these aren’t perfect. Don’t get me wrong, they’re really really tasty, but the verdict is that they’re not exactly like traditional whoopie pies. I need to work on the batter recipe, because these are more like soft cookie pies than whoopie pies. I think with an even softer, spongier batter, we’ll be in business, but these are perfectly serviceable cookie-whoopie pies if you want to give the initial test recipe a shot.
I used homemade pumpkin puree, but the canned stuff will work fine. The homemade version is easy, but obviously more time consuming than opening up a can. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the canned puree and the homemade is the color. Homemade pumpkin puree is considerably lighter and brighter. I’ll include the preparation for the puree at the end of the post.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes 18-24 Small Pies (36-48 pieces)
1/2 Cup Non Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening
2 Cups Sugar
2 tsp Molasses
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
4 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375º. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream shortening and sugar together, using a stand mixer if available. You can also do it by hand. Add molasses and vanilla and beat well. Add pumpkin puree and whip until incorporated (don’t worry if the fat doesn’t mix in completely).
In a separate bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients and mix well. Add this dry mix to the wet until all incorporated. It will make a stiff batter.
I find it easiest to use and ice cream scoop that has a release lever to drop the dough onto your cookie sheet. The scoop I used holds 2 Tbs.
Wet your fingers and gently flatten the dough balls. This will prevent your pies from tipping over by creating a semi-flat surface for them to rest on.
Bake for 10-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the tops spring back when pressed in the center.
Remove cookies from the cookie sheet as soon as they come out of the oven to prevent over-baking. Cover them with a towel or plastic wrap to keep moisture/steam in, as this will prevent a hard crust from forming. Prepare the filling while your cookies are cooling.
Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 Container Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Tbs Earth Balance
Whip ingredients together until smooth. Set aside or refrigerate until use.
I put my filling in a zip-top bag and sliced off the corner to pipe the filling into the center. You don’t need that much filling per pie. Make sure the sides of the cookies that were touching the cookie sheet are the side that touch the filling.
Traditional whoopie pies are chocolate. I think these would be awesome with some mini chocolate chips mixed in, or perhaps some melted chocolate drizzled over the top. Store them wrapped in plastic wrap or in an air-tight container to keep them soft.
If you’d like to read about how to make your own pumpkin filling, click the link below the last photo!
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Makes 3-4 Cups
1 Sugar Pumpkin, 3-4 pounds
1-2 Cups Water
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Slice pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and strings–if you’d like to save the seeds, place the seedy pulp large bowl and set aside, otherwise discard it. Place pumpkin cut-side-down on a rimed cookie sheet or inside a large roasting pan. Add 1-2 Cups of water and bake for 90 minutes, or until flesh is very soft and the skin has darkened. Scoop out the soft flesh into the work bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.
Tip for Seeds
Place the pulp and seeds in a large bowl and cover with a generous amount of water. Squeeze the pulp to separate it from the seeds. The seeds will float. Use a slotted spoon to skim the seeds from the top of the water. Dry the seeds well and roast and season if desired.
Entry Filed under: baked goods, dessert, how to, recipe, technique
32 Comments Add your own
1. Marleigh | October 26th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
I’ve never had a whoopie pie but I think now is a good time to start.
2. Maggie | October 26th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Dear heavens. I think I love you. I know what my next kitchen adventure is going to be!
3. Foodeater | October 26th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Yeah, I’ve never seen or heard of whoopies pies before this either. These looks so delicious and fun to eat!
4. vegetation | October 27th, 2007 at 4:43 am
Mmmmmm I love all things pumpkin. These look perfectly delicious!
5. Fall dinner « Lost &hellip | October 27th, 2007 at 5:35 am
[…] needed to do something, so I looked up recipes to make online. This morning I found a delicious-looking pumpkin whoopie pie recipe in a blog I read. I almost decided to make it, but then decided I’d need to either buy a […]
6. Hannah | October 27th, 2007 at 7:26 am
Those look incredible, Lolo! Now that’s what I call a Halloween treat!
7. VeggieGirl | October 27th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
as soon as I read the title of this post, my jaw dropped - Whoopie Pies (not to mention, PUMPKIN whoopie pies) are so SCRUMPTIOUS!!! oh my goodness these sounds fabulous; and hey, they look perfect to me!! :0D
8. mel | October 28th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Mmm! Again, those look great, and I’m inspired to make my own pumpkin puree.
Might I suggest incorporating some soy (or other) milk into the recipe? That should help it be more cakey.
9. Alexis M. | October 28th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
All your recipes look so good, I can’t wait to give these a try!
10. SaraJane | October 28th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
These look really good ! I’ve never even heard of whoopie pies, so I wouldn’t know the difference in taste anyway. I do think that some chocolate might go amazingly well with these. mmmmm!
11. bazu | October 29th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Lolo, I’m so sorry we didn’t meet in Boston! For some reason, I developed a serious case of social-phobia-itis and didn’t introduce myself to any of the cool people in attendance, including you! I promise to rectify that next time, though, by totally getting in everyone’s face and introducing myself!
12. vegan noodle | October 29th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Swoon! I am in love with these…..
13. melissatsang | October 30th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Hi! Nice whoopie pies, I’d love to have one of those! But we don’t have store bought vegan cream cheese in Singapore, do you have a recipe to make my own creem cheeze?
14. tmd | October 30th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Vegan Treats in Bethlehem, PA has perfected the vegan whoopie pie (chocolate and pumpkin). They sell them here in Philly. I fear that they use hydrogenated shortening in the cream… but maybe not; when you are blasting yourself with that much confectioner’s sugar, it’s hard to feel what is doing what to your body. Very much looking forward to the book!
15. melissatsang | October 31st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
i’m thinking of using a chocolate flavoured filling instead cause there’s no Tofutti in Singapore…will it taste weird?
16. marie | November 1st, 2007 at 9:18 am
I made these the other day. I “mostly” followed the recipe, did not use shortning, just oil and incorporated some whole wheat flour.
They turned out Oooookay. I think the spices quantities needs to be increased. I was also surprised of how much sugar you really need for baked goods to taste sweet! The uncooked batter was really really sweet but the end product was just sweet. Would I make these again? Probably not.
I really liked the idea of using Pumpkin puree tho.
17. Emily | November 1st, 2007 at 9:50 am
These are gorgeous!! I’m thinking about these for a december baby shower, but I don’t want to do all that work the day of (or day before). Do you think the “buns” would freeze well?
18. Emmie | November 2nd, 2007 at 1:48 am
They look lovely! I was making pumpkin puree the other day, here in Sweden it’s pretty much impossible to get canned unless you get it from Gray’s American store who import and sell it for ridicolous prices. A big can of pumpkin puree is sold for about 7 dollars here. It’s mad!
I really like the look of these whoopie pies, so hopefully I can make some with te rest of my puree.
19. sherrieg | November 3rd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
They look delicious! I don’t care for chocolate, so ‘real’ whoopie pies have never been my thing. But pumpkin! One of my all-time favourite things! I can’t wait to make these!
20. sherrieg | November 3rd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
And beautiful photos, by the way!
21. Kate | November 3rd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
SO YUMMY. Great photography too.
22. Tina | November 4th, 2007 at 5:03 am
I just came across your blog for the first time a couple of days ago and now I just can’t get enough. I have gone through all your archives and am absolutely stunned. I love your blog! It’s funny this entry happened to be the first I saw when I opened up your blog as I am crazy about whoppie pies. I live in Sweden but I bought a couple whoppie pies at a farmers market when I was in the US recently and I will never forget that beautiful flavor. I can’t wait to try your recipe! Thank you for an amazing blog and I hope to be able to order your cook book - Vegan Yum Yum - very soon! I just don’t know how I’m going to get hold of it!
23. textual bulldog | November 4th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Thank you so much for this fantastic tutorial on how to get pumpkin puree from a pumpkin! You do such an awesome job explaining things clearly and concisely in a way that makes them seem unintimidating and do-able. Really, it’s a gift, so thanks for sharing it with us.
24. kara | November 4th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Going to give your recipe a try. Thanks for sharing.
I always roast my pumpkin seeds - best part of halloween.
25. midwest neurotica | recip&hellip | November 5th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
[…] am so excited to try thesePumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling from Vegan Yum […]
26. erin | November 5th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
after blowing out my hand mixer, i am still glad to have given the pumpkin whooopy pies a try (you are right about that countertop mixer!). i am in south carolina and have definitely heard of a whoopie pie and a huge fan at that. pumpkin just created the best of both worlds. these are great. i think chocolate would be a great incorporation or a pumpkin/sweet potato whoopie pie…i have recently had sweet potato and chocolate together and it is a terrific combo! thanks for sharing! eating one now ;0]
27. Nicoleliza | November 6th, 2007 at 10:51 am
I made these on Halloween and they came out great! It made a helluva lotta pies, so I saved half the batter and made more this week. Mmmm! Thank you for the recipe.
28. Lynn | November 8th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
I made these this week. They were delish! I took them to the sanctuary where I volunteer, and the adults and dogs loved them! I think I would make smaller versions next time; they came out like giant burgers.
29. Jan Gaul | November 13th, 2007 at 8:13 am
I’m from Lancaster County where pumpkin whoopie pies are a staple of the local diet. I’m THRILLED to have a vegan recipe for them. I’ll see how many of my friends I can fool!
30. Kathleen | November 17th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Mmmm-mmm. I discovered these and told my roommates, because we were looking for something to do with our leftover pumpkin from a previous cooking foray. We started making them immediately, even though it was nearly 11 at night. It was worth it!! Delicious.
31. Maggie | November 23rd, 2007 at 12:28 pm
I made these yesterday with the leftover pumpkin from my pumpkin pie, and they’re wonderful! I think my scoop was much bigger than yours, as I ended up with fewer but HUGER pies. My husband and I both loved them–I’m eating one right now. Thanks so much!
32. Flower | December 2nd, 2007 at 8:41 pm
I’ve been yearning for these forever and just found your blog today. Thank you so much for sharing!
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