Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I love pumpkin. I always end up with a can of the stuff in my pantry all year long, not that I ever use it. Somehow I can never bring myself to make anything pumpkin related outside of fall. So it is always a treat when the first shrill wind comes announcing fall has arrived. Now that I have found my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie recipe I feel like I can finally move on to other things.

Originally posted in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette; I found the recipe on Sweets By Sarah. I was looking at her Zucchini Chocolate Chip cookie recipe when I noticed a pumpkin version of the whoopie cookie. I have made the chocolate version before but it was a sugary mess. I am not a fan of sickly sweets. The make up this particular recipe is similar to the pumpkin chip cookie recipe; however, surprisingly the taste is light and fluffy with just a subtle hint of pumpkin. A great contrast to the pumpkin chip cookie, muffins or even pumpkin bread. This makes the Whoopie Cookie a fall cookie that can actually be made anytime of the year.

For the cookies:
2 1/4 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
8 T soft butter
1 1/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 c sour cream
3/4 c canned pumpkin

The filling:
6 T soft butter
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 t vanilla
2 c powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until combined. Fold in the sour cream and pumpkin until just combined. Add the flour mixture and blend until incorporated. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookies comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing.

To make the filling, combine the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat on medium for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined. Decrease the speed to low, add the powdered sugar in 2 additions. Beat until the frosting until smooth, about 1 minute.

Use a thin metal spatula to spread a slightly rounded tablespoon of icing over the flat bottoms of half of the cooled cookies. Press the flat bottoms of the remaining cookies on the cream cheese frosting. Chill until the frosting is firm, about 30 minutes.