Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

'Tis the season for pumpkin, my dear friends. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bisque, pumpkin pancakes (thank you, brother-in-law Chuck for making some of the tastiest this weekend!), and pumpkin whoopie pies. Whoopie pies are a thing of my childhood. My gram made the greatest whoopie pies in the world. Sometimes, we were lucky and my mom would recreate them. Now the recipe has been passed on. My aunt makes them, my brother has mastered them...if you don't know what a whoopie pie is, you need to get on that immediately. It's an absolute treat, one bite at a time.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a bit of a Rachel Ray fanatic. I have almost every cook book, thanks to the husband, and I also get her magazine. A few years ago, she had a recipe for her Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and I was instantly hooked. I didn't make them last year because it was a crazy fall. This year, when I found out sister-in-law Deidra loves pumpkin, I knew I had to make them. They were pretty easy to veganize, so here is my adapted version of Rachel's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.



Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 14 minutes

Whoopie Pie
1/2 cup soy butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 egg equivalent (2 tbsp flaxseed, 6 tbsp water)
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (I refuse to buy pumpkin pie spice, so I used almost a full tbsp of cinnamon mixed with enough nutmeg, allspice, and ginger to equal a tbsp)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups unbleached flour

Cream Cheese Filling
1/4 cup soy butter, softened
4 oz Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 pinches salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg replacer, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 14 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened soy butter with the "cream cheese". Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

Cody has put these in his top three favorite desserts. They're closely behind Sopapilla Cheezecake and my Apple Crisp. Personally, I like them better than the Sopapilla Cheezecake. They have a great hint of pumpkin and the filling isn't too sweet. I will definitely be making these again...probably more than once this season. You need to try them! I promise, you will love them.