Pumpkin Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies

whoopie

I apologize that things have been a bit slow around here lately. Fall is my favorite time to bake and be in the kitchen, and I have so many great ideas for the next few weeks, but we move in 2 weeks and I kinda feel like my life is in shambles. I just realized I have actually never really moved before! I moved in here when I was 23 and before that it was just suitcases of my only possessions and moving in and out of my college apartment which didn’t really involve much stuff. Now- we have a whole wedding registry of things plus 7+ years of furniture accumulation. We’ve been purging as much as possible, but there is still a ton of things. We are getting our boxes this weekend, starting to pack things we don’t use a lot, any tips on that by the way? Do I pack up all my dishes except for one set? I already told Andy that my baking supplies need to be last so my itty-bitty kitchen can get a little bit of action. There may be a small lapse in posts while I transition into my nicer kitchen, but I promise once I’m there you will never get me out of it! I have my first dishwasher people!!!

Anyway- onto these whoopie pies…

whoopie2

You may or may not remember I made a similar version a couple years ago when my blog was a baby. Since then, Andy has claimed that they are one of his favorite things I’ve ever baked- which has obviously been a nice reminder that they needed to make a reappearance. Really- in my eyes, these whoopie pies are like a deconstructed cupcake with the frosting in the middle. The “cookie” portion is so light and fluffy and biting in is really like heaven. They are super tender and soft full of the best spices , and the salted caramel cream cheese filling just puts them over the top.

I am so glad that I saved a can of pumpkin from last year, because my local grocery store seems to think that pumpkin is not in season until October- come on! Oh- and another reason I love these is that they can be stacked and transported unlike pumpkin cupcakes or frosted cookies. We brought these to a dinner party and there were raves all around. I promise I won’t make Andy wait another two years until I make these again!!

Pumpkin Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies

Yield: 30 sandwich cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 3 cups pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Filling:

  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 tbsp. Salted Caramel Sauce
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. To make the cookie portion, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a sil-pat and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth and well-combined. Gradually mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, stirring until just combined.
  4. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop a heaping tablespoon of dough onto the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
  5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

For the filling:

  1. In a large bowl use an electric mixture and beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, caramel sauce and vanilla and beat until smooth. You can add the rest of the powdered sugar at this point if you want a firmer filling. (It depends on the thickness of the caramel sauce you use.)
  2. To assemble pipe filling onto the flat side of one of the cookies and place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Refrigerate for at least a half hour before serving to allow the filling to firm up a bit.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Adapted from:  Annie’s Eats Via Culinary Concoctions of Peabody

27 Comments

  1. I’m dying over these whopie pies! Pumpkin and salted caramel…be still my heart! I’ve moved more times than I care to think about…I’d say, pack everything that’s not of season for right now, sadly, yes, pack all your dishes but 1 set and any kitchen items you don’t use on a day to day basis.

  2. I just baked with Pumpkin for the first time on Monday and I’m in love!! It’s so amazing and these whoopie pies look so delicious, really want to make them! Good Luck with the move, such a stressful time, but worth it in the end :)

  3. I don’t even know how I came across your blog but I’ve loved your delicious creations. Congratulations on your sweet little boy growing away. As someone who has moved many times … I’d recommend just packing all your dishes/silverware/cups …and buy some hefty disposable paper products for this short period of time. use clothes/bulky sweaters to wrap around fragile items. and label your boxes well (kitchen items/bedroom/bathroom, etc) …makes it much easier to unpack on the other end. :) happy packing!

  4. I was looking for a new pumpkin recipe to use the first pumpkin of the season I found at the Farmers’ Market but now I think I’ll have to look no further! I’ll be making these for sure and let you know out they turn out…they look sooo cute!

    xo, Elisa

  5. Good luck with your move!! The last time we moved we actually hired packers which was some of the best money I have EVER spent! If you are looking for movers and or packers I highly recommend Flatrate Moving.

    Love these!!

  6. Oh god do I love whoopie pies!! These sound AMAZING.

    Moving sucks :) It makes me feel like a hoarder, plus it’s annoying. Unpacking is kind of fun though!

  7. Confession: I’ve never actually had a whoppie pie. Is that a little strange? I’m definitely looking forward to trying this recipe. I can imagine that the combo of pumpkin and salted caramel must be amazing. And I’m a big fan of portable desserts, especially since I’ve been sharing so many of my desserts with coworkers recently.

    Hope all goes well as you prepare for your big move. And how exciting to finally have a dishwasher. I bet baking will be even more enjoyable in your new kitchen, since cleanup will be a little quicker : )

  8. Good luck with your move! I just moved across the country and moving is very difficult. You never know how much crap you have until you pack it all up :P

    These whoopee pies look amazing! Can’t wait to try them out :)

  9. My friend from SF gave me a can of Libby’s this year (I live in Ireland!) and I really wanted to incorporate it into a whoopie pie! When I read the title on your home page I literally squealed with excitement! Thanks sooo much! Cannot wait to recreate these! :) x

  10. I made these over the weekend and oh my goodness were they good! I love pumpkin and these are hard to resist. I brought them to share at work and they were gone in minutes with rave reviews! Thank you for all of the tasty treats. Your recipes and blog have made me more comfortable in the kitchen and become a dedicated baker!

  11. Thank you for these wonderful treats. The cookie by itself is excellent. The filling takes them over the top. I managed to burn the caramel the first time, as I waited for it to boil. The second time I removed it from the heat, right after the sugar melted, but when I added the butter, it formed a lump. So to fix this, I added the cream, put it back on the burner, then stirred until the lump melted. Turned out beautifully. Next time I will add the water to the sugar, might be easier.

    1. Yeah caramel can be tricky. Adding water certainly helps- if you try to dry method again, try sprinkling the sugar into the pan a little at a time and swirling the pan over the heat until it is all melted. Keep added about a tablespoon at a time, lifing it off the heat, swirling until melted- until its all melted and a dark caramel color. I hope that helps!

  12. Consider giving away all but one set of dishes? Ask yourself how many dishes you really need. Living with less stuff can be strangely liberating. And with a baby on the way, you’re going to have plenty of things to trip over, anyway. :) These whoopie pies are adorable and sound delicious!

    1. We have been purging up a storm- believe me I love living on as little as possible :) We take about 5 bags to Goodwill a week!

  13. Had to pop in to say that I made these last night — my first time making whoopie pies! — and they were absolutely awesome! I’m surprised I have any left this morning. I definitely can’t be left alone with any pumpkin-flavored baked goods hanging around. I cheated and used store-bought buttercream for the filling (I know, I know — but I had no powdered sugar or cream cheese!), and they were still awesome. I want to try making them again using the true salted caramel filling . . . yum! Thanks so much for sharing (and my friends and family thank you, too!).

    1. Hey- you should give yourself credit for making the whoopie pies from scratch- that’s the most important part :) I do suggest trying it with the caramel butter cream (even if you buy the caramel) because they are just SO amazing!

  14. I’m wondering how well these hold up overnight? I have a BBQ to go to tomorrow afternoon and since I’ve other things to make as well, I was considering making these tonight- Any thoughts?

    Thanks

    1. I think they would be fine! Even better would be to make the cookie part and frosting and then fill before serving.

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