October Cookie Carnvial

I missed last months Cookie Carnival, and I really wanted to participate in October. This months recipe was Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Honestly, I think these should be called Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Pumpkin filling. So there.

The cookies are nice and cakey and just chocolaty enough. The filling is light and creamy with a little sweetness to it. The recipe calls for a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and maybe I was a little heavy handed in adding them to the filling, but I liked the results. I ate one whoopie pie and then one stray and lonely whoopie pie half. The half was the perfect thing to wipe the bowl clean of the filling.

I ended up sharing the remaining 17 whoopie pies with many people. My dear friend, Michelle received 4. And then I gave 4 of them to my wonderful neighbors, Jimmy and Lori. The remaining 9 went to the fabulous staff at the library. They are always so gracious when I am there, and not just when I come bearing cookies. I wrote them a note telling them that as long as they don't mind, I would love to continue sharing my baked goods with them.


Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cookies:

1 3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c vegetable shortening
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 c whole mild
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 c confectioners sugar
1/4 c canned, solid pack pumpkin
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

Drop about 2 tsps dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touches, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies form baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

For the filling, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Pipe or spoon about 2 tsps of filling on to the flat sides of the half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.