Prepare your faces: it’s time for another guest post! This time my pal Cuppy from Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others is back with a fall whoopie pie recipe just in time for your Halloween parties. Don’t miss out on Cuppy and my Halloween buying guide from a few days ago, either! Oddly enough, I made pumpkin whoopie pies this week end using a slight variation on this recipe – so Cups and I were apparently having a psychic moment. I hope she wasn’t tuned into any of the other stuff I was thinking about these past few days because I had what I would call a serious Mr. Bean week end.

First, I procrastinated on looking at some notes my literary agent and personal Buddha Sally sent me only to discover that my Mac hates her version of Word. So I have to wait again and look at those notes when I’m at work. Then I walked to the store for some ingredients for my niece’s birthday cake only to return home and discover that my fly was down the entire time. I sat down to put on my make up (yes, I put my face on to bake,) and the back of my chair fell off. I gathered what was left of my dignity and headed into the kitchen only to under-bake two chocolate cakes so terribly I had to throw them out and start over. When my third and fourth cakes were properly baked and cooled, I grabbed my Americolor gel food coloring and prepared what I thought was going to be shades of purple as requested by my niece. However, “purple” turned out pink. So I piped pink roses all over the cake and decided just to give her cash if she didn’t like it. Of course I was about 7 roses short of covering the entire cake. I decided to try a different shade of purple for some contrast, but apparently my “violet” had been mislabeled, and was actually blue. I used it anyway and made a mental note to hit the ATM. Tony thought the cake looked like a pair of frilly panties. So that was my day.

But I will say that the whoopie pies turned out awesome. I opted for a maple marshmallow filling in mine, but I’m going to try Cuppy’s this week end. I hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin and Maple Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies

by Cuppy

Things that make the fall the bestest, most awesome season: The gorgeous weather, buying cute new Halloween decor, wearing cardigans & tights again without feeling like I’ll die of heatstroke within 2.4 seconds, eating copious amounts of fun-size candy bars because they don’t “count” since they’re so small (true scientific Cuppy fact, I swear!) and Vincent Price movie marathons.

The most awesometacular thing about the fall: PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! Heck yes!!!!!!!!

There’s something you should know about me, I’m a tried & true, banner-waving fatty boom batty (and proud of it) and I look forward to fall baking season like geeks look forward to Comicon. To get you guys in the fall baking mood & to entice you to get your cute asses into the kitchen, I wanted to share one of my most favourite fall recipes with you!

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES WITH MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING! I know! They’re full-tilt amazeballs & your belly will love you forever!

PUMPKIN COOKIES:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature & slightly beaten
• 1 cup of 100% pure pumpkin (Cuppy tip – I use Libby’s when I’m in a hurry but using 1 cup of cooked pumpkin adds extra “oomph” and worth it if you have the extra time to prepare it. )
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Then you:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) a couple of baking sheets.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, & salt in medium bowl & set aside. Beat butter & sugar in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer at medium speed for approx. 2 minutes or until butter & sugar are mixed well & seem “fluffy”. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add in the pumpkin and vanilla extract & beat until smooth (about a minute or two). Slowly mix in the dry ingredients you have set aside until combined.

Drop heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. You should get roughly 50-60 cookies total (depending on how big you make them).

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the cookies feel “springy” to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for about 5-10 minutes; remove & place on wire racks to cool completely for another 20 or so.

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

 Then you:

Beat the cream cheese, butter & maple syrup in the mixing bowl on your stand mixer at medium speed until it’s fully blended & fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until everything is fully incorporated & again, really fluffy (ie: AWESOME!)

Place a heaping teaspoon (or so) of filling onto the flat side of one of the cookies & top with the flat side of a second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies & filling.

Lastly, eat the shit out of your new whoopie pies & then send me gifts for making your insides full of happiness.