Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I was so tempted to call these Pretty Perfect Pumpkin Whoopie Pies because...they really are!  Although I'd heard of them, I never actually ate one until the first time Brian and I vacationed in Maine.  When we checked into our cottage, two of these soft, pillowy, marshmallowy treats were waiting for us with a welcome note.  I knew they were considered a New England tradition and they seem to be most closely associated with Maine.  Certainly we found them in pretty much every bakery and provisions store we visited whereas I'd never seen one in New York.

Since my first taste of them, I was pretty much hooked and these little cakes were one of the things I looked forward to every summer when we returned to Maine.  I knew I'd eventually have to learn to make them myself.  Then, just before this past summer, I saw a Food Channel show about regional goodies and a bakery in Portland got a particular shout-out for their chocolate and pumpkin whoopies.  Pumpkin?  We had to go!  As it turned out, the bakery was just down the block from a restaurant we'd planned to dine at anyway.  We sampled their traditional chocolate version but, it was August, and the pumpkin versions wouldn't be produced for a few more weeks.

I think that was finally my motivation to learn to make these and I had to start with pumpkin.  I know that particular bakery made their own marshmallow center whereas I relied on good old Fluff in a jar.  But, even so, these were pretty perfect.  Soft and pillowy and marshmallowy and perfect.  Chocolate is definitely next on my to-do list.  Maybe even...red velvet?  Enjoy!








Ingredients

Cakes:
1 Egg
1 Cup sugar
1 Stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Teaspoon vanilla
3/4 Cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:
4 oz. Marshmallow Fluff (or homemade marshmallow filling)
1 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 Stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon milk
Dash of salt

Add the egg and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream together using a stand or hand mixer.  Beat in the butter and then the vanilla and pumpkin puree.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Beat the dry ingredients into the wet.  Using a spoon or scoop, drop balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  You can make the cakes any size you like but I used a 1 oz. scoop.  Leave a couple of inches between each cake since they will spread.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  Allow the cakes to cool completely.

Make the filling by beating together the Fluff, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, milk and salt until smooth.  When the cakes are cooled, place about a teaspoon of filling onto half the cakes and top with the other half.  I used a 1 oz. scoop and got 24 cake halves which resulted in a dozen whoopie pies.