EMMA NAILLE (‘18)

With the current pumpkin-spice obsession, the first fall feeling day means there is suddenly pumpkin EVERYWHERE. Pumpkin drinks, cookies, cake, cheesecake, and the classic pie. Truthfully, I am living for it. I love everything pumpkin, though ironically I am not a huge fan of the traditional pumpkin pie, and the way I feel about this recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies is no different. I found the recipe on Pinterest, though it is from a blog called Gather for Bread. The recipe included instructions for the cookie part of the whoopie pie, along with a simple vanilla frosting recipe for the middle of the whoopie pie.

Making the cookie part of the pie was quite easy. You pretty much just mix all of the ingredients together, though the recipe does recommend a specific order, and then bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. To know when they are baked, lightly and quickly press one of the cookies. If it bounces back, then it’s done baking, if not put it in for 1-2 more minutes and then check again. After the cookies are out of the oven, let them completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will just melt. You could ice them with a knife, but to make them look a little bit more professional, you can pipe the frosting in a swirl. If you don’t have piping bags, just use a plastic bag. To easily get the frosting the bag, put the plastic bag in a cup, pull the top down around the sides of the cup and then fill the bag with frosting. Then take the bag out of the cup, close the bag and cut off one of the corners to create a hole to squeeze the frosting out of. Then just put a swirl of frosting on the bottom of one cookie, and place another cookie on top.

These whoopie pies greatly exceeded my expectations. They are moist, fluffy, and tasted delightfully of pumpkin and spices. The frosting is pretty sweet, but I think the contrast of the savory pumpkin cookie balances out the sweet frosting. The only other time I have tried to make frosting, it turned out very grainy and tasted disgusting, but this frosting was easy to make and was definitely worth making from scratch rather than just buying some from the store. I think this cookie recipe would also work really well with a cream cheese frosting for a different contrast of flavor. Overall, this recipe is really easy to follow and create aesthetically pleasing and tasty pumpkin whoopie pies.

If you are not quite ready for pumpkin pie, or are running out of treats to satisfy your pumpkin obsession, but still want to fulfill your fall aesthetic, turn on some chill autumnal tunes, burn a candle, put on a sweater, and try baking these deliciously sweet, spicy, and satisfying pumpkin whoopie pies.