Indulge in the warm flavors of fall with our pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling. These soft, cake-like cookies, sandwiched around a dreamy cream cheese filling, make the perfect autumn treat that will have you coming back for seconds. Embrace the coziness of the season with each delightful bite!
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Get ready for our pumpkin whoopie pies, the ultimate autumn indulgence! These soft, cake-like cookies bring the cozy flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into every bite. And the star of the show? The creamy cream cheese filling that pairs with the spiced pumpkin cookies to make a perfect match.
Whether you're a pumpkin spice enthusiast or just someone with a sweet tooth, these whoopie pies are your ticket to fall flavor bliss.
And for more seasonal delights, check out our pumpkin cheesecake, mom's Jewish apple cake, and bacon apple pecan stuffed french toast. Now, grab yourself a pumpkin whoopie pie and dive into a world of delicious autumn adventures!
π€ What's a whoopie pie?
Whoopie pies are a classic treat of the New England area of the US (including being the official state treat of Maine), and are also a traditional sweet in the Pennsylvania Amish community. While it's believed that the Amish invented the very first one, there are several US states that would argue that they're the birthplace of this famous treat.
Whoopie pies are not a pie at all, but rather a soft, cake-like cookie (often chocolate), sandwiched around many varieties of a sweet white filling. Legend says that these treats got their name by children being so excited to find one in their lunch box that they would shout "Whoopie!"
π§Ύ Ingredients
Cookies
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Pumpkin puree
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
β Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin puree - It's important that you use 100% pure pumpkin puree in this recipe and not pumpkin mix. Pure pumpkin puree does not have any of the added spices and sugars that are already in the pie mix.
- Vegetable oil - If you don't have any vegetable oil on hand, you can certainly substitute another neutral-flavored oil, such as canola, grapeseed, corn, safflower, or sunflower oil.
- Room temperature ingredients - For the best result, make sure that your ingredients have been allowed to soften to room temperature, including the cream cheese, butter, and eggs.
π₯£ Making the cookies
You can make this cookie dough in either a stand mixer, a handheld mixer, or just with a spoon and a couple bowls!
In one bowl, stir together all dry ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Using a second bowl, stir together the wet ingredients of pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Now, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir or mix together, being careful not to overmix. The batter will still be quite wet when it's all mixed, and this is to be expected.
β²οΈ Baking
Preheat oven to 350β.
Using an ice cream scoop, spoon out portions of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. I found it helpful to scoop the batter with the ice cream scoop, and hold a smaller spoon in the other hand, to help nudge the sticky batter onto the baking sheet.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly dry and the center springs back when lightly touched.
Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
π₯ Making the cream cheese filling
While the cookies are cooling, let's make the cream cheese filling!
To make this filling, you should use either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer.
Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract into a bowl and mix until creamy, about one minute. Then, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing each time until smooth.
πͺ Adding the filling to the cookies
Once the cookies have completely cooled, you're ready to add the filling.
You can either spread the filling with a spoon or butter knife, or pipe it on using a piping bag...the choice is yours.
Turn one cookie upside down and spread an even layer of filling across it, as thin or as thick as your heart desires! I prefer somewhere between a quarter- and a half-inch of filling.
Then, gently place a similar size cookie on top of the filling.
Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving (if you have the willpower to wait!).
All that's left to do is enjoy your own homemade pumpkin whoopie pies!
π§Ί Storage
- Store these whoopie pies in a single layer in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They'll stay good for several days this way.
- For sharing with friends and family, wrap each whoopie pie individually in plastic wrap, to avoid any messy oozing of filling from the cookies.
π©βπ³ Pro tips
- Make sure your cookies have cooled completely before adding the cream cheese filling. Otherwise, the filling will "melt" and won't hold its shape.
- If you don't have an ice cream scoop, take scoops that are about two tablespoons in size. If you'd like your whoopie pies to be larger or smaller, then scoop more or less (but be aware that you will have to adjust the baking time).
Love desserts? Check out a few more of our delicious recipes now!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge
- Coffee Bean Cookies
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Easy Homemade Banana Pudding
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Butterscotch Milkshake
- Dutch Oven Blueberry Cobbler
- Apple Cider Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Did you make these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling? Let us know in the comments below!
π Recipe
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Β½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Β½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 15 ounces canned pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- Β½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
Instructions
Making the cookies
- You can make this cookie dough in either a stand mixer, a handheld mixer, or just with a spoon and a couple bowls!
- Preheat oven to 350β.
- In one bowl, stir together all dry ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Using a second bowl, stir together the wet ingredients of pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Now, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir or mix together, being careful not to overmix. The batter will still be quite wet when it's all mixed, and this is to be expected.
- Using an ice cream scoop, spoon out portions of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. I found it helpful to scoop the batter with the ice cream scoop, and hold a smaller spoon in the other hand, to help nudge the sticky batter onto the baking sheet.
- Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly dry and the center springs back when lightly touched.
- Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
Making the cream cheese filling
- To make this filling, you should use either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer.
- Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract into a bowl and mix until creamy, about one minute.
- Then, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing each time until smooth.
Adding the filling to the cookies
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, you're ready to add the filling.
- You can either spread the filling with a spoon or butter knife, or pipe it on using a piping bag...the choice is yours.
- Turn one cookie upside down and spread an even layer of filling across it, as thin or as thick as your heart desires! I prefer somewhere between a quarter- and a half-inch of filling.
- Then, gently place a similar size cookie on top of the filling.
- Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving (if you have the willpower to wait!).
- All that's left to do is enjoy your own homemade pumpkin whoopie pies!
Notes
- Store these whoopie pies in a single layer in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They'll stay good for several days this way.
- For sharing with friends and family, wrap each whoopie pie individually in plastic wrap, to avoid any messy oozing of filling from the cookies.
- Make sure your cookies have cooled completely before adding the cream cheese filling. Otherwise, the filling will "melt" and won't hold its shape.
- If you don't have an ice cream scoop, take scoops that are about two tablespoons in size. If you'd like your whoopie pies to be larger or smaller, then scoop more or less (but be aware that you will have to adjust the baking time).
DAJ
These were absolutely delicious!
maplewoodroad
Thanks so much Debbie! So glad you enjoyed them! π
MJR
Um, thereβs no pumpkin or other liquids in the ingredients.
maplewoodroad
OMG, thank you! I fixed it now. Apparently my brain turned off after a long day. LOL!