Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Cream Cheese Filling

My fall baking moods seem to take on themes during certain months. Once September hits, I feel like I need to eat and bake with as many apples as possible. Even though they’re available throughout the fall and winter months, I feel a surge in September. It starts to wane towards the end of the month, and then October hits. For me, October is the month of the pumpkin. I know that Thanksgiving is typical pumpkin pie day, but by then I’m already full-on excited and planning for Christmas, so my pumpkin lust starts early. Plus, October gives us Halloween (pumpkin carving and pumpkin seed roasting!) and, more importantly, it gives us “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. I’m a sucker for holiday programming and feel very strongly that I should be baking (or, at the very least, eating) something seasonal during every Charlie Brown special or any of the following: Rudolph (the old school one, with the Land of Misfit Toys), Christmas Vacation, Elf or A Christmas Story. Well, October is only a couple of days away so let’s get moving with these whoopie pies!

You may remember me talking about the whoopie pies vs. gobs nomenclature conundrum when I gabbed about s’mores whoopie pies over the summer, but I’ll lay it out there again. It’s weird for me to call these whoopie pies; I grew up calling all cookies of this type ‘gobs’. It’s regional. It’s Pittsburgh. But I also realize it’s a minority. So no matter what you call these, let’s be clear: you need to make and eat these! To celebrate October, of course. And the pumpkins. And Charlie Brown. The cookie-cakes themselves are soft and light and absolutely packed with spicy, seasonal flavors. Your house will smell like Thanksgiving while these are baking. And paired with a maple cream cheese filling? Heaven. An old colleague of mine shared this recipe with me years ago and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. They should become part of your fall baking rotation too!

Two years ago: Cream of Mushroom Soup

Three years ago: Cinnamon Rolls