d.i.y. - whoopie pies

As in, “do it yourself”.

As in, why have I never attempted making the foods that I love to eat the most?

It goes without saying that there’s a huge comfort zone in working with recipes that you’ve referred to time and time again.

But I’m ready to step it up a bit. You know, stretch my culinary muscles.

In looking back at some of my older posts I noticed that there were a few recipes for some of my favorite foods that I had never made before writing this blog. Doughnuts. Fruit roll-ups. Granola. And I thought, why not continue with this theme?

I mentioned in my blogiversary post that I would be adding some new features. This is one of them.

This “D.I.Y.” series will certainly be a very personal one – I hope you enjoy the journey, even if you don’t always care for the food. I’ll be tackling some traditional choices (like lobster rolls and English muffins), and some that are a little more “out there” (sprinkles? Lara bars?). And I promise to share it all – the failures as well as the successes.

First up? Whoopie pies.

I love a good cupcake, cookie, or slice of pie as much as the next girl. But I LOVE whoopie pies. The soft cake. The cream cheese-y filling. Love, love love.

So when I finally got my hands on the One Girl Cookies cookbook I knew which recipe would be my first (official) “D.I.Y.”.

And I’m happy to report that it was definitely a success!

I’m curious – do you ever challenge yourself in the kitchen? How so? Share it here!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Spice Filling
adapted from One Girl Cookies

Cookies:
3 c. flour (14 ¾ oz.)
2 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree, chilled
2 c packed light brown sugar (15 oz.)
1 c. canola oil
2 eggs
2 T. dark molasses

Maple Spice Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
5 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 T. maple syrup
1/8 t. cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1/8 t. salt
3 c. confectioner’s sugar (1 lb.), more if needed

Make the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer bowl beat the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, eggs and molasses for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix till incorporated.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (I used an Ateco #5 tip, about ½” in diameter), pipe 2” diameter circles on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 “ between them. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are a deep orange color and spring back when touched (keep the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the fridge).

Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pans.

Make the filling:
In a mixer bowl combine the cream cheese and butter – beat till light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves and salt and mix till incorporated.

With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If the filling is too soft to hold its shape, add more confectioner’s sugar, 1 T. at a time, until you reach the desired consistency (filling can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, for up to 5 days. Allow to soften at room temperature before using).

Assemble the whoopie pies:
Turn half the cooled cookies over so that the flat sides are facing up. Using the same tip you used to pipe out the cookies, pipe a small dollop of the filling onto each of the bottoms. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges. Chill the pies for about 30 minutes.

Whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, chilled and covered in plastic wrap.

Sheri Silver writes the blog donuts, dresses and dirt (www.sherisilver.com).