As thankful as any girl could be this time of the year, I gush at giving thanks to all those who I have met and crossed paths with in the last year. In particularly, I am grateful for those I have met solely through tasting their cuisines at their eateries–you have made my year a delicious success.
But, if any time of the year could be considered a celebration for a foodie, it would most definitely be this holiday season. In honor of my utmost favorite celebration, Thanksgiving, I share the following pumpkin-punched recipes because everyone knows this season wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for the beloved, delightfully-orange squash.
Pumpkin Whoopies Pies pumped with Cream Cheese Filling
makes 12 sandwiches, double the amount of whoopies if palm-sized
Ingredients:
For cookie:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 T. cinnamon
- 1 T. ginger
- 1 T. cloves
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup veggie oil (or canola)
- 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For cream:
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Making the cookie:
In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder & soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together and set aside.
In separate bowl, whisk brown sugar and oil together until combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk thoroughly. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and combine well.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies crack on top and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cookies cool completely while you make filling.
Making cream filling:
Sift confectioners’ sugar into medium bowl. In electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until well-combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla to butter and cream cheese. Don’t over-beat, or cream will loose its structure.
Assembly:
Drop the filling on the flat side of the cookie and place another cookie on top. Put the completed whoopies in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving. Whoopie pies will keep for 3 days.
Pumpkin Pie Pockets
makes 4
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 T. granulated sugar, extra for sprinkling
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 6 to 8 Tbs. ice water
- 1/2–1 cup pumpkin pie filling
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and sugar, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add the 6 Tbs. ice water and pulse twice. The dough should hold together and should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water, 1 tsp. at a time. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide in half, wrapping with plastic wrap and shape each into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Cheat Sheet: Purchase pre-made pie dough.
Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface, 1/8 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter, preferably one pumpkin-shaped, and cut out an even number of dough pieces. If your cutter is fist-sized, recipe will make 8–10 mini-pies. Fill the center of the dough shape with a tablespoon of pumpkin filling. Top the dough with a matching shape, making sure top half of pie has a decorative slit in it for steam release when baking (see photo for example). Seal and crimp edges of filled dough.
To Bake:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush prepped pies with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar (I prefer raw sugar). Bake until crust is golden and inside is bubbling, 15 – 20 minutes. Cool on rack for 10 minutes.
