Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Through the holiday season I was frantically searching for one of my favorite recipes. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Apparently it fell from the sky and landed on my desk this morning. It made me say "Whoopie" and I knew I better preserve it digitally.

The Whoopie pie maybe found across the nation now (I hear it is the new cupcake) but when I moved to Maine over 6 years ago I had never heard of it. Whoopie pies can be found at almost every convenience store, pizzeria, bakery and grocery store. Often located right by the cash register.

My "Cooking the Maine Way" source tells me that Whoopie pies originated in the lunch boxes of industrial era mill workers. Whoopie pies were made from leftover breakfast cakes and a filling of lard and sugar. When a worker found one in his lunch box he would shout "Whoopie."

The recipes have really evolved since then. And this is my absolute favorite.

Pumpkin cookies (A friend of mine gave me this recipe. I omit the chocolate chips for Whoopie use.)
1 small can of pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups of sugar
4 tsp baking powder
4 cups of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 pkg. chocolate chips (omit if making whoopies)

Blend the pumpkin, eggs and oil. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix.
Bake at 375 F. I have made larger cookies and smaller cookies and adjusted the time accordingly. Start checking at 8 mins. Cookies should turn golden and puffy. Eat one, it should be soft and cakey.

The filling- Cream cheese-
here is my favorite cheat.
1 can of prepared cream cheese frosting
1 pkg of cream cheese
Whip them together until light and airy
Sandwich two cookies together. Experiment with your favorite amount of filling.

Yum yum!!