Ingredients
Scale
For the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies:
- 120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp each of ground nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice)
- 337g (1½ cups) pumpkin puree
- 104g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 120g (½ cup) sourdough discard or active sourdough starter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 85g (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
For the Salted Maple Buttercream:
- 113g (8 Tbsp/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 240g (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 78g (¼ cup) maple syrup
- ½ tsp kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract. Pour in the melted butter last and whisk until the mixture is bright orange and the butter is fully incorporated.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Whisk just until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and move the oven racks to the top and bottom thirds of the oven.
- For best results and to prevent the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from flattening too much, refrigerate the batter as the oven preheats.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the batter onto the pans a couple of inches apart. I can typically fit 12 pies on one large sheet (24 cakes in total) and bake both pans at the same time.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Rotate and switch the pans halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- As the cakes cool, make the salted maple buttercream.
- Add the stick of softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or into a large bowl to use a hand mixer or to manually whisk). Mix until the butter is creamed and fluffy.
- Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar. Cover the bowl with a towel to prevent messes and slowly pulse the butter and powdered sugar together. Increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth.
- While mixing, slowly pour in the maple syrup and mix until silky smooth and fluffy. Add the salt to taste.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag or leave it in the bowl for scooping.
- To assemble the whoopie pies, pipe or spoon about 2 Tbsp of buttercream onto the flat sides of half of the whoopie pies, leaving a border on the sides so the filling doesn’t leak out.
- Place the other halves on top and enjoy, or refrigerate the whoopie pies for at least 30 minutes for the filling to set.
Notes
- Make sure your pumpkin puree isn’t too watery – drain it in a paper towel-lined strainer if needed.
- Don’t overmix the batter or your Pumpkin Whoopie Pies might be tough instead of tender.
- Refrigerating the batter before baking helps the whoopie pies hold their shape.
- For perfectly uniform pies, use a cookie scoop to portion out the batter.
- Let the cakes cool completely before filling, or the buttercream will melt.
- For the prettiest presentation, use a piping bag with a round tip to add the filling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 whoopie pie
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 135mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 30mg