Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Dulce De Leche Filling

I am so happy to be taking part in this year’s Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I teamed up with them last year, and it’s an honor to be chosen again this year. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was founded by two OXOnians (OXO employees) who were inspired by their son Liam’s battle with pediatric cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer provides inspiration and support to allow anyone to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

This year we are making recipes from Dorie’s Cookies. The book will be available on 10/25 and is worth the wait. It has over 300 drool-worthy cookie recipes that you are going to LOVE! I was lucky enough to get an early recipe from her book for this post. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Dulce De Leche Filling are the cookies dreams are made of. They’re soft, moist and have the perfect balance of sweet and fall spice flavors!

For this post, OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer toward their $100,000 commitment. To read more about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and how you can get involved check out their website here.

Let’s bake a difference!

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder and baking soda.

OXO sent me their Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer to help me make the cookies.

With a light to guide you, OXO Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer includes intuitive digital controls to steadily increase or decrease speed. When you’re finished, the on-board beater clip, wrap-and-secure cord, and flat, stable base allow for compact, upright storage. This thing is so cool!

Using your hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt together for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat another 2 minutes.

Pour in the vanilla extract and beat for about 1 minute, until it’s fully incorporated.

Add in the pumpkin puree.

Beat on low-speed until the pumpkin is fully incorporated.

When recipes say scrape down the bowl, do it. So many times we think we can skip this step, but it’s important to get the right taste and texture in the cookies. This Medium Silicone Spatula is perfect for the job. The Silicone Spatulas surpass ordinary rubber spatulas, staying flexible longer without discoloring or melting. Silicone is easy to clean, heat-resistant, and safe for non-stick cookware. The soft, non-slip handles are cushioned for comfort as you cook, stir or scrape.

Add in half the dry ingredients and mix on low, with a hand mixer, until flour is blended in.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix on low until fully incorporated.

Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until you have a smooth batter. This is where you can add in some cranberries. My local stores didn’t have any this early in the season, but they would be a wonderful addition!

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of dough into the muffin tins. I love this Medium Cookie Scoop! I don’t bake cookies without one. It’s designed for easy scooping and consistent shaping, the Medium Cookie Scoop’s soft grip absorbs pressure while you squeeze to smoothly release your cookie dough.

They will melt evenly into the cups as they bake.

Bake for 11-12 minutes rotating the pans halfway through the bake. Let cookies rest in pan for 5 minutes on a cooling rack, then turn out and allow to cool completely on rack. This Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan is AMAZING! OXO’s Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan is made with a ceramic-reinforced, two-layer, commercial-grade coating that provides ultimate non-stick release and is scratch-, stain-, corrosion- and abrasion-resistant. Unique micro-textured pattern ensures even baking.

Now my favorite part, the filling! In a medium bowl, beat together butter, marshmallow fluff, sugar and salt on high-speed for about 3 minutes until very smooth.

Add in the dulce de leche and beat until blended together.

Using an offset spatula, spread a good amount of the filling on the flat side of a cookie and sandwich together with another cookie, flat sides together.

You can eat them now, or refrigerate for 30 minutes (this makes the filling a tad better) and allow to come back to room temperature before eating. You guys are going to love these!

Don’t forget to check out Cookies for Kids’ Cancer to find out how you can make a difference.

XO, Sarah

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Dulce De Leche Filling

Author: Recipe from Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

Serves: 16 cookies

Ingredients

For the whoopie pies:
13⁄4 cups (238 grams) all-purpose flour
3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
3⁄4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
11⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup (113 grams) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, preferably at room temperature
3⁄4 cup (about 75 grams) fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (if frozen, don’t thaw)
For the filling:
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
1 cup (96 grams) marshmallow crème (or Marshmallow Fluff)
1⁄4 cup (30 grams) confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1⁄4 cup (75 grams) dulce de leche, homemade or store-bought

Instructions

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray two standard muffin tins (do this even if the tins are nonstick).
To make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder and baking soda together.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the pumpkin puree and beat until it’s fully incorporated; don’t be discouraged when the mixture curdles — it will soon smooth out.
Turn off the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add half of the dry ingredients. Pulse to begin the mixing and then mix on low, scraping the bowl as needed, until the flour mixture is blended in. Beat in the buttermilk. Turn off the mixer, add the remaining dry ingredients, pulse and then mix on low until you have a lovely smooth batter. Switch to a flexible spatula and fold in the cranberries. Don’t be too thorough — it’s better to have an uneven mix than to break the berries and turn the batter red.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of dough, or use a tablespoon to get rounded spoonfuls, and fill the muffin tins. The scoops of dough will sit upright in the center of the tins, but when baked they’ll melt evenly into the cups.
Bake the whoopie pies for 11 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes, or until they are puffed, golden brown and springy to the touch.
Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cookies rest for 5 minutes, then turn them out on the racks and allow them to cool completely.
To make the filling: Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, marshmallow crème, sugar and salt together on medium-high speed, scraping the bowl and beater(s) as needed, for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Lower the mixer speed, add the dulce de leche and beat until thoroughly blended.
Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, place the filling on the flat sides of half of the cookies; sandwich with the other cookies, flat sides down. The cookies can be eaten now, but the filling benefits from a 30-minute stay in the refrigerator. Just don’t eat them from the fridge — you’ll deprive yourself of the cookies’ wonderful texture.
Playing Around: Whopper-Size Whoopie Pies. If you use a large cookie scoop (one with a capacity of 3 tablespoons) to portion out the dough, you can make 6 really big pies (12 cookies; 6 pies). These bake best when you use an insulated baking sheet or stack two sheets one on top of the other. Line the (top) sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes.
Storing: The unfilled cookies can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 1 day. Once filled, they can be kept covered in the refrigerator for a day or two, but they’re really best the day they’re made.