Sandwich cookies get a fall makeover with pumpkin and spiced cream cheese

I’ve never had a proper whoopie pie. The name freaks me out. All I think of is The Newlywed Game reruns I used to find on TV as a kid, and let’s just say I don’t really like to associate a cookie with that.

That said, they basically just look like sandwich cookies, so why not just eat those instead? As pumpkin season winds down and gingersnaps come into season, these sandwich cookies are a bit of both. A gingersnap-like cookie made with pumpkin is sandwiched between a generous heap of pumpkin spice cream cheese filling that will put smiles on everyone’s face with one (messy) bite.

Pumpkin sandwich cookies with spiced cream cheese filling recipe

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 12 minutes | Total time: 27 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cookies

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

For the spiced cream cheese filling

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, and set aside.
3. Using a handheld mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Slowly add the molasses, pumpkin and egg, and continue beating.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients, and continue beating until well incorporated.
5. In a small, separate bowl, place the additional sugar.
6. Using your hands, make 12 balls of dough with the batter, and roll each into the sugar until fully coated.
7. Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
9. While the cookies cool, make the spiced cream cheese filling by combining the cream cheese and butter in a small bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, and beat until incorporated. Lastly, add the vanilla and pumpkin spice, and beat again until mixed together.
10. To assemble, place a generous spoonful of the filling on the flat side of a cookie. Place another cookie on top, and gently press down into the filling.

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