COLUMN: A less bloody but just as tasty Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner, and I’m sure you’re making last-minute adjustments to your costume and deciding which of the seven Halloween parties you’ve been invited to you’re actually going to, right?
I’m doing that, too, and deciding what treats I want to bring along to share. But there’s this thing about Halloween treats that I don’t like, and that’s basically that they’re gross. Witch fingers, dirt and worms, bloody fruit punch — you know what I’m talking about. I mean, I get what people are trying to do, and I like their holiday spirit, but I just don’t want to eat fake blood and guts just because it’s Halloween. So instead, I’ll be making these lovely pumpkin whoopie pies. They are pumpkin cookies taken to a whole new level. They are soft and spicy like normal pumpkin cookies, but they are filled with a buttery, maple filling that has the light texture or flavor of marshmallows.
You just can’t go wrong with these. They are delicious, festive and you don’t even have to lose your appetite when you eat them. Trust me, if you bring these to the party, people will love you forever.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Marshmallow Filling
For the Whoopies:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree, chilled
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the Maple Marshmallow Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon maple extract
To make the whoopies, in a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves and set aside.
In a separate bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined.
Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until completely combined. (Note: using chilled pumpkin puree is what gives the whoopies a nice domed shape. If you use puree that is at room temperature you can cover the dough and refrigerate it for an hour before baking them.)
Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk just until combined.
Preheat the oven to 350 F, then line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On the baking sheet drop the batter in heaping tablespoons about 1 inch apart from one another. Since you will be putting these cookies together, you want them as similar in shape and size as possible. I recommend using a cookie scoop, filling it full of batter and scraping it across the top so the batter is smooth. This should result in cookies that are smooth on top and roughly the same size. (Note: traditional whoopie pies are gigantic. You can make yours as big or small as you’d like, but be sure to adjust baking time accordingly.)
Bake the whoopies until the tops just start to crack and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting them.
To make the maple marshmallow frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) combine the butter and powdered sugar, and beat until completely smooth. Add the marshmallow cream and maple extract, and beat until combined.
This frosting is sticky and can be difficult to work with. You can scoop it into a plastic bag and cut one of the corners off — to make a piping bag — to pipe it onto the cookies. You can also use the two-spoon method of scooping some frosting and using the other spoon to put it on the cookie. Both methods should work fine.
Once the cookies are completely cool, frost half of them and top with remaining cookies. The amount of frosting per cookie will vary depending on the size of your whoopies.
(Note: If you want to avoid frosting these, you can just make the whoopies and eat them plain. They’re that good. I would recommend toasting some pecans and adding them to the batter before you bake them, and maybe some chocolate chips.)
— Jennelle Clark is a senior psychology major who runs the online food blog foodislikeart.blogspot.com. She loves making, eating and sharing her food. Send comments to jenn.wilson@aggiemail.usu.edu