Tried & True Tuesday: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

. So, I made it back to Omaha in one piece.  And where/what was I doing, you may wonder?

I mentioned Brittany and Tim a while back when they first got engaged and can you believe that their wedding is in A WEEK AND A HALF?!  Holy moly, where has the time gone?!  So I ventured on back to Woodbury, Minnesota, this last weekend for Brit's wedding shower, bachelorette party, and a day filled with laughs with my besties!  You can probably imagine the time that we had and I'll let you know the weekend was nothing short of absolute amazingness.

Is that a word?  I think not...but it's the only word I can think of right now that comes even close to how much fun I had with those ladies.  Pictures to come [along with Colorado pictures, oops!].

So to go along with a weekend hanging out with my all time favorite people, I decided to put up my ALL TIME favorite pumpkin recipe, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies [with a Maple-Marshmallow Cream Filling].  Let me pick your chin up for you...

These little take-alongs are simply Fall-wonderful.  The cakes themselves are uber soft and tender. But what sets theses apart from any other pumpkin whoopie pie you'll be chomping on this Fall is the maple-marshmallow cream filling.  Uhh?  Yum?  Correct! .

Ingredients:

Cakes:

3 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 c. packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

Maple-Marshmallow Cream Filling:

1 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream

2 tsp. maple extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F and place rack in center of oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.  Beat in flour mixture just until incorporated.  Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  With back of spoon, smooth tops of cakes.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops of cookies spring back when lightly pressed.  Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
5. For filling, beat powdered sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy.  Add marshmallow cream and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth.
6. Spread 2 tablespoons of filling on flat side of half of cakes.  Top with remaining cakes.

Yield: 2 dozen whoopie pies