Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

All I can say is, "Wow!"

2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups solid pack pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3 cups flour (I use slightly heaping cups in MA)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ½ T. ground ginger, ½ T. ground cloves)

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease baking sheets. Combine the oil and brown sugar. Mix in pumpkin and eggs, beating well. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp. vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets (I fit 12 on an industrial cookie sheet). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will spread quite a bit, but if they seem really thin, you may need to add a bit more flour. Let cookies cool completely; then make sandwiches from two cookies filled with Cream Cheese Whoopie Pie Filling. It’s usually best to let them sit for a few hours after putting the sandwiches together so the filling can set a little bit. On the other hand, no one is going to complain about having to lick cream cheese filling off their fingers!

For filling: Beat 3 egg whites until white, fluffy, and thick. Add 8 oz. cream cheese, softened. Mix until smooth. Add 2 tsp. vanilla, then 4 cups powdered sugar; mix well. Add 4-6 more cups of powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached (total of 8-10 cups). I like the filling to be somewhat thick, so it doesn’t slide out of the cookies when put together.

Yield: 18 pies.

Recipe modified from allrecipes.com.

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

I got this recipe from a blog called "When in Doubt, Leave it at 350," who originally got the recipe from the magazine Cuisine at Home. They're cake donuts that are perfect with hot chocolate on a cold morning. Wow, they are delicious!

A few tips: I heat the oil in my electric skillet, because you can set the heat to exactly 370 or 375 degrees.  You also need to make sure you have a slotted metal spoon or skimmer to get the donuts in and out of the hot grease (don't use plastic!).  And you can cut them with any round cutters, but I love the Ateco brand donut cutter (2 1/2 inch) that I got for $4 from Amazon.

Pumpkin-Spice Doughnuts

Source: Cuisine at Home, October 2008 Issue, page 31

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil, enough to fry in

Whisk egg and yolk together in a large bowl until frothy. add pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk, brown sugar, and butter; whisk until combined. Stir in baking powder, pie spice, salt, and soda. Fold flour in gradually until a stick dough forms; cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2″ oil to 370°F in an electric skillet, deep fryer, or straight-sided pan over medium heat.

Pat out dough on a well floured surface to 1/2 inch thick, then cut with a 3″ and 1″ biscuit cutters dipped in flour. Transfer doughnuts and holes to a floured baking sheet using a spatula that has been dusted in flour. Fry doughnuts and holes in batches in the oil until browned, about 2 minutes, turning once (holes cook faster). Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Finish with sugar or glaze.

Apple Cider Glaze

1/2 cup apple cider

2 Pinches of salt

6 cups powdered sugar

heat cider and salt in small saucepan over low until hot. Off heat, whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Dip cooled doughnuts in glaze and let stand about 5 minutes.

Cinnamon Sugar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used 2 tsp)

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small paper bag. Toss doughnuts and holes in sugar mixture while hot.