Exciting News, Beautiful Autumn, and Sweet Saturday!

Happy Saturday, my super sweet friends! :o)

Despite not having a card to post (what a crazy week!), I do have some fun things to share with you today! :o) It's a smorgasbord post!

First up, I am delighted to tell you that the very talented Melin has invited me to be a part of Paper Crafting World, her digital stamp/cutting file team! I am honored and look forward to creating with her sweet designs! :o) I am currently working on my first project for her Design Team and it will certainly showcase the versatility of her files. Look for that on Tuesday! :o) Also, we will be having a wonderful Thankful Hearts Blog Hop one week from today on Saturday, November 5th! A lovely theme. :o)


Secondly, I have even more fun news! This coming Friday, November 4th, the Design Team for Cindy's Scraptastic Designs will be having a Blog Hop! I am thrilled about this fun event to celebrate Cindy's new journey. :o) Our weekly challenges, Scraptastic Mondays, begin on November 7th! So much excitement!

Before I post my sweet recipe, I'd like to share a few pictures. Amazingly, Autumn colors are slipping away and I've yet to get anywhere to take some beautiful landscape pictures. I did manage to get a couple pretty ones from my yard. :o)

(A gift from my boyfriend's friend, taken on Thursday to showcase beauty on an emotional day.)

And now... Sweet Saturday! Woohoo! Before I show you the picture, let me just tell you that it *is* possible to make these uniform and structured in appearance by use of a piping bag. But sometimes it's fun to just be willy nilly and higgly piggly. Whatever the haphazard shape, these are bursting with seasonal delight. Plus, they have a fun name! Who can resist Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling? Not this household, that's for sure.

Oh my. I've been wanting to try whoopie pies (also known as Gobs if you're native to Pittsburgh) for over a year! The combinations are endless. The classic is chocolate with marshmallow filling, but I couldn't pass up a seasonal twist to celebrate the spicy goodness of Autumn. The cookie-cakes are soft, puffy, and encompass all of the flavors you love about the season. This adaptation is paired with a maple cream cheese filling, which a couple of my loved ones questioned... but guess what? Yep, they were devoured and everyone loved it! The flavors team up beautifully. The maple isn't overly strong, so if you want a stronger maple flavor, definitely use some maple extract. Want to completely steer clear of maple? Try these with a ginger filling or even a plain cream cheese filling. Just make these fun and delightful treats! :o)

Note: The yield varies greatly, depending upon the size you make your cookie-cakes. This recipe as made by my source made 4 dozen assembled mini whoopie pies. Me? I made 19. HA! It was unintentional... but no one complained. ;)

Hopefully in the next month I'll have a new blog design... I may need to enlist some professional help, however. Otherwise, it may not get a redesign until 2015. ;) Thank you for dancing on by today! I wish you a sparkling weekend of love and creativity. :o)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Yield: Varies upon size

Ingredients:

For the whoopie pies:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 cups chilled pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the maple cream cheese filling:

3 cups powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, and oil. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisking until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop rounded, heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.

To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker