I’ll be honest- I don’t have a clue how these little cake-like sandwich treats got their name, but if you’ve never had a whoopie pie, it’s time to try. Today’s recipe, pumpkin whoopie pies, are fluffy and moist desserts filled with the most decadent brown butter buttercream. In just a few minutes, you can have a spiced fall treat that, in my opinion, is a welcome reprieve from all of November’s pies.

So, first off, Happy Sunday! In my house, we’re edging off a busy week full of all sorts of random things: work deadlines, book promotions, a football game, and more. I’m also the crazy lady who likes to finish her Christmas shopping in November (please don’t judge me), so I’ve also been unwrapping UPS boxes and wrapping Christmas gifts like it’s my 9-5. Sidenote: if you’re at all interested in a few fun gift guide, stay tuned for my next post- it’s going to be LOADED.

On a book note, we’re ONE MONTH out! If you’ve been living under a rock, my first book, Her Daily Bread, is due to be released on December 14th, and I am neck-deep in anticipation, nerves, and random release stuff. Telelphone interviews? Doing them. Snagging parters for giveaways? Doing that too. Planning Instagram Live videos with other food bloggers? Yup, that too. I am feeling a bit like a fish out of water, but a really grateful one at that. If you haven’t read about my book, I hope you’ll pop over to my book page to at least check it out!

With so much going on, I knew I wanted to share a simple treat that was right for the times. Surely I’m not the only one in need of a little easy dessert? These pumpkin whoopie pies are loaded with all the fall flavors these weeks call for but without all the effort and time of a pie. Here, brown sugar, pumpkin, and spice cookies get sandwiched with an easy brown butter buttercream. These treats taste like little pumpkin cupcakes (but in cookie form!) and make for an excellent pick-up treat to share with holiday guests. Let me tell you how to make them!

We start by making the batter. Brown sugar, egg, oil, and pumpkin puree are stirred together until smooth. Next, flour, leavening, and loads of pumpkin pie spice are added to the mix. A small cookie scoop is a great tool to dollop the batter onto prepared sheet pans before the little rounds get baked until tiny fluffy cakes.

Once cool, you can begin the filling for these pumpkin whoopie pies. A small bit of butter is browned and cooled before being creamed until more butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. If you’re new to the brown butter game, be sure to check out my tutorial on how to make brown butter– it will help simplify the process for you. Once smooth and fluffy, the buttercream is piped in-between two cookies before enjoying. And just like that, you have a fun and spiced fall treat that everyone will love. Voila!

These pumpkin whoopie pies are a yummy treats that offer major bang for your effort in the kitchen. Give them a try and let me know what you think! Happy Sunday and Happy Baking!

If you like these pumpkin whoopie pies, you should try:

Bourbon Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Browned Butter Cake with Candied Pecans
Pecan Scones with Brown Butter Glaze
Pumpkin Layer Cake
Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Brown Butter Buttercream

Print Recipe

These pumpkin whoopie pies are soft, cake-like sandwich cookies filled with a a brown butter buttercream!

• Author: Kate Wood
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 20
• Category: dessert

Ingredients

For the pies:

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1–1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

For the buttercream filling

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, divided and at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Milk, as needed

Instructions

To prepare the pies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oil and brown sugar. Add the pumpkin and egg, stirring until smooth and combined. Add the dry ingredients- flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice, stirring gently just until combined. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out rounds of batter 2” apart on the prepared baking sheets. If your rounds of batter turn out wonky, you can use a slightly wet finger to nudge or smooth the batter into place. Bake them one at a time for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely prior to filling.

To prepare the filling:

1. Add ¼ cup of chopped butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted begin to stir constantly while you brown the butter. You’ll begin to notice golden flecks at the bottom of the pan and the butter will become nutty and fragrant. Stir and cook just until the butter has become an amber-hued mixture and then pour into a large mixing bowl away from the heat. Add the remaining ½ cup softened butter and stir gently to combine. Set the mixture aside until it has settled to room temperature again.
2. Once ready, use a hand mixer to cream the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, stirring to combine. Add just enough milk, likely a tablespoon or two, to thin the buttercream out to a smooth piping consistency. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or a freezer Ziploc bag with the end snipped off. Pipe dollops of buttercream onto half of the cookies and sandwich the filling with a second cookie. Enjoy!