Put a little pumpkin in your life!

This time of year is pumpkin overload! I'm not a huge pumpkin fan but there are a few baked pumpkin goodies out there that rock my world. Here's one of them.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients: Pumpkin Cookies

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil ( I used a mix of vegetable & canola)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extact
• 1 can of pumpkin (15-ounce) or the fresh stuff
• 3 cups of flour (I always use a mixture of white and whole wheat)
• 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice ( I never have this so I mix cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. You can also add ginger if you'd like but I don't.)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened ( I use the real stuff here, it makes a difference)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 to 5 cups of powdered sugar (I didn't use anything near this amount! Talk about sugar high. I used about 3/4 to 1 cup. I added the sugar in small amounts until I got the consistency I wanted. I personally think that 4 cups of sugar is way too much but go for it if you like it super duper sweet.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add pumpkin and stir until combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a 1/2 cup at a time. Blending each time until mixture is smooth.
2. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Using your finger or the back of a spoon, slightly flatten each cookie mound. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. While cookies are baking make frosting. Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar a half cup at a time until frosting is the consistency and sweetness you like. You want the frosting to be spreadable but not too runny.
   
4. **To assemble pies turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese filling on each one. Top with remaining cookies and enjoy!
   

**NOTE: Make sure cookies are completely cooled so the filling does not melt when you assemble them.