Pumpkin Whoopee Pies

I found this recipe via Lovin the Oven; and since I was headed to our family sugar shack this past weekend; I thought it would be a great treat to bring with me. Everyone loved them! The cream cheese frosting was delicious and what I think made these taste so good. The pies were incredibly moist; I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap; so they would travel more easily and this may have added to the moistness.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground fresh nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare baking sheets lined with parchment paper (love this – so easy and no mess!)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk to sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Use a small ice cream scoop (works perfectly) to drop a bit more than a TBSP of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.


Bake for 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan before assembling.


To assemble:

Turn half the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling (cover most of the cookie – a good TBSP) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used.



This recipe yields 24 assembled pies.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Whoopee Pie Filling)

This is incredibly tastey - and could be made without maple syrup as well - for a great Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
5 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps – I did this with a wooden spoon.
Add the cream cheese and beat until combined – used an electric mixer.

Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth with an electric mixer. Be careful no to over beat the filling, or it will lose structure.

Sloppy Joes

The Grocery List:

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
  
• 1 small onion , diced
• 1 medium carrot , peeled and diced
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper diced
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 can (398 ml) reduced sodium tomato sauce (I used Hunts)
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 warmed whole wheat buns
• cheese (optional)
  

Cooking It all Up:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add the olive oil, beef, onion, carrot, pepper,and garlic.

Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the beef is cooked and the onions are translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.

Serve over the buns and top with cheese.

Chicks Health Note: You could easily ramp up the veggies by adding shredded zucchini, mushrooms etc. and you could reduce the calorie/fat content by using lean ground turkey instead of beef.