Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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Averie Sunshine

Published: Oct 09, 2012

Updated: Sep 17, 2024

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies — 🎃🙌🎉 Soft and tender pumpkin cookies with a thick layer of sweet buttercream sandwiched between them will make you scream “Whoopie!” for one of these fun pies. They’re easy and fast to make, moist, and rich!

Three pumpkin whoopie pies on one plate and a single whoopie pie on a second plate.

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Best Ever Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe

Whoopie!!! That’s what I want to say when I bite into one of these pumpkin whoopie cakes.

If you’ve never eaten a homemade whoopie pie, it’s essentially rich buttercream filling that’s sandwiched between two very soft and tender cookies. It doesn’t get much better! 

I just wanted to pick off these little morsels and squish them between my fingers. The cookies are soft and remind me of my days squishing Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies as a kid.

Buttercream is layered on thick and in plentiful abundance. The only way frosting and fillings should be!

Love Pumpkin Spice Treats?

My soft and puffy pumpkin spice cookies are full of sweet pumpkin spice flavor and are perfect for a crowd.

And my pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting is easy to make and perfect for holidays and celebrations!

A piece of a pumpkin whoopie pie.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies 

To make this spiced pumpkin whoopie pie recipe, you’ll need: 

Whoopie pies:

  • Brown sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Pure pumpkin puree – Make sure to use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added spices and sweeteners!
  • Egg
  • Vanilla extract
  • Spices
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda

Buttercream filling:

  • Milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar (also known as confectioner’s sugar)
  • Unsalted butter

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

A pumpkin whoopie pie on a plate with bites missing.

How to Make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Making homemade pumpkin whoopie pies with buttercream frosting is much, much simpler than you might think! Here’s an overview of the baking process:

  1. Whisk the wet ingredients and dry ingredients for the whoopie pie batter like you would cupcakes. Then, use a spoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop it out onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat using a 1/4 measuring cup. Don’t worry if the batter is soupy! It’s supposed to be.
  2. Bake the cookies just until set, noting that they’ll firm up as they cool.
  3. While the cookies cool, combine the buttercream-filling ingredients in a large bowl. A stand mixer is useful for this! The filling should be light and fluffy.
  4. Allow the pumpkin whoopie pies to cool completely on a wire rack.
  5. Pipe or spoon the filling onto the flat side of half of the whoopie cakes. Then, stack the remaining cakes on top, creating a sandwich. Enjoy!
Pumpkin whoopie pie dough on baking sheets lined with Silpat mats.

Use a Different Filling

Not a fan of classic buttercream? Feel free to swap out the filling with marshmallow buttercream, cream cheese filling, or chocolate frosting for a unique twist on this delicious pumpkin-flavored fall treat.

Pumpkin whoopie pies on a plate.
A pumpkin spice whoopie pie with cream filling on a white plate.

Recipe FAQs

Can Whoopie Pie Filling Be Made Without Butter?

Yes, some people make the filling with vegetable shortening, but I prefer butter in my buttercream because the flavor can’t be beat. However, the advantage to using shortening is that it has much more structure than butter and so the filling is firmer, holds up better, and has more density and less squish than a butter-based buttercream.

Can You Freeze Whoopie Pies? 

Yes, you can freeze the assembled homemade whoopie pies or freeze the cookies and frosting separately. If freezing the assembled pumpkin whoopie pies, be sure to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then seal them in a freezer bag. This prevents the buttercream filling from oozing out and also prevents the cookies from sticking to each other. 

Can Whoopie pies be made in advance?

Yes, you can freeze the assembled homemade whoopie pies or freeze the cookies and frosting separately. If freezing the assembled pumpkin whoopie pies, be sure to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then seal them in a freezer bag. This prevents the buttercream filling from oozing out and also prevents the cookies from sticking to each other. 

Pinterest image for pumpkin whoopie pies with two images of the treats.
Pinterest image for pumpkin whoopie pies with two images of the treats.

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A pumpkin whoopie pie with cream filling on a white plate.
Review Print
5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

By Averie Sunshine
🎃🙌🎉 Soft and tender pumpkin cookies with a thick layer of sweet buttercream sandwiched between them will make you scream “Whoopie!” for one of these fun pies. They’re easy and fast to make, moist, and rich!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
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Equipment

  • 2 Baking Sheets
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Quarter Cup Measuring Cup
  • 1 Stand Mixer

Ingredients 

For the Cookies

  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

For the Buttercream Filling

  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted and divided
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

Instructions 

For the Cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with Silpat liners or parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine first 11 ingredients, up to the salt, and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the remaining ingredients, and mix until just combined; don’t overmix. Batter will be soft and runny.
  • Using a one-quarter cup measure, scoop the batter onto prepared baking sheets, six round mounds of batter per sheet; this may also be done with a pastry bag if preferred.
  • Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until tops have set. Cookies will be very soft and may look underdone, but firm up as they cool.
  • Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before moving them to rack to finish cooling.
  • Allow cookies to cool completely before filling and sandwiching them together. While they cool, make the filling.

For the Buttercream Filling:

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the milk, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar, then mix on high speed until the mixture is creamy and light.
  • Add butter and remaining cup of sugar, and whip on high speed until very light, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Apply a generous dollop of frosting to 6 of the cookies. Sandwich them together with the remaining unfrosted 6 cookies, creating 6 whoopie pies.

Notes

Storage: Whoopie pies are best fresh, but extras may be stored airtight in the refrigerator (due to the buttercream) for about 3 days. If you prefer to keep them at room temperature, the frosting may be made with 1/4 cup vegetable shortening instead of butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 741kcal, Carbohydrates: 104g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 349mg, Potassium: 179mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 76g, Vitamin A: 5289IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 1 vote

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. My favorite pumpkin recipe is a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipe that I got from http://www.onceamonthmom.com. And, I absolutely love this time of year because you start posting all of your fun pumpkin and trader-joe’s inspired treats!! marthalynn16 at gmail

    Reply

  2. My favorite use of pumpkin right now is probably either in quick bread or my crockpot yogurt cheesecake. I think I would love Jenna’s book–I love stories like that!

    Reply

  3. I am loving all your pumpkin recipes. I can’t decide which to make first!!! I think the kids and hubby would vote for this one! Yum!

    Reply

    1. It’s really good and would be easy for you to keep GF since they’re a ‘loose’ cookie anyway and the gluten isn’t needed to tightly bind up the dough or anything. I vote this one for you too :)

      Reply

    1. I almost didn’t post that pic b/c I was like well maybe that’s a little TOO close up and too on top of the food…but you and a few others have said you liked it so glad I included it :)

      Reply

  5. My favorite cookbook is an old church cookbook that I bought at a garage sale about 5 years ago. It has good ole classic, unhealthy, hearty fare like molasses bread and homemade dumblings.

    Reply

    1. Omg I am researching molasses bread right now and it’s so hard b/c modern cookbooks don’s seem to include it. Oil and butter based cakes with lots of good old fashioned flavors, YES. That’s what I want. I want that cookbook! :)

      Reply

  7. I already shared my favorite pumpkin dessert kink with you. It’s my pumpkin whoopie pies, which are very similar except have about double the pumpkin and a different frosting. I have a tendency to make mine really big too!

    Reply

    1. It’s funny when I was cross-comparing your recipe and hers which was via Martha Stewart I believe, the cookie itself was nearly identical in terms of the major ratios of sugar, flour, eggs, oil….except that version is 3 c flour and 3 c pumpkin I have no idea how the batter can even ‘hold’ double the pumpkin. Mine with 1.5 c pumpkin and 3 c flour was already in the nearly-soup stage. Muffin batter stage. Anymore pumpkin and I’d be in crepe batter stage :) And yes, bigger is better with these…haha!

      Reply