Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I made these today because I LOOOVE whoopie pies, even though I haven't had one since I was in Maine over 15 years ago!  They weren't bad, but I think the batter needs to be pressed down some to make them more "cookie" shaped.  I used 1 cup whole wheat flour which changed the flavor some (and I am not used to cooking with it so I'm sure that's why my taste buds detected it!), and I added some nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice to the filling.  They were pretty tasty, although I think more pumpkin flavor would benefit them some, but that's me...I'm big on lots of flavor!  Oh, and next time, I'll use a bigger scoop so the cookies are larger...these turned out to be about the dimension of an Oreo.


Ingredients:

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 tablespoon ground cloves

1 egg white

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup shortening



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.

2. Combine the oil and brown sugar. Mix in the pumpkin and eggs, beating well. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix well.

3. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool then make sandwiches from two cookies filled with Whoopie Pie Filling.

4. To Make Whoopie Pie Filling: Beat egg white and mix with the milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Mix well then beat in the shortening and the remaining cup of confectioners' sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.