Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

 

It rained here this week. And by rain, I mean it was raining cats and dogs, minus the cats and dogs. Because that would have been awesome. And it was cold too! And by cold, I mean about 60 degrees around dinner-time by which time the rain had cleared in Hollywood and I was able to don my high heals. The weather forecast also says it should be back in the mid-eighties next week. Okay, so for just a day or two, I got to feel sad for my sun dresses and flip-flops that didn’t get nearly enough wear this past summer. I got to pretend I was a Seattleite and wear my favorite trench coat. I also got to be nostalgic over fall spices and pumpkin baked goods. Fortunately, this is LA, and that rain thing is sooo just a fad. And I can still have my pumpkin spice latte at the corner Starbucks.

 

I’ve been planning my baking around pumpkin for the past month, but pumpkin puree wasn’t nearly as easy to find as I thought. Luckily, my wonderful boyfriend was able to track some down at Trader Joe's and got me three times as much as I asked for. This was a quick one to whip up: Soft pumpkin sandwich cookies (aka: pumpkin whoopie pies) from A Cozy Kitchen. I have to say, I couldn't resist filling a pair of the cookies with cream cheese filling while the cookies were still a bit warm. If only you (someone, anyone) were there with me for that - it was amazing. And you know - they only come out of the oven once.

 

 

These are just perfect. Not too sweet with just the right amount of spices. And oh, my new fascination with the scent of cardamom! This was my first time using it. I finally got to use the cardamom I picked up a while ago, but they were whole pods and I didn't have a spice grinder. Just cardamom pods... and a hammer... Guess what? Of all the bumps and cuts I've gotten over the past few days - burning my finger on a sheet tray, getting a paper cut from card-stock, a sore arm from the flu shot - I did not injure myself with the hammer. Ha! Well, not this time...

 

I think you should make these. They're super easy. And yummy. I didn't fuss with the recipe at all (if you don't count the hammer-spice-grinder technique) so you can get it at A Cozy Kitchen.