Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow Buttercream
Pumpkin whoopie pies made with the same soft fluffy cakey pumpkin cookie base as the viral pumpkin cookies, sandwiched around a light marshmallow buttercream made by whipping butter for three minutes before adding marshmallow fluff for maximum airiness. Match cookie pairs by size before piping and chill assembled pies for twenty to thirty minutes so the filling sets perfectly. The ultimate fall dessert inspired by the most viral pumpkin cookie recipe on the blog.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup (113g) melted butter, cooled but liquid
- ½ cup (100g) white sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
- 1 whole egg + 1 yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup (60g) pumpkin purée
Dry Ingredients:
- 1⅓ cups (167g) AP flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Marshmallow Buttercream:
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
- ½ cup approx. 100g marshmallow fluff
- 1 ½ to 2 cups 180g–240g powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tbsp heavy cream or milk only if needed to loosen it up at the very end
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and both sugars and mix until smooth.
- Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients in 2-3 additions, stopping as soon as you don't see any more floury bits.
- Using a 1 tbs cookie scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheet (I usually do 6-8 cookies per sheet)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
For the Marshmallow Buttercream:
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add marshmallow fluff and whip until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add vanilla, salt and milk only if needed and mix until combined and smooth.
- Transfer buttercream to a piping bag with a large star tip.
Assemble:
- Pipe a layer of buttercream on the bottom of one of the whoopie pies.
- Place another whoopie pie on top to make a sandwich and repeat with remaining whoopie pies.
Notes
- Whip the butter first for 3 minutes until it looks white and fluffy before adding the marshmallow fluff. This builds the air volume you need so the filling doesn't turn dense.
- Find the whoopie pies perfect match BEFORE you pipe the frosting on. They can all bake a little differently so match them up with the closest size before adding the frosting for the perfect bakery look.
- Chill the assembled pies: Because marshmallow fluff reacts quickly to the warmth of your hands, the buttercream might feel a little soft right after piping. Once you sandwich the cakes together, pop the whoopie pies into the fridge for 20–30 minutes. This sets the butter back up so the filling stays locked in place and doesn't squish out when someone takes a bite.