Cookie Carnival: Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This month's Cookie Carnival recipe was mini pumpkin whoopie pies. I remember whoopie pies from when I was younger. These cookies were absolutely delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and not very time consuming at all. My son thought they were the best! I doubled the recipe so I would have plenty to bring to work and to my mom's.

For the cookies:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c. vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the filling:

4 oz cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

1. Prepare cookies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Place butter, shortening, and sugars into bowl. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

3. Drop about 2 tsp dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12-14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and tranfer to wire racks using a spatula. Let cool completely.

4. Prepare filling. In bowl, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, butter and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

5. Pipe or spoon about 2 tsp filling on the flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.