Pumpkin Whoopie pie cookies with cream cheese filling Recipe

It's that time of the year again. Apples, pumpkin, pies, fall, cool breeze. Oh gosh, I hope we have many more hot weather. I'm not looking forward to colder weather, but I am looking forward to apple picking time and pumpkin pie. 

You know who else loves pumpkin? My husband, my son, my mom, his mom, my cousin and her husband. LOL! I could go on. I should just give them the recipe on how to make the pie so they can make it at their own home. Well, the ones who aren't living with us. 

Anyway, today is a pumpkin kind of day, I think. I was going to make the red velvet because the pumpkin can wanted to kill my toes, but then I couldn't find any red coloring, so back to pumpkin.

Here's what you need for the whoopie cookies:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups 100% pumpkin puree, chilled (make sure it's really cold)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the cream cheese filling:

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

What to do:

1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.