Event!

so i had my first catering gig, well, kinda sorta.  my boss  asked me to bake all the goodies for our AG jeans trunk show.  i think it went pritty* well.  people seemed to enjoy the treats as they shopped around  the store, ’cause we’ve got some pretty awesome STUFF right now! (for those of you who don’t know, i work at BOCA, a boutique in West LA.)

after long thoughts and contemplation, i decided to make three things:  banana date poppy seed mini muffin cakes, chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and, last but certainly not least, pumpkin whoopie pies.

whoopie pies are my new fave.  i think they are even better than, dare i say, cupcakes?  whoopie pies are fairly new to me, since i grew up in southern california.  according to Best of the Best by Food and Wine, whoopie pies come from just a few parts of America, like northern New England and the Midwest.  but i am ready to start the new trend of whoopie pies.  they look like an ice cream sandwich, but the “cookie” part is more like cake taste and texture and the “ice cream” filling is like a frosting.  not only do they look cute, but they are neater to eat than cake and you get a more consistent cake to frosting ratio in each bite than when eating cupcakes.  it’s just the perfect little (or big, depending on size) treat from heaven.  and more importantly, who doesn’t like to say “whoopie pie.”  “how’s your whoopie pie?” (sorry, maybe that just sounds cool to me…)

*pretty is supposed to be pronounced like “pritty” like how Larry David says the word repetitively from time to time on his TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies:)

INGREDIENTS
For the Whoopie
3 cups ap flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 TBSP cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 TBSP ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, CHILLED
2 TBSP fleg*
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

*fleg recipe is on TAT page

For the Filling
½ cup earth balance, SOFTENED
8 ounces vegan cream cheese, SOFTENED
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
3 ½ cups powdered sugar

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

RECIPE
Whoopie
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, powder, 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 fleg and vanilla and whisk vigorously until well combined.  Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop with release mechanism, if you have one handy, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.  (Otherwise just use a large spoon or your tablespoon to scoop the scoops, it may be a bit sticky, but that’s what baking’s all about, right?)  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.

Filling
SIFT the powdered sugar into a medium bowl (don’t be lazy b/c then you’ll have unworthy eating clumps); set aside.  In another bowl, beat earth balance until smooth.  Add cream cheese and beat until well combined.  Add vanilla, cream of tartar and sugar and beat just until smooth.  Cover tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

Assemble
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  Make sure the whoopies are cool and the filling is chilled as well.  Spoon a generous amount onto the flat side of half of the whoopie pies and then sandwich with the 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, wrapped tightly, and up to 3 days.

*Since I was bringing these cute little “pies” to an event, I placed each whoopie pie in a cupcake holder on cookie sheets and then tightly saran wrapped everything up for the next day.  It’s easy and looks great!

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