Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe

Pumpkin whoopie pies are the fall treat I wait all year for.

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This recipe takes the classic New England whoopie pie and gives it a seasonal update with pumpkin, warm spices, and maple. Soft cookies hug a maple cream cheese filling, and one batch makes 24 sandwich cookies that taste like an October afternoon in New England.

These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Are A Fall Staple

I grew up in New England, and fall there is not just a season. It is a feeling. The maples turn red and orange, the air gets sharp, and every farm stand starts selling cider, squash, and apples by the basket.

The whoopie pie comes from that same corner of the country, so it has always been part of my autumn routine.

Some people call the whoopie pie the new cupcake. I think that undersells it. A good whoopie pie is every bit as good and every bit as cute as a cupcake, and it travels far better in a lunch box or on a potluck platter.

Here is what makes this pumpkin version stand out. It uses a generous amount of spice. Not a polite pinch, but a real scoop of warmth that you can smell the moment the oven door opens. When you gather the ingredients for this recipe, you are basically stocking your spice shelf for the entire fall baking season.

One more thing about the spice. This batter leans on pumpkin pie spice, and that blend is what gives the cookies their warm, familiar flavor. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves all show up in the mix, and they are the reason your kitchen will smell like a New England fall afternoon.

The texture is the other reason I keep coming back to these. They are part cookie and part cake, with moist layers that stay soft for days. Pumpkin keeps the crumb tender, and the maple cream cheese filling adds a cool, tangy contrast to all that spice.

I have been baking these for about three decades now, and I still make a double batch every October. One tray goes to the neighbors, one goes to the office, and one stays home for the people who live here. It never lasts the week.

There is something about a whoopie pie that makes people smile. Maybe it is the shape, or the way the filling peeks out at the edges. Whatever the reason, this pumpkin version is the one that gets requested first when the leaves start to change.

If you have never made one before, do not worry. There is no frosting to swirl and no decorating skill required. You scoop, bake, fill, and chill. That is the whole job.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Recipe

These cake like sandwiches are packed with warm fall spices, and the pumpkin flavor layered between the cookies makes the maple cream cheese frosting taste even better. The filling is creamy, a little tangy, and sweet enough to balance the soft spiced cookies without overwhelming them.

Whoopie pies are a favorite wherever they go. Bake sales, football Sundays, Thanksgiving dessert tables, and quiet Tuesday afternoons with a mug of hot tea. They look bakery style without any special equipment, which is exactly the kind of dessert I want on a busy weekend.

They also keep well in the refrigerator, so you can make them the day before a party and pull them out when dessert time arrives. That single detail has saved me more than once during the holidays.

Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Prices below come from grocery store websites, and your actual costs may vary depending on where you shop and what is already in your pantry. Pricing was updated in September 2025. The estimated cost per serving is $0.74, and the total recipe cost is $17.82.

For the Pumpkin Cookies

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ½ Tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups canned pumpkin puree, chilled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple Cream Cheese Filling

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sprinkles or jimmies for garnish, optional

Here is how the costs break down by ingredient.

Two small notes on the pricing. The source lists eggs twice, once at $0.20 and once at $0.72, and vanilla extract appears as a single line of 2 teaspoons at $1.36 for the whole recipe.

Essential Cook’s Tools:

You will need large mixing bowls, a whisk, baking sheets, and parchment paper or silicone baking mats. A cookie scoop makes portioning fast and even. For the filling and assembly, grab a stand mixer or handheld mixer, a large piping bag, and a large circle icing tip.

How To Make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Cream Cheese Fillings

Prep takes about 20 minutes, and each sheet of cookies bakes in 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies need to cool completely before you fill them, and the finished whoopie pies chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Make the pumpkin cookies

1. Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugars and oil together. Add the chilled pumpkin puree and whisk until it is fully combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined and no flour streaks remain.
5. Use a cookie scoop with a 1.5 to 2 tablespoon capacity to drop the dough onto the prepared sheets, about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean.
7. Cool on the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

One quick note on the dough. It is soft and a little sticky, which is exactly what you want. That moisture is what keeps the finished cookies tender instead of dry.

Make the maple cream cheese filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium high speed until smooth with no visible lumps.
2. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
3. Do not overbeat. Overbeating thins the filling. If it looks too loose, chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm it up.

Assemble the whoopie pies

1. Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down and pipe the filling onto the flat sides.
2. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top and press down slightly so the filling spreads to the cookie edges.
3. Repeat until all the cookies are used. If you are using sprinkles, hold each whoopie pie in your hand and sprinkle the garnish into the crack, turning until all the exposed frosting is covered.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Chill the pumpkin. Cold pumpkin puree goes into the batter, so pop the can in the fridge before you start.
• Skip the freezer. Freezing is not recommended because of the cream cheese frosting. The outside of the whoopie pies turns sticky once they thaw.
• Sticky dough is fixable. If the dough feels too sticky to scoop, add an extra ½ cup of flour.
• No pumpkin pie spice in the cupboard? Use 1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, and ¾ teaspoon nutmeg and cloves.
• Make them ahead. Store the finished whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They are best within 3 to 4 days.

Serve them straight from the fridge or let them sit on the counter for a few minutes first. Either way, they pair beautifully with hot coffee, a glass of cold milk, or a mug of spiced cider.

The filling sets up fast in the cold, so give the assembled whoopie pies the full hour in the refrigerator before you serve them.

For reference, the source nutrition per whoopie pie is 344 calories, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein, 17 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of fiber, 31 grams of sugar, 214 milligrams of sodium, and 36 milligrams of cholesterol.

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe Pumpkin whoopie pies are the fall treat I wait all year for. This recipe takes the classic New England whoopie pie and gives it a seasonal update with pumpkin, warm spices, and maple.

• Total Time: 152 min
• Yield: 24 whoopie pies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

FOR PUMPKIN COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ½ Tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups canned pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FILLING
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkles or jimmies for garnish

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Instructions

MAKE PUMPKIN COOKIES
1-Move oven rack to middle positions, and: Move oven rack to middle positions, and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2-In a large bowl, whisk together the: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices.
3-In a separate large bowl, whisk sugars: In a separate large bowl, whisk sugars and oil together. Add pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined.
4-Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and: Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined and no flour streaks remain.
5-Use a cookie scoop with a 1: Use a cookie scoop with a 1.5-2 tablespoons capacity to drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
6-Baking 1 cookie sheet at a time,: Baking 1 cookie sheet at a time, bake 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean.
7-Remove from the oven and cool on: Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

MAKE CREAM CHEESE FILLING
8-In the bowl of a stand mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth with no visible lumps.
9-Add cream cheese and beat until combined: Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Add confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat filling, or it will thin out. If the filling is too loose, put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.

ASSEMBLE
10-Turn half of the cooled cookies upside: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling onto the flat side of overturned cookies.
11-Place another cookie, flat side down, on: Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of filling. Press down slightly so that filling spreads to cookie edges.
12-Repeat until all cookies are used: Repeat until all cookies are used. If you’re using sprinkles to garnish, hold each whoopie pie in your hand and sprinkle the garnish in the crack of the whoopie pie and turn until all exposed frosting is covered.
13-Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving: Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 pie
• Calories: 344
• Sugar: 31
• Sodium: 214
• Fat: 17
• Saturated Fat: 6
• Carbohydrates: 46
• Fiber: 1
• Protein: 3
• Cholesterol: 36