The Most Absurdly Delicious Pumpkin Cookie Ever

I am ecstatic to introduce you to one of my newest, most recent favorite fall cookie recipes. While browsing some recipes on Bon Appetit, this popped up under my search query of "pumpkin" and it was simply one of those, "I know I already love you"-type recipes.

Do you have a preferred way of eating your pumpkin puree? There are pumpkin pie purists, devout pumpkin chocolate chip cookie lovers, contemporary pumpkin

tort connoisseurs, pumpkin muffin, bread, and waffle fans...Under which does your loyalty belong to?

Well. I've concluded this season that pumpkin cookies are it for me. There is no better way for me to use that orange puree and this cookie knocked. my. socks. off. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are wonderful- do not get me wrong. But these... oh, these, are ridiculous. They are worse (and by worse I refer to extremely addicting) than Chex Muddy Buddies, worse than your favorite homemade strawberry summer ice cream .....

How is this possible, you may demur? Imagine taking two normal pumpkin cookies with the lightest maple-flavored frosting smooshed in between. Not to even mention the marshmallow creme that adds just the right texture and artificial sweetness to make your arteries clog right up after eating one.

What's your background with making whoopie pie cookies? They are quite interchangeable, as far as the flavors go and that part I like, but I must say, it's been a tricky challenge for me to make them all perfectly uniform in the shape of a circle. Had I the luxury of spending three hours on these, I would've taken a pencil and sketched out perfectly round 1 1/2" circles on the underside of some parchment paper and then filled each one meticulously with the batter on top of the paper. Make sense? That would yield nicely shaped, nicely uniform rounds.

Also, refrigeration for storage purposes on these ones is probably best. Aaannnddd..... I leave you now to drool. Oh, and please please please, allow your butter to sit on the counter tops for a few hours until it's nice and naturally softened. You need it at room temperature in order to obtain the fluffy, light texture in both the cookie AND the frosting. Zapped, morphed-by-the-microwave-for-30-seconds will do your cookies no good.

Okay, have fun!!!! Let me know if you have any suggestions on how to make the cookie part more perfectly round:) thanks

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cookies With Maple Marshmallow Cream Filling

{Bon Appetit}

Filling

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme

2 teaspoons maple extract

Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Cake

Sift first 7 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.

Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.

Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling. (If you wish to do the cookie part ahead of time, you may do so and store in single layer in an air tight container).