HAPPY NATIONAL DESSERT DAY!
Yes, there is a day for eating desserts. This may be the best non-holiday holiday ever. I mean, who doesn’t like desserts!
Since it is October and it is basically the Pumpkin Pie Spice Season, I thought the best way to celebrate National Dessert Day would be with something Pumpkin-y. Thanks to Family Disney, I found the perfect Recipe to make for National Dessert Day! Inspired by Mickey Mouse’s Ears, Disney created the yummy Mickey’s Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. This is a make from scratch recipe so there is a little work involved, but the best recipes usually require a little work. And they are oh so delicious!
Picture from Family Disney
Mickey’s Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
What You’ll Need
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Electric mixer
Wooden spoon
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pastry bag with 3/4-inch or so opening (or large plastic food storage bag with a lower corner snipped)
Baking sheets
Parchment paper
Cooling rack
Cream cheese frosting (homemade or store bought)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a second mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
3. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Then spoon the batter into the pastry bag.
4. For the Mickey faces, pipe 2.5-inch blobs of batter on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Remember, you need two for each whoopie pie. Use a clean fingertip to gently flatten the blobs into uniform circles, as shown. Tip: dipping your fingertip in water periodically will keep the batter from sticking to it.
5. Pipe small ear blobs at the top of each batter face, keeping them as close in size as possible. Again, use a wet fingertip to flatten them, as shown.
6. Bake the Mickey pumpkin cakes until they spring back when you press down on the center (about 8 to 10 minutes). Let them cool on the baking sheet slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Spoon cream cheese frosting into a pastry bag.
8. Pair up the baked pumpkin cakes, matching the shapes and sizes as best you can. Working with one pair at a time, turn one of the cakes face down and pipe moderate mounds of frosting on the face and ears. Top the frosted cake with its match and gently press down to spread the filling and hold the whoopie pie together. Store leftover whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Check out other recipes featuring Pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice from these wonderful cookbooks!
