Guest Post: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

My friend, Kristin from Meringue Bake Shop wanted to share a recipe with my readers. She thought it would be fun and easy since Halloween is coming up this weekend. It’s something that you can do with your kiddos Saturday morning, or you can take these to a Halloween Party, Saturday night!

“Halloween is my second favorite holiday (Christmas holds the #1 spot). It jump-starts the holiday season, gives us our first feelings of fall and there is pumpkin everywhere! I love baking with squash, pumpkin, zucchini, and butternut. Mmmm… Those flavors always feel right this time of the year.

As you may, or may not know I bake cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. So when I have a chance to bake for coworkers, friends, family, or myself, I like to try different things. So I search the web, check out some of my favorite foodie blogs, and collect ideas and recipes to try. I noticed some buzz around Whoopie Pies so I thought I’d give them a try again. According to Wikipedia, Whoopie Pies got their start in the Amish community and their name came about when the husbands would shout “Whoopie!” when they received one of these treats in their lunch boxes. I had made some Banana Whoopie Pies during the Spring this year but since it’s fall and I’m craving pumpkin and spices, I decided to bake some Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

These are really fun to make, very easy and kid-friendly. And might I say, VERY tasty! Only a few ingredients are needed. And the bake time is short. Perfect for when you have only a little time available or have little helpers with short attention spans.

I tried a few recipes and this one is my favorite with a few modifications. I found this recipe on Bakespace. Bakespace is a recipe exchange and social network site for people who love food, cooking and baking.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, molasses and vanilla in large bowl to blend.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin puree. Mixture will look curdled but that’s ok. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk, beating until just combined.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart, leaving enough room for dough to spread. I use a cookie scoop that holds 1 tbsp. It’s a lot less messy to use when having kitchen help from small hands.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool completely on wire racks before filling.

Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 tsp of maple extract (opt, to taste)

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and maple extract (if using) and beat until smooth.

To assemble:
Take a cooled cookie and using a butter knife, spread a thick amount of filling to the flat side. Grab another cookie and with flat side sandwich together. Press ever so slightly to get some of the filling to pop out the sides. You should be able to see the filling when looking down at the pie. If you want to get fancy, you can also put the filling into a plastic zipper bag, cut a 1/2” hole in one corner and pipe a big glob onto the flat side of the cookie.

Once all the pies are assembled, take a plate and pour out some Halloween sprinkles, sugars, non-pareils, quins, etc. Holding the pie vertically, roll the edges on the plate picking up the sprinkles along the way. Viola!

Yum!

If you don’t like pumpkin or are allergic, you can make the original version. I used this recipe. To make them more “Halloweenie”, add some orange food coloring to the filling.

Have fun and Happy Halloween!

Angry Toddler Growing Up Via Costume

We’ve had several variations of Halloween costumes throughout Angry Toddler’s short life. We’ve gone from the oh my he’s soo cute, to this year, his choice, sigh. I used to agonize over his costume. I would jump on the computer in July, and have his costume ready, months in advance. This year, well, we went to Target. I chose several things in his size, and said, PICK! He pretty much picked what I thought he would.

But let’s take a little tour of costumes past and present:




And this year, he’s Jango Fett!

What and who is a Jango Fett? I know, most people are not Star Wars Freaks like the boys in my family.

Jango Fett was a renowned human bounty hunter, assassin, mercenary, and the “father” of Boba Fett, a genetic clone of his, whom he raised as a son. A Human from Concord Dawn, Fett was adopted by Mandalorian warriors following the murder of his parents and the disappearance of his older sister Arla in 58 BBY. Years later, he would go on to lead them through much of the Mandalorian Civil War. After being imprisoned by Jedi, Jango was responsible for destroying the Death Watch, a Mandalorian group who killed Jango’s mentor, Jaster Mereel.

Jango Fett information from the Wookieepedia.

Orange County Fare: Pumpkin Muffins

I’m a member of the Junior League of Orange County, CA. We had a new cookbook come out last month, Orange County Fare. I was finally able to get my hands on a hardbound copy of it, a few weeks ago at a general meeting. This is the second recipe that I’ve made from the cookbook. I made the Raspberry Oatmeal Bars last year, when I received the recipe as a preview.

I made a complete mess in our kitchen as usual. I could not locate any of the proper tools. We do have some cooking utensils. I had to improvise, but they turned out AWESOME! I made Angry Husband try the first one. He’s my test dummy…I mean victim…I mean taster. He said they were very good, but sweet.

Makes 18 to 24

Ingredients for muffins:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned pumpkin
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Ingredients for Orange Glaze:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the muffins pans for 15 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze
Combine the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, and orange zest in a small bowl, stir to mix well. Place waxed paper under the muffins on the wire rack. Spoon the glaze over the cooled muffins, letting the excess run down the sides. Garnish with additional walnuts before the glaze becomes firm.

Disclosure: This recipe is from the Junior League of Orange County’s Cookbook, Orange County Fare. I’m a member of the JLOCC. My opinions and rants have nothing to do with the JLOCC, but they have a pretty swell cookbook that I paid for, with my very own checkbook. Oh yea, that’s right, I wrote a check.

The Saga of my Hair

I give up, yet again. I try to grow out my hair a little bit, and then I get annoyed with it. I have naturally curly hair. BUT, it’s curly at the bottom. And it also gets puffy on top. My hair is complete drama. And, I admit I’m lazy. I like to put some hair goop in it, and go. So I made an appointment with my hair dude, Richard, and cut it off again. I need to get my roots colored too, anyone want to loan me some money for my color? My birthday is coming up next month!

Oh, and I did a whrrl story about my haircut. You can see it HERE!

Wordless Wednesday: Dia de los Muertos at Disneyland

El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. This display was located in Frontierland at Disneyland.

Marshalls: $25 Giveaway-WINNER ANNOUNCED

Earlier today, I went to TJ Maxx. I had an awesome time with my BFF, shopping for Fall Fashions. We ended up buying an awesome dress for Stacey’s daughter.

I was also sent a gift card to Marshall’s. Rather than buying myself something, I thought I would give it away to my reader’s! I’m going to run this giveaway for one week!

*It will end at 9pm PST on Tuesday, November 3rd.

*So comment below for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Marshall’s.
*Please only comment once.
*Please leave me a way to contact you. I need an e-mail address to reach you.
*If I cannot get a hold of my winner by Thursday, November 5th, I will re-pick the winner.
*I will pick using random.org.

***Tell me what you are looking for wardrobe wise for Fall. What would you buy with the $25? Would it be something for you, your family, the kids, or a gift?

WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!! I’ve picked the winner using random.org!


Kidazy, I will be contacting you for your information. Thank you to everyone who entered my contest. Check back soon as I will be doing many more reviews and giveaways in the future.

Disclosure: I was a sent a gift card in order to review Fall Fashions with Marshall’s. I’ve chosen to giveaway the gift card to a reader!

TJ Maxx: Fall Fashions

I was given the opportunity to do a review of Fall Fashions at TJ Maxx. I went there with my best friend, Stacey, today. We both like stylish clothing, but we are also on budgets. We have champagne taste, but we are on a soda budget. It was amazing how many things we found that we loved. We looked through every section at the store. We even found some goodies for the kiddos. I did a whrrl story and it is embedded below. Feel free to flip through it.

More stories at Tj Maxx
Powered by Whrrl

We ended up buying Stacey’s daughter an awesome Christmas dress. It was $29.99. Perfection!

Disclosure: I was offered a $25 gift card to experience some brand-name shopping for less. I ended up spending more than the $25, because I’m a consumer and love shopping. Though, there were many many things, I wanted under the $25 price range.

Halloween Decorations

I’m a total slacker, as always. I asked Angry Husband to get my decorations down from the rafters weeks ago, and he did. I’m busy and overwhelmed. I finally went through my house and added some “Halloween” touches to it.

Most of my goodies are picture frames and candle holders. I bought WAY too many candle holders when I was young, pre-child, and had money to throw away. At least, I can decorate with the candle holders once a year.

After seeing Kelly’s post with all her picture frames, I decided to purchase some cute Halloween ones myself. I went to TJ Maxx and found a bunch of great frames for $4.99-$7.99. They were difference shapes and sizes.

So I’ll share my pictures now…I have more decorations in my tote, but alas I might put them out later this week. Seriously, Halloween has come way too fast this year. I might have to start organizing for Christmas next week.




Grab My Button

Angry Julie Monday

Recommended

Advertise here






FitFluential Is Fitness Found