Winter’s first snowfall, usually, leaves me feeling childish anticipation for the season. Last night it just felt wet and cold. Walking home after a long shift from work, the season’s first flurry felt aggressive and not welcomed. As I was turning the key to open my front door, I stopped and turned back to watch the snow falling through the light shining from the lamp post outside our home. Being sheltered from the wind blowing off the ocean let me linger on our door step long enough to figure out that this snow fall represents my first winter without Molly. I realized it’s not the snow that I find so aggressive. It’s time.
Time pushes you into every ‘first’ whether you’re ready or not. Sometimes it’s obvious like the ‘first time’ I wasn’t greeted by her when I came home. I can prepare for the obvious. Last night caught me off guard. And so I stood there watching my first winter’s snowfall without her and I cried. The tears don’t come as often or with as much pain but I still miss her. I will for the rest of my life. I remembered the winters that we spent together. Her playing in the snow with the girls when they were little, our walks in the city and in the woods at the farm, chasing Dad behind the snowplow, Christmas mornings and sleeping with me on cold winter nights when Ralph was on the road. Beautiful, magical, precious memories of a little dog that I adored. As I stood on my doorstep, I felt a nudge or maybe it was the wind but something in my universe moved ever so slightly and the heaviness lifted. Another first without Molly or maybe I’m not without her…
mini pumpkin whoopie pies with maple cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350*F degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil.
Add pumpkin puree and whisk well.
Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until well mixed.
Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2″ apart.
bake cookies until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
Let cool completely on pan.
filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter until smooth.
Add cream cheese and beat until mixed and fluffy.
Add confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup, beat until whipped.
When cookies have cooled completely, drop a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies.
Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge. You now have a whoopie pie!
Refrigerate whoopie pies at least 30 minutes before serving.
THE LOVE: make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. You’ll end up with a perfect whoopie pie – soft springy cake and creamy thick filling!
Thanks for reading.
14 comments
this made me cry
the warts and all Sweetie…xo
Lost our Boxer this Fall. If you want them to laugh over, then you will have them to cry over. Love your recipes, trying the woopie cookies today. Love to all, June
so true… you’ll love the whoopie pies – we ate them in three days!!!!!!!!!!xo
Excellent, I have a surplus of little sweet pumpkins and can’t wait to try this out. Thank you!
You made them look more than delicious. Just loved it.
Very kind of you to say – thank you!
Why do you have to make me cry???
xo
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Hey Michelle,
My sister in law taught me how to make Whoopie pies 36 years ago, the chocolate kind. After having my girls, I started making them when they would have friends over. Of course they had never heard of Whoopie Pies! The kids love them.
It is fun to see how they have made an appearance as of the last several years. For Thanksgiving I made your Pumpkin Whoopie pies with Maple Cream. They were DEVINE !! Different ingredients then what I’ve made but soooo good!
My daughter Whitney is also a blogger and just made and shared your Acorn Squash Recipe…..www.laundryinlouboutins.com.
She also loved your WP recipe.
I told her to read your blog because you are a heart felt Mom, an amazing cook, a lovely writer and have photography down like nobodies business. Everyone needs a mentor:)
Congrats on your daughter’s wedding……..you have a sweet and special family<3
Hello, I looked at your daughter’s blog last night. How cool is that! So glad that you and she enjoyed the Whoopie Pies. We love them too.
Thank you so much for all your kind words and wishes. Great way to start my day! xo