Back in the Game, Pumpkin-Style

Oh, hello!

It seems my blog and I weren't on writing terms for a little while. Not that I have anything against you, Bilingual Butter... I just had a little phase for a while.

I don't know quite how to describe it. You know how children go from loving pistachio ice cream to, all of a sudden, wanting nothing besides coffee gelato? Or how one day, that United Colors of Benetton Barbie just stops being the holy grail of all dolls, and the soccer Barbie (equipped with a leg that can score goals!) is everything you've been looking for?

Well, I've been having a case of the switchies of my own. Baking--as much as I love it--was slightly relegated to second place these past months, replaced by tasting of desserts not fabricated by myself and indulging in copious amounts of pastries. I'm not sure my stomach could handle any more baked goods, and so I gave in to the eating-without-baking-or-blogging-phenomenon. That, and frequent travels, from weekend trips to a week-long getaway to South Africa, made eating 24/7 an easy thing to do.

Today, however, it's cold outside. The sun is bright but low, typical of a crisp Fall afternoon. I think we all know--well, at least crazy baking obsessive types know--what that means. Can you hear that cranberry sauce singing in the background? This is the time of year baking at home comes back in full force. I'll never say no to a black sesame eclair from Sadaharu Aoki...but right now, I just want pumpkin pie. I want cinnamon, cloves, ginger. I want a bath of maple syrup and pecans...and then, another bath of water and soap, because I don't want to attract strange bugs (or strange people for that matter).

Although my blog posts may be rarer than they were in the past, Bilingual Butter and I have reconciled again. And boy do I have a lot to tell you...

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

makes approximately 15 small pies

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 TS baking powder

1 TS ground cinnamon

1 TS pumpkin pie spice, or your own mix of ground ginger, cloves and (more) cinnamon

pinch salt

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. raw cane sugar (you could use only granulated sugar as well)

1 large egg

1 TS vanilla extract

3/4 c. unsweetened pumpkin purée

Preheat oven to 185°C/350°F and line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, spices and salt together.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract and pumpkin, and mix until combined. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients.

Scoop batter onto baking sheets by large tablespoon-fulls. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until cakes spring back when touched. Remove from heat and cool completely on wire racks.

Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese filling:

4 oz. (around 120g) cream cheese, softened

2 TB (around 30g) butter, softened

Mix until fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup by 1/4 cup, until you reach the desired texture and taste (you should end up adding around 1 c.). Stir in vanilla extract to taste.

Once the cakes have cooled completely, spread a large spoonful of the filling on one side of half of the cakes and sandwich them. If not serving immediately, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate--the flavors will meld even better!