Lunch: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Spice Filling

Recipe by Dawn Casale and David Crofton Pumpkin cookies infused with traditional holiday spices make the perfect outer shell for a tangy and sweet maple filling.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health and fertility benefits of Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Spice Filling

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 can pumpkin purée
2 c. light-brown sugar
1 c. canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tbsp. dark molasses

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and molasses on medium speed until mixed, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually add flour mixture and mix for 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate batter until chilled, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (about 1/2 inch wide). Pipe 2-inch circles onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing whoopies 1 1/2 inches apart. (Keep batter refrigerated between batches.)
Bake until whoopies are deep orange and spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Cool completely on pans.
To make filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce mixer speed to low; add maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, and mix for 30 seconds. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and mix for 1 minute. If filling is too soft to hold its shape, add more confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency. (Store in refrigerator, in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto surface of filling, for up to 5 days.)
To fill pies: Turn half the whoopies over so they're bottom-side up. Using a pastry bag or butter knife, add a dollop (1 1/2 tablespoons) of Maple-Spice Filling onto each whoopie bottom. Top with remaining whoopies.

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