Recipe Hunting 101 - Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I am still in a pumpkin type mood, which is good because I think everyone else is till in this mood too.  It'll probaby last until Thanksgiving and then I'll be over it until next Fall.  There are a plethora of pumpkin recipes to choose from but I haven't seen any as cute and fun as these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies I found on Every Day with Rachael Ray's website.  Whoopie pies seem to be a new food trend.  The very day I made these I had a post on my newsfeed that our local cupcake place had them for sale too, only they had made chocolate ones.  It's not hard to see why these are so popular.  They are just absolutely adorable, they are easy to eat at a party or tailgating or if you were on the go and just needed something sweet to snack on, and they are utterly delicious!  I took them over my in-laws house to watch the Huskers beat Mizzou (hip hip horray!) and everyone enjoyed them.  My husband devoured 5 of them in one day, and this from someone who once told me he doesn't like pumpkin.  (I showed him, didn't I? ;^)  I will definitely be making these again, and soon.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter (1 stick melted, 1/2 softened)
1 cup packed brown sugar (recipe says light brown sugar, I used dark)
1-2/3 cup flour
2 large eggs, room temp and lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt, plus two pinches
4 oz cream cheese, chilled
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1.  Whisk melted butter and brown sugar until smooth, in a large bowl.  Add eggs, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and 3/4 tsp salt and whisk until combined.  Fold in the flour.
2.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Add tablespoon sized dollops of the batter on the baking sheets, in rows spaced about a inch apart.  They will expand a bit in baking.  You should get 24 dollops of batter. 
3.  Bake at 350F, for 10 minutes or until bouncy to touch.  Transfer the cakes to a rack and allow to cool completely.
4.  For the frosting, with a mixer, mix the cream cheese and softened butter.  Add the powdered sugar, two pinches of salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla and beat on low then up to medium high until frosting is fluffy.
5.  Spread a generous amount of frosting on the bottom, flat side of your pumpkin cakes.  Top them with a second cake to make a sandwhich. 
6.  Makes 12 whoopie pies.