These pumpkin whoopie pies have a sweet and creamy meringue filling that’s sandwiched between two moist, cake like pumpkin cookies! This easy fall dessert is a healthier pumpkin treat that’s gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
Hi friends! I have to tell you, I have been working on this pumpkin whoopie pie recipe FOREVER! Ok, not forever but since August so a really, really long time! I just couldn’t get the consistency right.
I tried using just almond flour but found the cookies to be too crumbly. A combination of almond and coconut flour had an odd texture. Using just coconut flour made a very dry cookie. I tried using cashew butter but I wasn’t thrilled with the flavor. In total I made about ten batches of cookies before finally making a recipe that I fell in love with!
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The combination of almond flour and almond butter make these cookies nice and puffy. They have a beautiful cake like consistency and they aren’t super sweet on their own which is perfect because having a really sweet cookie along with a sweet filling would just be too much. The combination of the cookies with the meringue filling is simply divine!
To begin you’re going to beat together your almond butter, egg, honey, pumpkin
and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl mix the almond flour
with your baking soda, salt, cinnamon
, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Then combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Your batter at this point will be sticky and if you try to use your hands to shape the batter into little cookies you’re just going to make a big mess and waste all these wonderful ingredients. I suggest using a tablespoon to drop the batter onto your lined cookie sheet. These cookies don’t really spread very much so you can place the cookie batter about two inches apart.
For the meringue filling your going to place your egg whites and lemon juice into the bowl of your stand mixer
with the whisk attachment and set it to high. Whisk until soft peaks form.
Place your honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the honey becomes frothy or a candy thermometer reads 240F. Then with the mixer still running, slowly pour the honey into the bowl with the whipped egg whites. With the mixer still on high, continue beating for 20 minutes.
Your filling should look thick and glossy. If you want to get really fancy you can add a little bit of vanilla and cinnamon to the meringue while it’s beating. I didn’t think it needed anything extra but feel free to experiment! Playing around with flavors is the fun part of baking and cooking!
Once your pumpkin cookies have cooled completely, you can begin assembling your whoopie pies! This should give you about 15 whoopie pies. Hope these little treats enhance your fall!
If you’re in the mood for an ice cream sandwich, put a scoop of this Dairy Free Vanilla Cashew Ice Cream in between the cookies!
Looking for more fall treats?
If you’ve made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below!
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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (SCD and Paleo)
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 1 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
Meringue Filling
- 6 Tbsp egg whites at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2/3 cup honey
Instructions
Pumpkin Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl mix together the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir until well combined.
- The batter will be sticky! Use a tablespoon to drop batter 2 inches apart onto the lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies should be lightly puffed. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack or plate.
Meringue Filling
- In the bowl of stand mixer beat the egg whites and lemon juice until soft peaks form.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat cook honey until a candy thermometer reads 240F or the honey becomes bubbly and frothy.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium while slowly pouring the hot honey into the whipped eggs. Increase speed to high and allow to beat for 20 minutes. Meringue should look thick and glossy once done.
Assembly
- Ensure the pumpkin cookies and meringue are completely cooled before assembling the whoopie pies.
Notes
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Kathy Taylor
January 14, 2019 at 3:50 pmJust wondering if the almond flour and butter should be the other way around . It says 1 cup of almond butter and 1/4 cup of almond flour . Mine was the consistency of a thin smooth lol
Jennifer
January 15, 2019 at 7:12 amNope, the measurements are correct. If you used jarred almond butter and it hasn’t been properly stirred to incorporate the oil that sits on top then the almond butter itself can be very thin which will effect the outcome of the cookies.
Lauren
October 11, 2018 at 12:36 pmI made these and the whoopie pies/cookies are wonderful but the meringue filling did not set at all. I followed the recipe to a T and I’ve made Italian meringue before which requires a similar process. This meringue did not set. It was a soupy mess well before and after 20 mins of mixing. Disappointing!
Jennifer
October 19, 2018 at 12:38 pmI’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the cookies but oh no Lauren, sorry to hear that the meringue didn’t set up. I have two thoughts on what may have happened. The first is that the egg whites may not have been at room temperature (it’s much more difficult to get the whites to “fluff” up if they’re cold). My second thought is that the bowl of your mixer may have had some residual oils from a previous use. When making meringue it’s so important the bowl used is squeaky clean or your meringue won’t set. I’ll be sure to update the recipe with these tips!
Mary Cagney
November 23, 2018 at 2:09 pmI made the meringue, but it went to soup by the next morning. The cookies were a huge hit though.
Jennifer
November 25, 2018 at 7:56 amHi Mary! Meringue is a finicky creature, especially when made with honey. It’s typically best to make the meringue the day you’re planning on serving the cookies, as stated in the recipe card. Glad to hear everyone enjoyed the cookies!
Lauren
September 13, 2018 at 6:12 pmWhat kind of ginger? Ginger powder or fresh grated ginger?
Jennifer
September 14, 2018 at 7:21 amThanks for catching that Lauren! It takes ginger powder (ground ginger). I’ve updated the ingredients to clarify!
gonzalesb
December 12, 2017 at 10:32 amThey look fantastic! Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors and I am so excited to try these. I’ve never worked with almond flour before. Is it easy to use or do you have any special tricks when mixing or baking?
Jennifer
December 13, 2017 at 6:14 amThank so much! When it comes to almond flour, make sure you buy a bag that says it’s been finely ground and make sure to stay away from almond meal. It looks like the same thing but the meal is grainier and will throw off the consistency of the cookies and most baked goods. Bob’s Red Mill and Blue Diamond both have almond flours that I’ve had great success with! Good luck and feel free to reach out with any questions!
Victorien
November 16, 2017 at 12:45 pmThank you very much for the great recipe!
I just made the cookies yesterday and then put them in the dehydrater on high for 6 hours. They came out wonderful like gingerbread cookies, nice and crunchy!
I used half almond butter half hazelnut butter, just because I love hazelnuts. This time I made big cookies. Next week I am going to try and see if I can make really small ones to imitate Dutch “pepernoten”. They are a Dutch treat that I really miss since starting SCD 9 years ago and the cookies really resemble that taste.
Jennifer
November 16, 2017 at 1:44 pmI’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies! I LOVE that you put them in the dehydrator to make a crispy cookie, I’m going to have to try it!! Thanks so much for sharing Victorien!
Natasha
October 22, 2017 at 6:22 pmThey look delicious! I’m thinking of making the cookies alone with the filling. In the recipe notes, do you mean increasing the honey from 1/3 to 1/2 – instead instead of 1/4? Thanks
Natasha
October 22, 2017 at 6:23 pmMeant without the filing 😊
Jennifer
October 22, 2017 at 7:54 pmHi Natasha! Thanks for catching that typo for me, all fixed now! Yes, you want to increase the honey to 1/2 cup. Hope you enjoy! Come back and let me know what you think of them!
Sandi
October 13, 2017 at 1:00 amI love how soft these paleo cookies are in this whoopie pie recipe!