Monday, September 12, 2011

Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I have quite a few friends that are gluten (wheat, barley, and rye) free so little by little I've been trying to experiment with different flours to get a go-to all purpose flour substitute. I've had great success with the following mixture, which can be subbed 1 to 1 for any all purpose flour. I make a big batch of this and just store it in my cupboard for whenever I've making something without gluten:

Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
2 cups brown rice flour

2/3 cups potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp xanthan gum


The recipe I made today is to die for. Not literally of course but seriously these are amazing in texture and flavor. Totally indistinguishable as gluten-free! This is a big smack in the gob from fall. If you have no desire to make them gluten free, feel free to use AP flour instead.


Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
adapted from Dreamy Desserts

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat together the sugars, oil, and pumpkin, adding the eggs one at a time and mixing well after. Add vanilla.

In another bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Add little by little to the wet ingredients just until combined.

Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag with a corner snipped off, pipe the mixture in concentric circles starting from the middle and moving outward until the discs are about 2 inches wide. I like to use parchment paper

Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.


Cream Cheese filling
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick of butter, room temperature
16 oz powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of cinnamon

Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece.