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Home - Cake

Published: Oct 26, 2014 · Modified: Oct 6, 2021 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Caramel & Boozy Ganache

Jump to Recipe

Get your fall started with these pumpkin whoopie pies with caramel and boozy ganache! 

Pumpkin whoopie pies with a caramel glaze and boozy ganache filling - yes, please ! @cookiedesire

I adore whoopie pies. Whoopie pies are one of those childhood favorites that bring back such fun, carefree memories of being a little kid. There is no excuse for me not making them more often. The last time I made them was waaaaaay back when I first started the blog. They were these cute heart-shaped whoopie pies with the best raspberry whipped cream filling. Oh my god, that filling was the best. I ate it by the spoonful. It was an addiction. My sister had to take the bowl away from me. I cried. Well, I wanted to at least.

Le sigh.

Pumpkin whoopie pies with a caramel glaze and boozy ganache filling - yes, please ! @cookiedesire

To make up for the lack of whoopie pies in our lives, I've gone ahead and made some pumpkin whoopie pies with caramel with boozy ganache in celebration of Pumpkin Day which is today! Whoot whoot!

These pumpkin whoopie pies are seriously phenomenal. The cake is nice and moist and full of pumpkin flavor. Then it is brushed with a delicious caramel and filled with a boozy ganache. Oh, and did I mention that the ganache also has a bit of pepper in it for a bit of spice? I am telling you, this whoopie pie is no joke.

The ganache is spiked with a bit of honey bourbon, but a regular or cinnamon bourbon would really work well. I used dried Thai chili peppers because it's what I had available, but any dried chili should work just as well.

Pumpkin whoopie pies with a caramel glaze and boozy ganache filling - yes, please ! @cookiedesire

I found this recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies on Epicurious that got so many awesome reviews, that I had to use their pumpkin cake as the base. Best decision ever because it is probably the best pumpkin cake I've ever had. It is moist, sweet and has the perfect blend of spices. The caramel glaze leaves the edges of the whoopie pie just a little bit crunchy if you put just the thinnest layer on the pies (which was awesome because I was afraid it might make the cake get a little soggy.)

Pumpkin whoopie pies with a caramel glaze and boozy ganache filling - yes, please ! @cookiedesire

This is a ton of pumpkin goodness that is really a lot easier to put together than you might think.

 

 

Recipe Card

Pumpkin whoopie pies with a caramel glaze and boozy ganache filling - yes, please ! @cookiedesire

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Caramel & Boozy Ganache

Amanda Powell
These pumpkin whoopie pies are filled with flavors such as caramel, and a spicy boozy chocolate ganache. Perfect to celebrate Pumpkin Day!!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Inactive Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

For the Pumpkin Cake

  • 1 ½ cups 188 g all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup 200 g packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup 118 mL vegetable oil
  • 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Boozy Spicy Ganache

  • 12 oz dark chocolate
  • 2 teaspoons finely ground chili pepper
  • 1 ½ tablespoons bourbon honey and cinnamon bourbon work well here
  • ½ cup 125 mL warmed heavy cream

Caramel Drizzle

  • ½ cup [caramel sauce]
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
  • Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together. Whisk lightly to remove clumps.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining pumpkin cake ingredients until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until no lumps are present.
  • Scoop out two tablespoons of the batter and place on a baking sheet. Flatten. You should be able to fit about 9 large whoopie pies or 14 smaller ones on a baking sheet. Use a finger moistened with water to smooth out the tops of the pies. Alternatively, you may pipe out the pies using a plain tip.
  • Bake for about 14 - 18 minutes or until light and springy (my oven runs very hot and I found that the original minimum of 12 minutes to still be not nearly enough time). Take out and allow to cool completely.
  • While the cakes bake, make the ganache. Over a double boiler, add the chocolate and pepper. Mix together as the chocolate melts. In a seperate bowl, add the bourbon to the heavy cream and stir. Slowly add the bourbon mixture to the chocolate mixture. (Note: warmed heavy cream mixes better and creates a better consistency than chilled or room temperature cream). Set aside to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator to firm slightly - about 20 mins.
  • Make the caramel drizzle.
  • Using a pastry brush, brush the flattened sides of the whoopie pies with the caramel twice. You can also dip the pies in the caramel if you want more of a caramel flavor.
  • Scoop a generous amount of the ganache on half of the whoopie pie cakes, then gently place the remaining whoopie pies on top of the ganache-covered halves. Serve immediately, or keep in an air tight container for up to three days.
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

 

Pumpkin Doughnuts with Pumpkin Spice Caramel

A delicious seasonal Pumpkin Donuts with Pumpkin Spice Caramel Glaze |@cookiedesire

 

Pumpkin Bagtels with Cinnamon Ginger Crunch Topping

Pumpkin bagel recipe with ginger cinnamon sugar | @cookiedesire

 

Quinoa Pumpkin Spice Granola

Skinny Quinoa Pumpkin Spice Granola | @cookiedesire

 

If you want to check out some other delicious Pumpkin Day celebration goodness, check out these recipes below:

Pumpkin cheesecake bars from Roxana's Home Baking

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Biscotti from Happy Food Healthy Life

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filled Sugar Cookies from Food Faith Fitness

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies from It's Yummi

Caramel Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Lady Behind The Curtain

Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars from The Redhead Baker

Light Pumpkin Cookies w/Cream Cheese Frosting from Food Done Light

 

 

 

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About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says

    October 31, 2014 at 2:33 am

    I love all the flavors you have going on in here! These are pumpkin whoopie pies on steroids, and I'm just so into them. <3

    Reply
  2. Anna says

    October 28, 2014 at 3:45 pm

    Looks amazing!

    Reply
  3. Sarah Fuller says

    October 28, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    These whoppie pies look fantastic and I absolutely love your photography!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      October 28, 2014 at 3:56 pm

      Oh my gosh, thank you SO much! That means the world to me! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Christina @ Bake with Christina says

    October 27, 2014 at 10:38 pm

    You had me at boozy ganache! That sounds fantastic! Definitely have to try these soon!

    Reply
  5. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    October 27, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    These whoppie pies look incredibly delicious and moorish Amanda! I could definitely devour a couple right now - especially with all that boozy ganache.

    Reply
  6. Heather says

    October 27, 2014 at 10:20 am

    You had me at ganache. Pretty much any cookie with a chocolate filling has to be phenomenal!

    Reply
  7. Sarah | Broma Bakery says

    October 27, 2014 at 9:44 am

    Saw these on insta and was like I cannot WAIT to see these on the blog. Pumpkin and chocolate need to get married so they can be together forever. Don't you think?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      October 27, 2014 at 10:06 am

      Definitely. talk about soulmates. They need one of those annoying celeb nicknames. Pumplate? Chockin?

      Reply
  8. Ala says

    October 27, 2014 at 2:54 am

    HONEY BOURBON. Is that a thing?! I am so boozing up for this recipe. Game on--I love it, Amanda!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      October 27, 2014 at 7:21 am

      You betta believe it! Jack daniels makes a really nice one

      Reply
  9. Becca from ItsYummi.com says

    October 26, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    These whoopie pies sound amazing! I'd have to skip the booziness, but I bet they'd still be delicious without it!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      October 26, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      I made a non boozy and non spicy version for my daughter anc she loved it!

      Reply
  10. Love CompassionateLee says

    October 26, 2014 at 12:13 pm

    the boozy ganache sounds like the best part 🙂 Enjoy your Sunday, Amanda!

    Reply
  11. Christie - Food Done Light says

    October 26, 2014 at 10:47 am

    Your whoopie pies sound amazing! I love the ganache.

    Reply

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Hey, I'm Amanda!

I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a cookbook author, food science nerd, world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese.

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