Welcome to October! The leaves are changing, there’s a nip in the air, pumpkins are everywhere and Halloween Time has come to the Disney Parks.
Of course, we’ve been diving straight into “Pumpkin Spice Season” for a few weeks now.
Well, that isn’t stopping yet.
Today, we bring you a wonderful new Disney Dish that you won’t find in the parks. However, it is Mickey shaped (which automatically makes everything taste better) and it’s a recipe that you can get the whole family involved in creating.
So gather up your little jack-o-lanterns and let’s start making Pumpkin Mickey Whoopie Pies.
Our Ingredients
The components for our Pumpkin Mickey Whoopie Pies are, once again, pretty traditional for a pumpkin based recipe.
Since this is, technically, a cookie, we will be needing items to help with the leavening. In this case, those will be the inclusion of both Baking Powder and Baking Soda. The butter will help make sure our cookies are soft and fluffy, as well.
The filling is a traditional Cream Cheese Frosting, so you will need Cream Cheese (of course) and a large amount of Powdered Sugar. Or you can just go ahead and buy a pre-made frosting. But, what fun is that?
As far as not-so-traditional cooking equipment, we will be using a Pastry Bag with a medium-sized round tip. However, we know not everyone has one of those just lying around in their kitchen. So, you can also use a couple of large plastic bags with a corner cut off, if need be.
Cookie Time!
We need to start with our cookies. That means baking. So, we begin by pre-heating our oven to 350ºF.
Meanwhile, add the Butter and Brown Sugar to a large electric mixing bowl on medium speed and cream together. Then add the Egg, Pumpkin Purée, and Pure Vanilla Extract and mix until well combined.
Next, place the All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, and Salt in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Fold the Flour Mixture into the Pumpkin-Butter Mixture until just combined.
Mickey Time!
Now it’s time to start creating our Mickey cookies. Start by placing a sheet of Parchment Paper on a Baking Sheet and coat it lightly with Cooking Spray or a light brush of Vegetable Oil.
Next, add the Pumpkin Batter to a Pastry Bag (or large plastic bag with one corner cut off). Squeezing gently, add about a 2 1/2 inch “blob” of the dough to the baking sheet, making sure to leave enough space between each of the cookies for it to expand during baking. Continue until you have an even amount of cookies on the sheet. (This recipe should make about 16, depending on the size you make them)
You’ll then want to flatten each “cookie blob” slightly. Since the dough will be a little sticky, at this point, you can use a spoon or spatula lightly coated with cooking spray to help make the process easier.
Get your ears on!
If you prefer, the shapes you’ve already created are perfect for traditional whoopie pies. However, these are Pumpkin MICKEY Whoopie Pies! That means we need to add Mickey’s signature ears.
This is simply done by gently squeezing out smaller “cookie blobs” on the top of the larger base just like in the picture above. You’ll then want to repeat the “flattening” process on the ears, again, using the back of a spoon or spatula.
Once you have all of your Mickeys ready to go, place them in a 350ºF oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you can lightly press on the center and the surface will, sort of, spring back from your touch.
Move to a baking rack and cool completely.
Filling Time!
While our cookies are cooling, it’s time to make the filling for our Pumpkin Mickey Whoopie Pies. Start by adding the Cream Cheese and Butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together until completely combined. Next, add the Pure Vanilla Extract and the Powdered Sugar and mix until fully incorporated and creamy.
Once the cookies have completely cooled, it’s time to put our Pumpkin Mickey Whoopie Pies together. Pair off the cookies, trying to keep them as close in size as possible. Place them face down, like in the above photo.
Meanwhile, add the Cream Cheese Frosting to either a Pastry Bag with a small, rounded tip or a large plastic bag with one corner cut away. Gently squeeze the filling on to one of the cookies, like in the picture below, making sure to also add a little bit to the ear sections.
Then, place the other cookie on top and press together lightly until the filling is squeezed to the edges. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Our Conclusion
I thought the Pumpkin Cheesecake would be difficult to top as my favorite Pumpkin based dessert recipe we’d be doing on this site. However, this may have just done that.
It’s very similar to the flavor profile of a traditional carrot cake. Which happens to be one of my favorite desserts. So this Disney Dish really speaks to me.
The cookies are light and spongy with a wonderful brown sugar, pumpkin and spice flavor that can stand up on it’s own. Then you get the gorgeous, richness of the cream cheese filling. It’s sweetness also provides a fantastic contrast the cookie’s spice while the light tang from the cream cheese balances the entire dessert.
It’s yummy, it’s fun, it’s pumpkin, and it’s Mickey. What more could you ask for?
Get the family together and make this Disney Dish this weekend!
If you have any questions about this or any of our recipes, just hit us up below in the comments. You can also reach us through our Contact Us page or through email.
Pumpkin Mickey Whoopie Pies
Makes approximately 8 completed cookies
For the Cookies
- ½ cup – Unsalted Butter – Softened
- 1 cup – Brown Sugar
- 1 cup – Pumpkin Purée
- Egg
- 1 tsp – Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp – Cinnamon
- 2 cups – All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp – Baking Soda
- 1 tsp – Baking Powder
- ½ tsp – Salt
- 1 tbls – Granulated Sugar
- 1 ½ tsp – Ground Cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8oz – Cream Cheese – Softened
- ½ cup – Unsalted Butter – Softened
- 1 tsp – Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups – Powdered Sugar – Sifted
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF
- Cream together the Unsalted Butter and Brown Sugar with an electric mixer
- Add Pumpkin Purée, Egg, and Pure Vanilla Extract and mix until completely combined
- Meanwhile, add the All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon and Salt to a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine
- Fold the Flour Mixture into the Pumpkin-Butter Mixture until the dough just comes together
- Place a sheet of Parchment Paper to a Baking Pan and lightly coat with Cooking Spray or Vegetable Oil
- Spoon the Cookie Dough into a Pastry Bag with a medium-sized rounded tip or a Large Plastic Bag with the corner cut away
- Gently squeeze out an even amount of cookie dough “blobs” that are about 2 1/2″ in width
- Using the back of a spoon, lightly coated with cooking spray, press down on the cookie dough to flatten
- Add two more smaller cookie dough “blobs” to the top of each larger cookie to form the ears and, again, flatten with the back of a spoon
- Bake in a 350ºF oven for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the center of each cookie springs back when lightly pressed in the center
- Place on a baking rack and cool completely
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the softened Cream Cheese an Unsalted Butter in an electric mixer and cream together
- Add the Pure Vanilla Extract and sifted Powdered Sugar and beast until the mixture is completely combined and creamy
For the Pumpkin Mickey Whoopie Pies
- Once the Cookies have completely cooled, pair them off trying to match them as closely in size as possible
- Add the Cream Cheese Frosting to a Pastry Bag with a small, rounded tip or a large Plastic Bag with a corner cut away
- Gently squeeze the filling on to the bottom of one of the Cookies
- Add the other half of the Cookies to the top and lightly press until the filling spreads just to the edge of the Whoopie Pies
- Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator
Be sure to check out our other Disney Dishes
The Pumpkin Cheesecake from Disney Cruise Line
Pumpkin Beignets from Café Orleans
Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf
Croissant Doughnuts from Epcot
Avocado Margarita from La Cava del Tequila
Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich from Red Rose Taverne
Wild Mushroom Risotto from Palo
Cheeseburger Pods from Satu’li Canteen
Lobster Nachos from Lamplight Lounge
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter
S.E.A. Shu Mai from Jungle Navigation Company LTD Skipper Canteen
Hoisin Sticky Spare Ribs from Morimoto Asia
Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb from Blue Bayou Restaurant
Peanut Butter Blondies from Sweet On You