All Bets Are Off When September Rolls Around
August rolls around and I get heady when I see school supplies flooding the stores.
I start to dream about pick-your-own apple orchards in New England.
Families return to school and suddenly the atmosphere completely changes.
All bets are off when September rolls around.
Mornings begin to feel cooler. Nights carry sharper sounds. The air is electrified with new goals, new plans, and new routines.
The life-giving elixir of “pumpkin spice” floods every basic coffee shop and retailer across the country.
Then the euphoria builds. Come the third week of September, we finally get to say it. It’s officially autumn.
Happy Fall, Yall!
My family and I needed a change. I’d like to say that it is purely because we are adventurous and romantic daydreamers. Part of it was because of my health, I confess. I couldn’t stay in the desert anymore. Part of my heart will always linger there. I love Las Vegas and it will always be my home. But the heat and my lack of thyroid were no longer compatible.
We are now in the heartland, enjoying the gorgeous humidity and nature. Cooler temps? Check! Gorgeous views in every direction? Check! Autumn leaves? Double Check! Dear “framily” with whom to create even more lasting memories? Most definitely! (Vocab: Framily- friends who are basically your family.)
Creating New Traditions
I assure you, there is always a reason to celebrate in life. You don’t need media and major retailers to tell you. September 22 opens to the BEST time of the year: Autumn Equinox and then the Holiday Season. This important quarter of the year needs more recognition and love than it receives. After all, it brings us pumpkins, apples, sweet corn, falling leaves, chunky sweaters, and so much more! This deserves a celebration.
Did someone say Autumn Kickoff Party? My amazing bestie & family and our family did it. After so many years being more than a thousand miles apart, we are now in the same city and finding as many ways to celebrate life as possible. This time it was a sinfully delicious lunch of pumpkin gnocchi, a pear and gruyere salad, and scrummy cookies. Our children let their creativity run wild with the decorations while we grownups pretended calories do not exist. Honestly, life is wonderful. There’s always something to be happy about.
I’m pretty sure my sister from another mister would kill me if I took any longer to share this spiced pumpkin whoopie pie recipe, so please let me know if you’ve tried it. Tag me on your IG if you have a chance to make some. And I’ll post that gnocchi recipe pretty soon, too.
Happy fall, yall!
Spiced Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cheesecake Filling
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 whole eggs large
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract real, not imitation
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups flour, all-purpose 1:1 GF flour works just as well
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1/2 tsp ginger ground
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg ground
Cheescake Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened (try to get one with clean ingredients)
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract real, not imitation
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Whoopie Pie Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- Cream butter and sugar
- Add pumpkin puree, mix until smooth
- Add eggs and vanilla, mix until smooth
- In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time
- Once all ingredients are incorporated evenly, stop mixing. Do not over-mix.
- Spoon onto baking trays, trying to keep dough as evenly round as possible. Should be able to make a minimum of 12 cookies per tray.
- Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until lightly golden on bottoms.
Cheesecake Filling
- While cookies are baking, prepare cheesecake filling.
- In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.
- Add vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
- Add heavy whipping cream and mix until only just combined.
- Slowly add powdered sugar in half-cup increments until it reaches desired sweetness. You might not need all of it.
- Give the mixture one more good whipping to make sure it is nice and smooth.
- Spoon into a piping bag for easy assembly with cooled cookies. Do not fill until cookies are completely cooled.
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