These Paleo Pumpkin Whoopie Pies recipe features soft, cake-like cookies sandwiched around a honey Italian meringue that has been whipped to an almost marshmallow fluff consistency! This fall treat is full of pumpkin flavor and is SCD, paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
These healthy pumpkin whoopie pies (well, healthier!) are my go-to fall dessert! I always feel like a little kid when eating these.
On their own the cookies aren't very sweet, which is perfect because having a really sweet cookie along with a sweet filling would just be too much!
The pumpkin cookies are made with a combo of almond flour and almond butter which give the cookies a puffy, cake-like consistency.
The thick and creamy honey Italian meringue is a bit of a process to make but totally worth it and tastes like a marshmallow filling!
This fall dessert is moist, tender, and practically melts in your mouth! It's a recipe you're sure to love.
Pumpkin cookie ingredients
- almond butter
- blanched finely ground almond flour
- egg
- honey
- pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- vanilla extract
- baking soda
- fine sea salt
- ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
Ingredient Notes:
If using jarred almond butter, ensure that it's very well stirred so that the oil that typically sits on top is completely incorporated.
Canned pumpkin should have only pumpkin listed in the ingredient list.
How do I make the cookies?
In the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the almond butter, egg, honey, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl whisk the almond flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet until just combined.
Use a tablespoon to drop the batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet about two inches apart. The batter will be VERY sticky.
Bake the cookies on the middle rack of your oven until puffed up and golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before filling with the meringue.
Speaking of meringue....
How do I make the meringue filling?
Place room temperature egg whites and lemon juice into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set it to high.
Whisk until soft peaks form.
While the egg whites are being whisked, heat honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it becomes frothy and a candy thermometer
reads 240F.
With the mixer still running, slowly pour the honey into the bowl with the whipped egg whites and continue beating on high speed for 20 minutes.
When done, the meringue should look thick, glossy, and have the consistency of marshmallow fluff.
I'll be the first to tell you that making traditional Italian meringue is tricky, making it with honey instead of white sugar is even trickier!
Have patience and check out my Honey Italian Meringue post for TONS of tricks and tips to make a foolproof meringue!
Assembling the paleo pumpkin whoopie pies!
Wait until the pumpkin cookies have cooled completely before placing a heaping tablespoon (or more) on the bottom of one cookie and topping it with another.
Tip
The pumpkin cookies can be made ahead of time, but it's best to make the honey Italian meringue and assemble the whoopie pies just prior to serving.
Do I need to use the meringue filling?
While I think the meringue is the best filling for whoopie pies, there are a couple other choices!
- You can sandwich some of my Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream between the pumpkin cookies for an absolutely amazing ice cream sandwich!
- Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream has more of a traditional frosting consistency and would be delicious with the cookies.
- If you're looking for even more fall flavor, this Pumpkin Buttercream Frosting is the way to go!
What if I just want to make the cookies?
If you want to enjoy just the cookies and not have a filling, then I suggest increasing the amount of honey in the pumpkin cookie recipe to ½ cup.
Looking for more healthy fall treats? These won't disappoint!
- Gluten-Free Pear Tart
- Cranberry Apple Crumble
- Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pudding
- Spice Cake with Pumpkin Frosting
- Pumpkin Blondies
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NOTE: If following the SCD diet, I suggest contacting the company to verify ingredients before using any prepackaged products.
This post was originally published in October 2017 and was updated with refined directions in September 2019.
Recipe
Paleo Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 1 cup almond butter, stirred well
- ¼ cup blanched finely ground almond flour
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
Meringue Filling
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ 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 slightly puffed. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack or plate to finish cooling.
Honey Italian Meringue Filling
- In the bowl of a 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 and 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 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.
- Place as much or as little meringue on the bottom of a cookie. Place another cookie on top and repeat the process until you've run out of cookies.
Notes
- If you want to make the pumpkin cookies without the meringue filling, I suggest increasing the honey in the cookie recipe from ⅓ cup to ½ cup.
- When making the meringue, it's important that the egg whites are at room temp. Also, the mixing bowl should be clean without any residual oil from previous use. Reference my Honey Italian Meringue post for more tips.
- The pumpkin cookies can be made ahead of time but it's best to make the meringue and assemble the cookies just prior to serving as the meringue tends to deflate over time.
- Fill the cookies with Cashew Vanilla Ice Cream for a yummy ice cream sandwich!
Emily
Can I use egg whites from a carton? Or should I use fresh? If so, what do you do with the yolks?
Jennifer Brown
Egg whites from a carton don't provide consistent results, so I definitely suggest using fresh egg whites. I typically add the leftover egg yolks into scrambled eggs or omelettes. I also have a recipe for Hollandaise Sauce https://thehealthierbite.com/blender-hollandaise-sauce/ and Lemon Curd https://thehealthierbite.com/paleo-lemon-curd/ that uses just the egg yolks. I hope this helps!
Shelly
If you are having trouble with the meringue try taking the honey closer to 150 degrees. Mine turned out with consistency of marshmallow cream. It’s texture is wonderful as a filling to the cookie. Thank you Jennifer I love the recipe.
Jennifer
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!!!
Kathy Taylor
Just 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
Nope, 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
I 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
I'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
I made the meringue, but it went to soup by the next morning. The cookies were a huge hit though.
Jennifer
Hi 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!
Laurie Lyman
Wiping the bowl and beaters with straight vinegar before use will remove all the grease or any oil in the bowl so you can whip your egg whites easily. Just pour some vinegar onto a paper towel and wipe them down. Let it dry for a couple of minutes and you're good to go.
Jennifer
Great tip Laurie!! Thanks for sharing!
Lauren
What kind of ginger? Ginger powder or fresh grated ginger?
Jennifer
Thanks for catching that Lauren! It takes ginger powder (ground ginger). I've updated the ingredients to clarify!
gonzalesb
They 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
Thank 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
Thank 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
I'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
They 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
Meant without the filing ?
Jennifer
Hi 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
I love how soft these paleo cookies are in this whoopie pie recipe!