Halloween Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until thoroughly combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg, and vegetable oil until well mixed.
4. Add orange food coloring to the wet mixture if desired, then add the flour mixture and stir with a whisk until evenly combined. Add more orange coloring for a deeper color.
5. On one prepared baking sheet, drop 10 portions of batter, each about 1½ tablespoons, spaced evenly. Use a damp finger to gently flatten and round each portion.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges just start to turn slightly golden brown, about 18 minutes. Remove the pan but keep the oven on. Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Portion another 10 cookies onto the second baking sheet as in step 5. Stir brown food coloring into the remaining batter, then transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a fine round tip (or into a sealable plastic sandwich bag and snip off a tiny corner).
8. Use the brown batter to pipe Halloween designs onto the 10 portioned cookies on the second sheet.
9. Bake these cookies in the preheated oven until the edges just start to turn golden, about 18 minutes. Cool on the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. While the cookies cool, make the frosting. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high until smooth, light, and fluffy. Refrigerate the frosting to firm slightly before piping.
11. Spread frosting evenly onto the 10 undecorated cookies (from the first batch), then top each with a decorated cookie from the second batch. Refrigerate the assembled whoopie pies until thoroughly chilled before serving.