• Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Make pumpkin cookies

• In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.  Whisk and set aside.
• To the bowl of a stand mixer (or another large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer), add melted butter, oil, and brown sugar and beat on LOW speed until combined.
• Add in eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla, and beat about 1 minute.
• Add in the flour mixture in thirds, beating on MED LOW speed until just combined after each addition.  The mixture will look like thick cake batter at this point.
• Use a small cookie scoop or 1 Tbsp measuring spoon to scoop dough onto baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes.  When done, the tops of the cookies should spring back when touched lightly.
• Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting.

Make browned butter maple frosting

• In a small saucepan over MED LOW heat, add 5 Tbsp butter.  Continue heating the butter, low and slow, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will melt, then get foamy, and then as it begins to brown, the foam will start to recede to the outer edges of the saucepan and you can see the milk solids from the butter turning a light golden brown color.
• Set saucepan off of the heat to cool for about 15 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer), add the cream cheese.  Add cooled browned butter and beat on MED speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add in maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves and mix on LOW until just combined.
• Add in powdered sugar in thirds, beating after each addition.

Assembling whoopie pies

• Take one cooled cookie and spread about 2 tsp of the frosting over the flat surface.  Top with another cookie.  Repeat with remaining cookies and frosting.
• Place whoopie pies on a wax paper lined baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.