Whoopie Pies!
By Guest Jan Drexler
***Warning: No Diet Zone
ahead***
What? You’ve neverheard of Whoopie Pies?
You came here to be
educated, I hope. You are in the presence of a homeschool mom.
Whoopie Pies
originally came from the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The recipe
has travelled, changed, been tweaked, flavored and gigantisized to the point
that there are now two official versions – New England Style and Amish Style. The
difference between the two is that the New England Style is made with
marshmallow fluff as the filling.
That’s just crazy
talk.
(Unless you’re from
New England, of course.)
Back to the history
lesson.
Amish legend says the
treats got their name because when Amish school children found them in their
lunch pails, they would shout “whoopee!”
In western
Pennsylvania they call them “Gobs”, and have traditionally been a favorite of
miners.
…or anyone who likes
their cake with the frosting on the inside where it’s less messy.
And the State of
Maine has recently made them the official state snack.
(But remember, they
make theirs with marshmallow fluff, so does it really count?)
Of course, the only
true Whoopie Pie is the original Amish treat.
My recipe is from a
great book called “The Amish Cook”. It’s a collection of newspaper columns and
recipes written by an Old Order Amish woman from Indiana, Elizabeth Coblentz.
Elizabeth passed on several years ago, and the column is now being written by
her daughter, Lovina. Kevin Williams is the editor and English end of the
enterprise.
I’ve tweaked
Elizabeth’s original recipe a bit, but the method of making these treats is
still the same. If you want the original Amish taste and texture, use lard
instead of butter. Yes, they’re wonderful that way, but I don’t always keep
lard on hand. So I use butter. The cookies aren’t quite as light, but they
still have a good crumb and flavor. And that’s what’s important, right?
The pies consist of
two parts – the cake-like cookies and the filling. If you’re short on time, you
may want to make the cookies one day and the filling the next – although be
sure to keep the cookies away from your hungry family until you get the filling
made…
Whoopie
Pies (makes about 2 dozen
pies)
Cookies:
(makes about 4 dozen, you need 2 for
each pie)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup, minus 1 tablespoon milk
1 cup hot water
These cookies are made like a cake. To be successful in
getting the right texture, repeat the following to yourself as you’re mixing
the batter: “I’m making cake, not cookies. I’m making cake, not cookies. I’m
making cake, not cookies.”
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a measuring cup, add milk to one tablespoon apple cider
vinegar to make one cup, and let set for about five minutes to sour the milk.
Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until
the mixture is uniform in color.
In your mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla
together until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is
smooth.
Add the flour mixture and the sour milk alternately, about ¼
of each at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the hot water and
blend until smooth. You now have a thick, rich, chocolate cake batter.
Drop by tablespoon full, spaced apart, onto cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes, or until the top of the cookie springs
back when lightly touched.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing them to wire racks to
cool completely.
Filling:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups powdered confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk the flour into the one cup milk. Heat in a saucepan over
medium high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until thickened.
Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring
occasionally.
Meanwhile, soften the butter to room temperature. Cream
together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat
for 7 minutes, or until fluffy.
Fill your whoopie pies with the desired amount of filling,
and enjoy.
These are also great frozen! Just wrap each one in plastic
wrap and freeze.
[Editorial note from The Belle: Oh. My. Stars. Look at that last photo!!! Is your mouth watering, too?]
