Whoopie Pies finally getting the recognition it deserves….
Today, I forget how, I ran across an article in the New York Times “Whoopie! Cookie, Pie or Cake, It’s Having Its Moment” that stopped me in my tracks. Just last weekend when we stopped at a local Amish Market I saw whoopie pies in their bakery section, and now here was an article in the Times.
A bit of Googling found a Wikipedia entry, a recipe at epicurious, a slew of recipes at Cooks.com, and a bit of history and another recipe at What’s Cooking America.
I grew up in Maine, born in Mexico, ME (yes, the place on the sign) and went to college and graduate school at the University of Maine in Orono. Whoopie pies are big in Maine. Most stores, bakeries, and Mom and Pops have (or had) them available. But mostly, I remember my grandmother made them. She didn’t make them often so they were a special treat. When I was an adult she gave me her recipe for them. I’ve made them myself a time or two but mostly when I’m missing home and family.
For me Whoopie Pies are a comfort dessert. There not something you actually see anywhere here in Maryland. At least they didn’t used to be. Last weekend I spotted them at the Amish Market and later at the bakery in Giant. I’ve been thinking about them ever since with a longing I can’t really express.
Mostly the longing is for my grandmother, who died several years ago. I still miss her more than I can ever really express. To sit and have a cup of tea or coffee and a whoopie pie and talk with her again would fill my heart to bursting with joy. So, I guess for me a whoopie pie is a tangible link with my past and the people who I now communicate with only in my heart.
I guess maybe I’ll go look up my grandmother’s recipe and think about tradition, family, and continuity on this the second day for Spring where we look forward to the new.