The Mystery of Whoopie Pies
Whoopie pies are also known as sweet scooter pies, chocolate drops, round dogs, cream cakes, gobs, moon pies, black moons.
Origins of these names are still murky. Legend has it that Amish mothers packed these pies in their children’s lunch boxes. Of course, the kids screamed, “whoopie”, when they opened their lunch boxes and saw these delicious treats.
Neither cakes nor sandwich cookies by any true sense, whoopie pies are very well-liked in Northeastern part of the United States.
To achieve the traditional round shape and light texture, use vegetable shortening instead of butter.
You can also make the “cake” part in advance and freeze them for up to a month. But once assembled with your favorite filling, they are best eaten within the day of making them.
Before checking out these recipes for whoopie pies: Pumpkin, Cheddar Cornbread, Chocolate, you are invited to view the following images of 2012 Crisco Pie Championship and festival.
A display table of commercially-made pies of all possible flavors
A cream cheese pumpkin pie
More pies of different flavors
Crisco Pie Festival
Whatever the flavor may be, the key to a perfect pie is a great crust. Here are a few tips for a greatly flaky pie crust:
- Mix in only a third of the flour to the butter mixture first to prevent the formation of gluten. The high ratio of fat coats the flour and weakens any individual strand of formed gluten. Then, very gently mix in the rest of the flour.
- Avoid disposable aluminum foil pans because they are not good at conducting heat and may prevent the bottom crust from crisping up. Use either black pie pans or Pyrex glass pie dishes.
- Brush a little egg white on uncooked bottom pie dough to create a barrier that prevents some of the moisture from seeping through into the crust.
- Use a combination of butter and a shortening such as lard. Butter is for flavor and lard for tenderness and flakiness.
- Bake the pie on the bottom oven rack or, if possible, atop a baking stone to ensure a nice, crispy crust.
- Bake the pie thoroughly before removing it from the oven. Your signal for doneness is a good golden-brown coloration over the entire top.
- If you must pre-bake the bottom crust, remember to cover it with aluminum foil and baking beads to hold it in place.
Easy Cookie Recipes | Top of Whoopie Pies |