Celebrate the holidays with classic whoopie pies
Tinsel. Sparkling cider. Twinkling lights. Bright bows and curly ribbons. Mistletoe. Bubbly wine. Surrounded by those holiday trappings it's hard not to want to whoop it up this time of year.
Seems only fitting to get into the kitchen and whip up some whoopie pies.
This nearly century-old treat — traditionally a fluffy vanilla filling sandwiched between two chocolate caky cookies — has experienced a comeback this year with celebrity chefs like Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse sharing their takes on the treat. The whoopie pie renaissance even prompted Woodridge-based Wilton Industries to introduce a pan made especially for baking the small tender cakes.
Whoopie pies date back to the early 20th century and there's nothing pie-like about them. Culinary history places invention of the whoopie pie in Maine or Pennsylvania in the 1920s and legends tell of Amish children discovering these treats in their lunchboxes and shouting “whoopee!”
Marshmallow Fluff was an early addition to the recipe, its sticky sweet goo giving the filling the structure needed not to ooze out at first bite. Some recipes call for mixing your own marshmallow crème (corn syrup, sugar, egg whites), but when you can pick up a jar at the store I don't see the need to bother with homemade. (Most recipes I found call for the smaller (7-ounce) jar of Fluff. Buy the bigger jar and surprise your kids with fluffernut sandwiches while they're home for winter break.)
During this festive time the whoopie pies can be customized to fit the occasion. The filling, especially, can be flavored (try almond or raspberry extract or maybe a splash of Irish cream) or tinted and rolled in crushed candy canes or mini chocolate chips. The cake, too, can take on seasonal flavors of gingerbread, mint or pumpkin.
Now, do you really need a special pan? I don't think so. The batter is pretty thick and I found it difficult to spread to the edges of the cavity as instructed. When I didn't spread the batter and left a plop of batter in the center, I got a puffy muffin top-looking cookie. (Hey, there's an idea for the pan!)
It certainly does help to have a cookie scoop to ensure the same-shaped cookies, but just drop the batter onto parchment-lined (or sprayed) cookie sheets. A 1½-inch diameter scoop that holds about 2 tablespoons of batter creates a nice-sized treat that can be polished off in a couple of bites.