AHHH...THE NEWLY FAMOUS WHOOPIE PIE

It's not too often that a staple in the diet of parts of our country all of a sudden bursts onto the national scene as a wonderful "new find." Alas, that is the story of the WHOOPIE PIE, an age old treat in New England and the PA/OHIO area and for the most part unheard of across the rest of the country. For anyone who hasn't tasted one of these unique confections I can only say that you have a very special treat in store. While living on the west coast and also the midwest I had heard of Whoopie Pies but in all honesty didn't really know what they were and didn't even take the time to find out. However, since relocating to N. E. Whoopie Pies came to me and introduced themselves. Now I'm not usually one to pass up trying something new, especially a sweet, so of course I had to try one. Wow! They are even better than I was told to expect.

Recently Williams-Sonoma got on the band wagon and focused on these delightful sweets in a recent catalog so you can see that they are taking the country by storm. Their description defies standard terms as they can be called a cakelike cookie or a small flatish cake filled with delicious cream frosting. Any way you look at it Whoopie Pies are the current "new"specialty in the world of snack foods.

Oh, I should have said that usually they are chocolate with vanilla/marshmallow filling but of course many bakers have gotten creative so now you can easily find pumpkin, maple and even gingerbread. Fillings too have become creative with chocolate leading the way for alternatives.

I guess the bottom line is that you have to try one and then you will know what people are raving about. They make your mouth water for more and I, for one, will always have them on my list of favorite sweets.

Take care,
Pam