I know this sounds high and mighty, but it’s not. I was just now driving home from having breakfast with my mom, and I was trying to figure out why she was so happy about our time together.
She thanked me when I got to her place. She thanked me when we sat down in the restaurant. She thanked me on the way home. She thanked me when I left her as she joined a group of friends who were doing a service project together. And that’s not nearly all of the thank yous she expressed this morning.
We didn’t talk about big stuff while we ate. She’s aged pretty much, so cutting up a waffle is kind of a big undertaking for her. It takes enough concentration that she can’t really converse much while that’s underway.
The food was good, but that wasn’t the source of the gratitude she kept trying to convey.
Continue Reading...
We here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have always considered ourselves the Whoopie Pie capitol of the world.
Okay, the facts are a little thin, but Whoopie Pies have been a fixture here for a very long time. I mean, we even have a little company in our neighborhood who makes just the Whoopie Pie filling and sells it in big tubs. That means there’s a high demand for the creamy frosting from both home bakers and commercial bakeries in these parts. You don’t have to search hard for Whoopie Pies around here.
Sure, Boston has been acting like they first thought up Whoopie Pies. And now Maine’s claiming WPs as their official state dessert.
Lancaster’s newspaper thinks it’s tracked down the real founders of WPs, including how the delightful 4-bite sandwich cookie got its name.
Read the story here:
Why am I feeling like this may not be the end of this story?
Folks, here’s a from-scratch recipe for Chocolate Whoopie Pies, plus their Filling—straight from one of the places where we’re really, really sure they originated!
Whoopie Pies
The Best of Amish Cooking, page 160
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 cup baking cocoa powder (or Dutch cocoa powder)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sour milk*
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup hot water
1. Cream sugar and shortening together. Add eggs.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with sour milk.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add to mixture. Mix batter well.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
8. Make sandwiches from 2 cookies filled with Whoopie Pie filling.
*If you don’t have sour milk sitting in your fridge, you can make your own. Pour 1⅓ Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar into a 1-cup measure. Fill the cup with milk. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir again before using.
Whoopie Pie Filling
2 egg whites, beaten
4 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups confectioner’s sugar (divided)
1 ½ cups shortening
1. Mix together egg whites, milk, vanilla, and 2 cups confectioner’s sugar.
2. Beat in shortening and remaining confectioner’s sugar.
3. Spread dab of filling on flat side of cooled cookie. Top with another cookie to form a sandwich.
|
9 Comments