The Amish go Hollywood? Baking Whoopie review
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When we were planning a menu for our Grease Musical Sunday party, we became stumped on the appropriate dessert. We wanted something sweet, maybe apple pie? No, we wanted chocolate for sure. Maybe ice cream? Too messy. How about cupcakes? So over done. Our answer appeared not as Frankie Avalon, but in the angelic form of Roxy Rubel, founder of the Los Angeles area company, Baking Whoopie, bearing a box of the latest tinseltown treats, the Whoopie Pie.
Roxy could not have found a better group of testers than our karaoke weary, Grease viewing crew. Little did she know she was delivering her homemade desserts to a house full of Pennsylvania people with Pennsylvania Dutch backgrounds! For many years, the Whoopie Pie was a regional treat, part of an Amish tradition that flourished in two American areas – central Pennsylvania and New England. I’m thrilled to find that thanks to Baking Whoopie this childhood favorite of mine is making a splash in the mainstream (and becoming a Hollywood fave in the process). A handheld, individual sandwich dessert consisting of two pieces of chocolate cake as the bread and gobs of sweet, creamy icing as the filling? Trust me, everyone should be eating Whoopie Pies.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can order online and receive a special delivery of these must-try treats from Baking Whoopie – they deliver locally to homes, studios and businesses and also offer catering for special events. (And keep your eyes peeled for retail locations to come.) Our Grease party wrapped up our festivities with a delivery of a beautifully packaged box of Whoopie Pies in a delicious and inspiring array of flavors.
My grandma, who first taught me how to bake these sweet treats when I was in second grade, would approve of New Hampshire native Rubell’s Classic Whoopie Pie (Belgian Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Marshmallow Crème). It has that perfect, almost dark chocolate taste and the firm texture required of the cake and a sweet, not overly done, creamy center. One bite and I was whisked away to a warm and cozy kitchen baking with my Grandma.
And, if this is your first taste of the Amish treat, you will soon understand where they got their name. Amish woman traditionally place this dessert in their husbands lunch pails. Legend has it, the men folk get so happy upon seeing the treat in their lunch box they shout “Whoopie!”
I was ready to shout with glee (maybe dance a jig) when I had a look at all the flavor variations offered by Baking Whoopie. With offerings like Red Velvet Mocha (Red Velvet Cake with Mocha Crème), Maple Cinnamon (Maple Cake w/cinnamon Crème), Lemon Ginger (Meyer Lemon Cake, Lemon Zest Crème) and Peanut Butter and Caramel (Peanut Butter Cake, Salted Caramel) it’s enough to make anyone start dancing with joy. The button-like chocolate drop in the center of many flavors of these cakes adds an extra sweet and unique touch to these all-American treats made with pride from Baking Whoopie.
Testers – did these little desserts have you whooping with joy?
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I was really expecting to be disappointed. I mean, whoopie pies west of the Mississippi? And gourmet? How dare they!?
Well, I’m glad they dared because these were pretty authentic tasting. When I heard “Belgian Chocolate and marshmallow creme” I said la-de-dah. Truly though, these taste like the classic whoopie pie, and for me there is no other. But that’s not to say the others weren’t good. I tried the red velvet/mocha one, too. I thought that would be too much chocolatey goodness for me. I was wrong. It may not be classic whoopie but it was a darn good dessert!
I thought I had a vanilla one, too. Did I? Do they exist? I was in a sugar zone and could have been dreaming. In any event, it was some happy California dreaming that I was doing…I clicked my heels a time or two, “there’s no place like home…there’s no place like home.”
These Whoopie Pies were very fancy! and very delicious! I hadn’t had a whoopie pie in awhile. the last time i had them i ordered them from Maine because i saw them on Oprah’s favorite things. The ones i had were just your classic chocolate cake and white frosting but not with these. I can’t even remember which flavors i had because i had a few but they tasted and looked great. This is such a better alternative and much more original idea instead of cupcakes or a cake.
Yum – I was very happy with the whoopie pies from Baking Whoopie! I’ve noticed a few places having “whoopie pies” for sale and the few times I’ve tried them, I was sorely disappointed…the creams are always way too marshmallow. But this place gets it right – this dessert is more on dry side (as in flavor not texture) then the sweet. Think of it as a cupcakes version of dark chocolate (whoopie pies) versus milk chocolate (a standard chocolate cupcake).
And, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the other flavors! While they weren’t technically a Whoopie pie, the flavors were great – especially the Red Velvet with white cream and my favorite (besides the Classic of course) a vanilla, banana and cream concoction that was scrumptious! I would happily order these for another dinner party – the individual, hand held servings are great and the pies look fantastic grouped together for serving. Or I could see me ordering a dozen for a fellow Pa native in need of some hometown treats!
.-= Tyna Werner´s last blog ..How to: have a Grease party =-.
Okay, these are different, so that means we have to try them! HA! We’re always looking for new yummy office treats, these may be on the hit list next. Especially since, they deliver. I’m hoping they’ll deliver to Orange County though. You have no idea what we eat around here on a daily basis.. It’s unbelievable! Our office of mostly skinny women will devour just about anything you throw at it. Oh, there’s only a couple of us healthy, stout women here too by the way.. HA! I just loose control easier I guess!
A born and bred New England native (and growing up just miles from our local Amish community), I was raised on Whoopie pies! While I didn’t get a flavor to review (just as well considering I can’t eat traditional ones anymore) my favorite version of the classic has always been pumpkin chocolate chip with a cream cheese frosting filling :)
Glad y’all enjoyed a taste of my childhood!
These tasted as good as they looked! Serious sweet goodness. I wanted to take a bite of each one and then put them back, but I fought the urge and went with the meyer lemon ginger one, and it was delicious. Very light on it’s sweetness. A good one to pick if you don’t want an overly sugary treat. But the Red Velvet was my personal star of the show.
If your impressed by how pretty they are, you will be equally blown away by the taste. YUM and 5 stars from me!
Amanda the pumpkin chocolate chip with a cream cheese frosting filling sounds amazing. Next time I’m near whoopie pies, thats the one I’m getting!! :)
Okay, Don’t know why, but I never ran into these Whoopie Pies on our many visits to Lancaster, PA- We lived in Northern NJ and went often on retreats where the Amish live.. Had plenty of Shoofly, Apple, and all kinds of berry pies.. How did I miss these? I got super curious and read the History of Whoopie Pies, New England Whoopie Pies – Amish Whoopie Pies.
Whoopie pies are considered a New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition. They’re one of Maine’s best known and most loved comfort foods. Mainers will even claim that they were weaned on whoopie pies. In Maine, these treats are more like a cake than a pie or a cookie, as they are very generously sized (about hamburger size). they’re so huge that you’ll want to share one with a friend. A big glass of milk is almost mandatory when eating a whoopie pie.
A whoopie pie is like a sandwich, but made with two soft cookies with a fluffy white filling. Traditional whoopies pies are made with vegetable shortening, not butter. The original and most commonly made whoopie pie is chocolate. but cooks like to experiment, and today pumpkin whoopie pies are a favorite seasonal variation.
The recipe for whoopie pies has its origins with the Amish, and in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, it is not uncommon to find roadside farm stands offering these desserts. Amish cooking is about old recipes that have fed families for generations, with no trendy or cross-cultural fusions or mixtures. These cake-like whoopie pies were considered a special treat because they were originally made from leftover batter. I love this part.. According to Amish legend, when children would find these treats in their lunch bags, they would shout “Whoopie!” They meant Yahoo not whoopie like the secular world thinks!
The question of how the Amish dessert got to be so popular in New England probably is addressed in a 1930s cookbook called Yummy Book by the Durkee Mower Company, the manufacturer of Marshmallow Fluff. In this New England cookbook, a recipe for Amish Whoopie Pie was featured using Marshmallow Fluff in the filling.
According to the Marshmallow Fluff website.