Where do whoopie pies come from?

I’m venturing into dangerous waters here, I realize that. I’ve already received a few, shall we say insistent emails from Mainers since Friday. Since then I’ve been searching doggedly for historical material on whoopee pies…and have mostly come up empty. Which is not to say I haven’t found plenty of audacious (read: made up) stories about them.

Pennsylvanians claim whoopee pies are the invention of the Pennsylvania Dutch, i.e. Amish, i.e. German-speaking (“Deutsch”) housewives whose husbands shouted “whoopee” on discovering them in their lunch pails. Mainers claim whoopies were invented in a commercial bakery there —

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Fingers Typed Down to Nubs

I want to thank everyone who’s joined in to Joe Pastry since last week. I’ve been so busy responding to new reader comments and emails that I’ve barely been able to blog! I think I’m pretty well caught up now, but I just wanted to say that if there’s anyone out there who hasn’t received […]

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What on Earth is a whoopie pie?

Nice question, reader Ian. I’m sure there aren’t any in Australia. Up until recently there weren’t many outside of Pennsylvania and the New England region of the US. I’d never seen or heard of one until I started working at suburban Chicago bakery around ten years ago. Then, whoopie pies were considered quite exotic things in the Midwest. These days, however, just about every serious baker and/or sweet eater in the US has at least heard of a whoopie pie, as they’ve become quite the trendy item the last 5 years or so.

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Next Up: Whoopee Pies

The Baker in Need posts have prompted many, many requests for whoopee pies. Far be it from me to ignore the voice of the people — so whoopee pies it is! Oh and, sorry for the slow start after my return from Florida. I had a ton of commentary and email awaiting me. Back on Monday […]

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Lazy Man’s Journal: On Lightweight Mixing Bowls

Pinterest fans may have noticed that I’ve recently struck out in a new direction there. I’ve started a few boards, one of which contains gear I like and/or that people have given me to evaluate (so far no high-performance automobiles, but I’m trying to stay optimistic). One of the few pins that’s up there now is a set of plastic (really melamine) bowls that the good folks at Trudeau sent over a few months ago. It’s inspired a few questions, like: what’s wrong with crockery or stainless steel?

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Thanks to Smitten Kitchen!

Deb over at Smitten Kitchen was making knishes this week, and said some vey nice things indeed about yours truly! Thanks Deb, those knishes look fantastic. I’ll be trying some of those improvisations — probably this weekend!

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Baker in Need Update

Reader Stuart writes to say that whoopee pie baker Beryl met and exceeded her $8,500 fundraising goal and was able to buy her used oven. Many thanks to all the generous souls who donated. Ya done good, JP readers!

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Later, Gators!

I’m off to Florida for five days for a little seafood and relaxation. It’ll be the first time the girls have been on a plane or seen the ocean. Little 5-year-old Joan is excited to go, but says she’s worried about being “tasted” by a shark. We’ll see if I can get her in the […]

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