I had my very first whoopie pie about ten years ago when I was in Boston, at a great bakery called Mike's Pastry. I think I was strung out on stress and fatigue from days of college scouting because as my family members and I opened our box of goodies to divvy up our treats of every variety, and someone "accidentally" took my whoopie pie, I threw a fit. Childish, immature, whatever. I had been eyeing that giant, creamy, pillowy, chocolate cakey, long-lost-relative-of-an-Oreo behind the glass with fervent anticipation. Have you ever seen a whoopie pie? A real, traditionally-made, towering sandwich of dark chocolate and cream? Well, if you're a chocolate fiend, like I am, restraint is difficult. Probably because my inner child comes out and I feel like I'm in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Flavor comes second to pure aesthetics and your head spins from all the stimuli. "The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!"
Annyyway, I got my pie (with a bite in it!) and it was still amazing—like a taste of heaven. But it was the last time I saw a whoopie pie until now. Whoopie pies are traditionally a New England dessert sometimes called gobs, black-and-whites, or bobs, which I didn't know but makes sense since every time I mention a whoopie pie here in California I get a blank look. Whoopee cushion? Whoopi Goldberg? Making whoopie? Noooo. Well, as I've been in the Halloween spirit lately and wanting to bake something new (and relatively easy), I picked up this month's Everyday Food and decided on some whoopie pie experimentation. They were loads of fun and tasted lovely but after all was said and done, I'd do a few things differently. I'd probably dye the cream a fun orange (or appropriate color for another holiday) instead of sprinkles. And, I'd probably use this recipe because of the rich chocolate cocoa powder and the marshmallow-y filling. That's how I remember it originally and the recipe I used wasn't nearly as impressive on the filling side. But so it goes.
The moist texture of the cakes comes from this secret ingredient: unsweetened applesauce. I'm sure everyone knows this and I'm alone in my bewilderment. I find it really weird but really fun when totally unrelated ingredients are thrown in a recipe. It was a good thing I actually looked at the list of items I needed before shopping at the market because I never would have guessed applesauce. Who buys applesauce? People who have kids or like pork chops. And who bake moist whoopie pies.
The recipe instructs to drop heaping tablespoons of the cake dough about two inches apart. Try to give them ample room because they really expand. And as you drop them onto the baking sheet, aim to make them as round as possible. I made the mistake of having a few oval-shaped cakes that looked like footballs as the end result.
My best advice for these pies is patience. Cool them COMPLETELY before spreading the filling and sandwiching or they'll break apart. Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes or so to harden them a bit.
The filling for this recipe is basically sugar butter. It kind of grossed me out at first until each part came together and complemented each other. The chocolate cakes have a chocolate flavor but it is very subtle, so the added super-sweet filling really works well. Still, I'd prefer more of a cream or marshmallow inside and a good couple inches of it.
I can't remember if these sprinkles are from Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table but you can find them at many specialty baking stores and on their site. It's a 6-mix assortment of nonpareils, confetti, and sugars that are just adorable. There's so much variety all in one awesome shaker. It's like that four-in-one pen you obsess over as a middle-schooler and hoard in your sticker-covered plastic pencil box, taking out only at the special time of secret note-writing. Or maybe that was just me. Well I think these sprinkles should be a staple in the baking kit. They also come in other holidays and themes—the possibilities are endless!
The little black sprinkles are bats but apparently not very obvious ones since I had to convince a couple taste-testers that they really were edible. This recipe didn't make a lot of filling so these sprinkles made a whoopie pie look like a venus flytrap or killer clam. That's okay though because it's Halloween!
Venus flytrap. I told you. I think everything would have worked out a bit better if there was more/better filling. Curses.
Add the nonpareils before the filling totally dries. These ones were bouncing all over the place so I man-handled them and dunked each pie individually instead of delicately sprinkling each edge. You can't show any weakness with sprinkles or they'll take you for all you've got.
As fun as sprinkles were, I think I'd either replace them or add to them with a fun food dye next time. Make the inside filling a bright orange or something. Like when Oreo makes their Halloween packages every year. Just seeing them on the shelves at the market gets me so excited. I love that. I love spirit.
I read on Epicurious that the pies are better the day after baking and I think they're right. Everything is kind of settled and the cake parts are a perfect texture. These pies would be great for a Halloween party or a school bake sale. Quick, easy and fun.
Cutest Venus flytrap I've ever seen.
Posted by: EB | October 09, 2008 at 03:55 PM
I saw this recipe and decided to make my own batch today...thanks to my hungry roommates they're already gone! Sooooo gooooood. Keep the recipes coming!
Posted by: alexandra | October 10, 2008 at 03:49 PM
I had never heard of a whoopie pie, but the name alone make it sound like something I need to try. Lovely photos. And I am thrilled at the snozzberries quote. Love that classic Wonka.
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 15, 2008 at 11:15 AM