Move over cupcakes…Whoopie Pies are the new darling!

We Southerners grew up on moon pies, but whoopie pies were the sweet treats of choice for our New England cousins. Not pies at all, they are small, round sponge cakes that are baked like drop cookies and sandwiched together with fluffy frosting.

The original whoopie pies had humble beginnings in Pennsylvania Amish country. Legend tells us that cooks would bake up leftover cake batter into cookies for their husbands’ lunch boxes; the lucky person who found their cake-like sandwich would yell “whoopie!”.

Whoopie pie mania has accelerated over the past few years, showing up in waves across the country from country restaurants and convenience stores to specialty food shops and boutique bakeries. Migrating to England last year, they took Britain’s most chic bakery counters by storm, outselling cupcakes and doughnuts.

The original whoopie pie was chocolate with a white frosting filling, arguably made from butter, confectioners’ sugar, and marshmallow fluff.  We dress up this chocolate cake sandwich with a cranberry cream frosting; Truffle Whoopie Pies with Cranberry Cream Filling are beautiful individual desserts for a party.

But whoopie pies now come in all sizes and flavors.  For the fall, Spiced Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies and Coconut Whoopie Pies make perfect pick-up treats for a tailgate party, box lunch picnic, or any other cool weather gathering. For the holiday season, Peppermint Crunch Whoopie Pies are a must and we wouldn’t be southern without mentioning what we now consider our own queen of the whoopie pies…the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie. Perfect for any time of the year!