“Legend has it WHOOPIE PIE got its name from kids who would find the cream-filled chocolate cake in their lunch boxes and excitedly yell “Whoopie!”

5,000 Awesome Facts, fact # 26 of 35 of Decadent Desserts, National Geographic

A whoopie pie is “an American baked confection that may be considered either a cookie, pie, sandwich, or cake. It is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of cake — usually chocolate, but sometimes pumpkin, gingerbread or other flavored cakes — with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoopie_pie)

The whoopie pie has many disputed beginnings. It was said to begin in its first documentation in the “Yummy Book” in 1931, but is to be said to date further back than that to the 1920’s. https://www.tastingtable.com/849143/the-disputed-history-of-whoopie-pies/, but Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania have claimed the first inventors of the whoopie Pie.

In Pennsylvania, the whoopie pie is called “Gob”, trademarked by Tim Yost in 1980, the owner of Dutch Maid Bakery in Johnston.

In 2011, Maine designated the whoopie pie as the official state treat, and the largest whoopie pie made there weighed 1,062 lbs. Pieces of the pie were broken up, sold to be sent to soldiers serving overseas. The previous winner was in PA, weighing in at 200 lbs.

Maine is also known for the “Maine Whoopie Pie Festival” since 2009, whereas in 2014 more than 7,500 people showed up. (https://www.mainewhoopiepiefestival.com/) Festivities include a 1k/3k run, Kids activities, a Burns Bear chainsaw carving demo, a magic show, wrestling and various levels of a whoopie pie eating contest.

The whoopie pie filling is usually a marshmallow, buttery cream frosting, and can have other flavors like pumpkin and vanilla.

There are so many recipes for the whoopie pie. One recipe from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10016/whoopie-pies-i/ goes as follows:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup UNSALTED butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated or brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temp

Filling ingredients;

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
• 2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

First start by making the cakes. To do so, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, and then set aside. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper. Then, in a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle, cream butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, or when light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, then mix in buttermilk. Slowly add dry ingredients and mixed until fully combined. Scoop about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons spaced 2-3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees or until the tops spring back when touched. Let them cool.

Second the filling is made by mixing all ingredients together until creamy and fluffy, adding heavy cream or milk if too stiff. Spread the filling on half of the cookie and then sandwich with another cookie. Store in the fridge for up to a week, well covered, and serve at room temperature.

Classic, original recipes for the frosting use shortening instead of butter which gives it a super light and fluffy texture that sticks well to the cake.

You can use a boxed cake mix for recipes, with the frosting made the same way or differently for a faster result.

The story goes that Amish cooks in Colonial America would use the leftover batter from making cakes and would pack the pies in lunches for their children and spouse. Upon finding the small cakes they would exclaim “Whoopie”.

Whoopie pies are a tasty treat enjoyed by both kids and adults aside from origins and different recipes.