"whoopie pies" news and stories

Maine's official state dessert is up for debate -- and it's turning into a war of health vs. nostalgia. The legislature is close to passing a bill, L.D. 71, that would give the crown to the whoopie pie, a dessert that has a storied history in the state, reports the Kennebec Journal. But local nutritionists say the crown should go to wild blueberry pie, since the flavorful berries are abundant in the state -- and far healthier.

The Journal article reports that lawmakers don't want to be seen endorsing a high-fat treat. "At a time when 31.3 percent of Maine's children are considered overweight or obese, do we want to glorify a dessert that lists lard as its primary ingredient?" asked Rep. Donald Pilon.

Over the last decade, Amish communities have begun migrating southward. And much to the delight of locavores, they've brought their food traditions with them.

A recent report in The Tennessean suggests Amish breads, cheeses, pickles, jams and relishes are finding new fans in middle Tennessee. Non-Amish eaters who pointedly avoid preservatives are now regular customers at the nation's southernmost Amish produce auction and Michael Yates' Amishables in Brentwood, Tenn.

According to Yates, many of the goods he stocks could probably be classified as organic if Amish farmers cared about such certifications.

No, I'm not going to make a "making whoopee" joke, or even a whoopee-cushion joke. But it's pretty tempting. However, I will tell you that in a New York Times story about whoopie pies, it said, "food historians believe whoopie pies originated in Pennsylvania, where they were baked by Amish women and put in farmers' lunchboxes. Tired from a morning's work, the farmers purportedly would shout, "Whoopie!" if they discovered one of the desserts in their lunch pails." Really? This just reminds me of that Weird Al Yankovic video for "Amish Paradise."

Whether you're Amish or not, whoopie pies are fun food, and with this recipe from blogger fritesandfries, which includes a dash of Syrian Aleppo chile pepper in the buttercream filling, they're a touch spicy as well. And if you want to temper your fun with a little veg, try this recipe for a carrot-cake version.

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• Dumplings: They're not just for winter anymore.
• Papas arrugadas are, in essence, really just potatoes and salt -- but you've probably never had them quite like this before.
• The Delphine at the W Hollywood is "a little of the South of France in Hollywood." (Really want to feel like you're at the Riviera? Go for the bouillabaisse.)
• The wine of the week, the 2007 Viré-Clessé from Domaine de Roally, begs to be paired with a seafood dish.
• The prize for best new business name ought to go to Baking Whoopie. Just six months old, it's gaining a loyal following.

At some point in the last year, America's love affair with cupcakes started to cool off. We as a nation weren't thinking about cupcakes all the time. We didn't return the cupcake's calls as quickly as we used to. We just weren't that into cupcakes anymore.

It might have had something to do with cupcakes putting on airs. We could still recall a time when cupcakes were what your mom made for a kid's birthday party -- and not even her favorite kid. They were what you made when you couldn't be bothered to make a proper cake. How on earth could someone charge five dollars for one?

So we moved on. Sure, we still saw cupcakes sometimes, shared some jokes, maybe even a few nibbles. But when we went home and wiped that cream off our lips, we didn't feel that old frisson anymore.

Now we were making whoopie.