Cakespy on Why Whoopie Pies Ain't All That
Photograph from The Cooking of Joy
Cakespy's Jessie Oleson gives the "whoopie pies are the next big thing" movement a good ol' Bronx cheer:
Problem one: The Stupid Name. There's no delicate way to say it: Whoopie Pie is a stupid-sounding name. For me, "whoopie" conjures up goofy images of sexual reference on the Newlywed Show and cushions that make farting sounds. I don't know about you, but even adding "pie" after it doesn't serve to cancel out these associations or change them to "irresistible dessert".
Ms. Oleson also has problems with "the cute factor" (not much, she says) and their size (too big). I, for one, would still rather eat, look at, or read about whoopie pies than, say, cupcakes.
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14 Comments:
I've loved Whoopie Pies my whole life, and where I'm from Whoopie Pies are a huge deal considering this is where they originate from. Shoo-Fly pie and Opera Fudge also originate where I'm from so there are plenty of great sweets around!!
KWBrown at 6:29PM on 07/29/09
i would rather read and eat and talk about pocket pies. sweet and savory. a pie without crust is not a pie!
al oof at 7:47PM on 07/29/09
WHAT! Whoopie pies are way awesome. I like all sandwich like things.
marchpane at 7:56PM on 07/29/09
OK, so you'd rather eat a whoopie pie (stupid name and all!). But it's got me wondering about how we might prove which dessert is truly the strongest in this epic battle for the public's affections. Perhaps there are more scientific ways to prove which is the strongest dessert-- seeing which one fares better when dropped off of a 10 story building...or which one looks better after being run over by a car? Watch out, I've got my cake science hat on.
cakespy at 8:00PM on 07/29/09
Whoopie pies are a favorite, wonderful, treat from my childhood. My best friend fron childhood still reminds me of the wonderful times we had coming home from school to a plate of wonderful, yummy whoopie pies that my mom had made for us. After 30 years I spent the month of December, 2008 baking whoopie pies to get the recipes just right. b Whoopie pies are the best comfort food there is!
Lady Bear at 8:29PM on 07/29/09
My wife made the Cook's Country recipe last year, and they were quite tasty. But the texture from homemade was bit too soft, not enough chew in the filling for me. They were actually better semi-frozen a few weeks later.
peekpoke at 9:20PM on 07/29/09
Cakespy--if we were to hold an epic dessert battle, what would be the criteria? I'm thinking: Flavor, Aesthetics, Portability, Value, and maybe Nostalgia?
fiftycenthotdog at 12:28AM on 07/30/09
i have to agree... call me uptight, but the name always makes me cringe.
redzerostar at 1:12AM on 07/30/09
No more than cupcakes and that way overplayed trend.
JerzeeTomato at 2:04AM on 07/30/09
my mother--who normally isn't as someone recentley said a "backseat eater" would always tell me that woopie pies were "a waste of calories" and that i should just have some good chocolate cake instead.
veggieout at 5:24AM on 07/30/09
I'd rather have a cupcake.
Amandarama at 9:33AM on 07/30/09
cakespy is obviously not a new englander. whoopie pies conjure up memories of church bake sales, special stops on road trips and coffee milks for me!
dmarina at 12:29PM on 07/30/09
What if they were called "whoop-ass pies" instead?
jourgy at 3:47PM on 07/30/09
I grew up on Whoopie Pies as a kid visiting my grandmother in Maine. Jessie Oleson wouldn't know a real Whoopie Pie from a hole in the wall, or so it seems. some of the pies in those pics weren't even cooked properly. one had a crack in the cake. WTF?! A good Whoopie Pie should have a gooey cake that leaves almost a quarter of an inch of finger licking goodness on your fingers. Too large to eat at one time? doesn't this person know that Whoopie Pies come in different sizes. My grandmother made them in small serving sizes that were perfect. In Amish country their huge so you get more band for your buck, and I hate to say it Amish folk, my grandmother's put your to shame. It's sad that she passed away. I have never had a better Whoopie Pie, and I say that without biase. My mother has the recipe, but nobody can make it like grandma could. She new exactly when to pull the cakes out of the oven, and the perfect sweetness to the cream in the middle. The world just isn't the same without he Whoopie Pies. God rest her soul.
Raiders757 at 4:24PM on 07/30/09