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Whoopie pies becoming a West Coast sensationSunday, June 27, 2010   Whoopie Pie Not too long ago I was eating at Bruno's in San Francisco with a couple of pals. For dessert we ordered whoopie pies. None of us really knew what a whoopie pie was, but the name sounded too fun to pass up. "I'm pretty sure it's like a moon pie and it's Southern," I said, showing how clearly misinformed I was. Pretty soon I started seeing them everywhere in the Bay Area: on restaurant menus, in bakery cases and on grocery store shelves. I wondered, "Could this be the new cupcake (for some bizarre reason food writers are always trying to usurp the cupcake)?" Later, I found out that whoopie pies are actually a New England treat - a hamburger-size cookie sandwich, where the cookie is cake-y rather than crisp, and the filling is light and moist. It may or may not have originated from Pennsylvania Amish country. But how had they migrated West, and why now? My brother lives in New England, so I gave him a call. "What's up with this whole whoopie pie thing?" "Look, it was bound to happen," he replied. "We already brought you our chowder, our baked beans, our lobster and cod." I shot back, "Why am I even asking you? You're a television sportscaster who wears makeup and would eat dirt if it was sprinkled with sugar," and hung up. I continued my quest by doing what I do best - eating and asking lots of questions. I gathered up all the whoopie pies I could find and brought them back to The Chronicle's test kitchen to dissect them. The best ones were moist, with a balanced, creamy filling. The bad ones were too sweet and reminded me of Hostess Devil Dogs. More cake than cookieAmy Treadwell who, along with Sarah Billingsley, wrote "Whoopie Pies," a cookbook published this year by Chronicle Books (not affiliated with this newspaper), says the traditional whoopie is composed of marshmallow creme filling sandwiched between two chocolate cookies (see recipe). She uses the term cookie loosely, because whoopie pies are more cake-like than cookie, and nothing like a pie - go figure. "Not all cookie sandwiches are whoopie pies," she says. "An Oreo, for instance, would not fall under the whoopie pie category. There should be no crunch. But all whoopie pies are cookie sandwiches." Treadwell, who is from Massachusetts, and Billingsley, from Pennsylvania, grew up on the stuff. Both now live in the Bay Area and thought it was high time to shine a spotlight on the cookies that brought them so much joy as children. And the timing couldn't have been better - last year the New York Times reported that the nostalgic treats were making a comeback on the East Coast. Soon, bloggers, Facebookers and Tweeters were pronouncing them the next big thing. The first printing of Treadwell's and Billingsley's book sold out before it was officially released, Treadwell says. Whoopie pies had even begun making their way to Harrods in London. Gobs of gobsAbout the same time as the Times' story came out, Steven Gdula, a Pennsylvania transplant and food writer, found himself in the Bay Area, with no work. So he spent his days making whoopie (sorry, I just had to do it). He baked dozens of the cookies and sold them on the street. Unfortunately, hot cakes probably would have sold better. Bay Area residents still hadn't fully embraced whoopie mania. And to make it more confusing, Gdula marketed his whoopies as "gobs," which is what they're called in Beaverdale, where he comes from. He says a gob is slightly different than a whoopie pie, with buttercream filling instead of marshmallow. So what's a moon pie? It's a chocolate-covered whoopie pie, although Gdula says it depends on whom you ask. Eventually the gobs caught on, so Gdula rented commercial kitchen space, named his company Gobba Gobba Hey, a play on the Ramones' song, and began selling to stores such as Avedano's in San Francisco. "I now have more work than I can handle," says Gdula, who is also working on a book about how he used the treat from his childhood to bridge the gap between his old life and new. As in Treadwell and Billingsley's book, there will be recipes. All three bakers diverge from traditional whoopie pies, which also include pumpkin with cream cheese filling, using ingredients such as cardamom, carrots, peach and lemon. West Coast boomSusan Sarich, owner of SusieCakes in San Francisco, Greenbrae and Los Angeles, says the cookies have become so popular that in the last year people have been ordering them super-sized to be served as cakes at birthday parties and other celebrations. She says she's also getting a fair amount of orders for bite-sized ones to be used as wedding favors. "They're so visually appealing," says Sarich who credits the cookie's West Coast success to the fact that they are as much a conversation piece as they are good to eat. "Their name alone is so much fun. Sarich got her recipe from her Boston grandmother, although she thinks whoopie pies really originated in Pennsylvania, where Amish wives made them to put in their husbands' lunch pails. "As the story goes, when the husband opened his sack and found the cookie, he'd shout, 'Whoopie!' and that's how the dessert got its name," she says. Treadwell has heard that story, too, but says she can't corroborate it. "In fact, Mainers would likely argue that they invented the whoopie pie," she says. Jodi Bourassa, a pastry chef at Lark Creek Steak restaurant in San Francisco, isn't as hung up on where whoopie pies came from as much as she is on getting them right. The Massachusetts native missed the dessert so much when she moved here that she began making them for herself. "But my friends loved them, too," says Bourassa, who has added mini versions of the pastry to her dessert menu. At first she had a difficult time finding marshmallow fluff, so her mom shipped it from back East. Eventually she came up with a way to make her own. For Valentine's Day, she served a red velvet-style whoopie pie (see recipe, next page); in the fall, she does a maple whoopie with nuts. As far as whoopie pies edging out the cupcake in popularity, "Cupcakes may have been all the rage," Bourassa says, "but who doesn't like cake with frosting in the middle?"
Where to buy Whoopie piesHere are some places to get whoopie pies in the Bay Area: Andronico's bakery department, many Bay Area locations. Avedano's Meats, 235 Cortland Ave., San Francisco; (415) 285-6328. Lark Creek Steak, 845 Market St., San Francisco; (415) 593-4100. Marché, 898 Santa Cruz Ave. Menlo Park; (650) 324-9092. Whoopie pies are occasionally on the dessert menu. Rainbow Grocery, 1745 Folsom St., San Francisco; (415) 863-0620. SusieCakes, 310 Bon Air Center, Greenbrae; (415) 461-2253. Also 2109 Chestnut St., San Francisco; (415) 474-2253 Trader Joe's, many Bay Area locations. Whole Foods Market bakery department, many Bay Area locations. Lark Creek Steak's Red Velvet Whoopie PiesMakes 15 pies Lark Creek Steak pastry chef Jodi Bourassa makes a from-scratch marshmallow filling for her Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. Both the filling and the cake batter can be made ahead, but the cakes should be assembled the day they are baked. The filling takes a bit of work; you can substitute the Easy Classic Whoopie Pie Filling, if you like.
For the filling: Whisk egg whites and corn syrup in the bowl of a standing mixer until incorporated. Place the bowl over a hot water bath and stir with a spatula, scraping the sides, until the fluff mixture reaches 165°. Remove bowl from the water bath and beat the fluff with whisk attachment at high speed for about 10 minutes, until the mixture looks like melted marshmallows. Sift the powdered sugar into a separate bowl; add 1 cup of powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, to the fluff while mixing on low speed with a paddle attachment, until sugar is fully incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into a separate bowl and set aside. Place the softened butter in the stand mixer bowl. Cut vanilla bean open lengthwise; carefully scrape out the tiny, small black seeds into the butter. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and beat with the paddle attachment until evenly distributed. Paddle in the remaining 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, then the fluff. The filling can be made and refrigerated up to a week ahead. Bring to room temperature before assembling. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine buttermilk, vanilla extract and food coloring; set aside. Combine the egg, oil and sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at high speed until light in color, about 1 minute. On low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, ending with the last third of the flour. When thoroughly mixed, remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape once more with a spatula to ensure everything is evenly distributed. If made ahead, refrigerate; bring to room temperature before baking. When ready to bake, use a 1-ounce scoop to portion 2 tablespoons batter onto the baking sheet. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until cake springs back when lightly touched, about 10 minutes. Remove the cakes to a wire rack; cool completely. To assemble: Once cakes have cooled completely, pipe or spread about 1 tablespoon marshmallow filling onto the bottom side of half the cakes. Top with the remaining cakes (flat side against the filling) to make the sandwiches. Per pie: 492 calories, 4 g protein, 69 g carbohydrate, 24 g fat (12 g saturated), 65 mg cholesterol, 212 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. Fluff 'n' Nutter Whoopie PiesMakes about 22 sandwich cookies Use the Classic Whoopie Pie filling recipe on Page LL4 to fill these peanut butter cakes. If you'd like, substitute 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar for cocoa powder, which will give you a light chocolate filling. Be sure to use a smooth, commercial brand of peanut butter like Skippy or Jif for these - the natural, grittier brands will alter the texture.
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with silpat or parchment; set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Beat the butter with the brown sugar on medium speed of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until the mixture looks like a paste, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat another minute to combine, scraping down the sides to make sure it's fully incorporated. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating briefly after each addition. (You can use a hand mixer, but mixing times will be longer.) On the lowest speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with the half the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition until incorporated. Using a 1-ounce measure, drop scoops of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the tops spring back when pushed. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. To assemble: Pipe or spread a rounded tablespoon of Classic Whoopie Pie Filling onto the bottom side of half the cakes. Top with the remaining cakes (flat side against the filling) to make the sandwiches. Easy Classic Whoopie Pie FillingMakes about 2 cups, enough for 12 or more 3-inch sandwiches This creamy filling from The Chronicle's Lynne Char Bennett and intern Britt Billmaier is soft enough to pipe, yet maintains its integrity when sandwiched between the cookie layers. You can make it a day or two ahead and store in the refrigerator; bring it to room temperature to make the whoopee pies easy to assemble.
Instructions: Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to cream the butter and powdered sugar at medium-high speed until thoroughly combined, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. (You can also use a hand mixer, but it will take longer.) Add marshmallow fluff, salt and vanilla; mix on medium speed until combined. Espresso variation: Use just a drop of vanilla extract rather than the 1/4 teaspoon called for above. Pour 3/4 teaspoon coffee liqueur into a small bowl; add 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (or more to taste), and stir to dissolve. Add to the whoopie pie filling. Espresso-cocoa nib variation: Finely chop 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa nibs. Fold into the espresso variation. Dark Chocolate Whoopie PieMakes 12 Adrienne Garcia, pastry chef at Marché Restaurant in Menlo Park, uses 72 percent Valrhona dark chocolate in this recipe. Other brands with 72 percent cacao solids will also work.
Instructions: Preheat oven to 375° and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a clean, dry bowl into a hot water bath. Add the chocolate, stirring often until just melted; remove from heat and set aside. Use a mixer on medium to medium-high speed to cream the butter and sugar together until light in color. Add one egg and thoroughly incorporate - stopping to scrape as needed; repeat with second egg. Add the warm, melted chocolate and mix completely, scraping down the sides. Combine milk and vanilla extract into the mixture. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; add to the mixing bowl and blend in, stopping to occasionally scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Portion dough with a 1-ounce scoop and place about 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheet. You should have 24 cookies. Bake until tops spring back lightly when touched, about 8 minutes, but switch shelves and rotate sheets after 5 minutes . The 2 1/2- to 3-inch diameter cookies will appear slightly cracked on top. To assemble: When cookies are thoroughly cooled, match up evenly-shaped pairs. Spread or pipe 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons filling onto the flat bottom a cookie, then top with its mate. Note: To measure the flour, stir first to "loosen" it a bit; use a dry measuring cup to dip and scoop, then level. Per pie: calories, g protein, g carbohydrate, g fat (g saturated), mg cholesterol, mg sodium, g fiber. Lemon Whoopie PiesMakes 20 Adapted from "Whoopie Pies," by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell (Chronicle Books, 2010).
For the cakes: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and both sugars until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the buttermilk, and beat until combined. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla, and beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes, until completely combined. On low speed, gradually add the sifted dry ingredients until completely combined. You can also use a hand-held mixer, but beating times will be longer. Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto a prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 2 inches apart. You should get 10 cookies on each sheet. Bake one sheet at a time for about 12 minutes, or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for at least 5 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool completely. For the filling: Sift the powdered sugar onto a sheet of parchment paper; set aside. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the mascarpone and butter. Add the sifted sugar on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon extract and zest, if using, and beat until combined. You can use a hand-held mixer, but beating times will be longer. To assemble: Use an offset spatula to spread about 2 tablespoons of filling onto the flat bottom side of a cake, and top with the flat side of another cake. Per pie: 257 calories, 3 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (6 g saturated), 41 mg cholesterol, 166 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. E-mail Stacy Finz at sfinz@sfchronicle.com. This article appeared on page LL - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle |
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