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Valentine's Day is the perfect time to bake a little whoopie.
We're talking whoopie pies (what were you thinking?), those soft, cake-like sandwiches that have been showing up in bakeries, grocery stores and even Starbucks throughout the country and in Utah.
Cookbook authors, food bloggers and culinary websites have paid homage to this retro treat. Celebrity chef Rachael Ray has grasped onto the trend, creating a whoopie pie pan for her cookware line.
It's all because whoopie pies are "great fun," says Romina Rasmussen, chef/owner of Les Madeleines Patisserie and Café in Salt Lake City. "Who doesn't love something stuffed with cream cheese frosting?"
While the original whoopie pie is a chocolate sandwich held together with a fluffy marshmallow-type filling, the possible cookie-filling combinations are endless. Everything from pumpkin filled with chocolate, to carrot cake and cream cheese, and banana and caramel — all of these are classic whoopie flavor combinations.
"It's another way to experiment with flavors," said Rasmussen, who offers customers a differently flavored whoopie pie each month. In February, it's chocolate with peanut butter cream cheese filling. (See her recipe, which accompanies this story.)
Felicity Anderson, one of Les Madeleines' bakers, lovingly calls the pies "yippee, skippee cookies" because that's how they make customers feel.
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Lunchbox surprise • The happy feeling they evoke is actually how the dessert got its name. Legend has it that Amish women would bake these desserts — probably from leftover cake batter — and tuck them in their husbands' lunch pails. When the farmers saw the dessert, they couldn't help but yell "whoopie!"
Pennsylvania and Maine both claim to be the birthplace of the whoopie pie. Last year, the state legislature in Maine made whoopie pies the official state dessert. The move caused some heartburn in Pennsylvania-Dutch country, and a friendly, inter-state battle ensued.
Part of the whoopie's charm is its familiarity, says Megan Faulkner Brown, owner of Utah's nine Sweet Tooth Fairy bakeries, which carry three different flavors of whoopie pies.
"It's a cupcake and a Twinkie and a cookie all rolled into one," she said. "People can really connect with the familiarity."
Pastry chef and cookbook author Claire Ptak has taken the humble whoopie pie and elevated it to gourmet status with the publication of The Whoopie Pie Book ($15.95, The Experiment). The book contains 60 recipes, "but I could have written 160," said Ptak, during a recent interview from Violet, her London bakery.
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Holiday treat • Ptak is a native of California and the former pastry chef at Berkeley, Calif.'s legendary Chez Panisse restaurant. She said the wonderful thing about whoopie pies is that anyone can make them.
"They really are accessible," she said. "They require a couple different steps, but after you do them once or twice you can really churn them out."
For Valentine's Day, she suggested making a red velvet whoopie. Mold it into the shape of a heart, she said, and fill it with old-fashioned butter cream frosting. Or for something really "delicate," try the rose pistachio cookie that graces the book's cover. (See her recipe accompanying this story.)
Despite the newfound popularity, Ptak isn't ready to say that whoopie pies have surpassed other recent dessert trends. "Nothing is ever going to replace the cupcake," she said. "But people are ready for a different kind of cake."
Instead, she considers whoopie pies a nice substitute because they're essentially "inside-out cupcakes."
The only problem with whoopie pies may be the name, which thanks to the classic jazz song "Makin' Whoopee" has become synonymous with sex.
The name causes a bit of angst for Ptak's proper English customers. "People here are really uncomfortable saying the name out loud," she said. "Usually they'll just point and say 'I'll have one of those.' "
In conservative Utah, at least one baker has customers with a similar aversion to the name.
Vanessa Shiva, owner of Sandy's Sweetest Confessions, said she solved the dilemma by calling them "sweetie pies."
kathys@sltrib.comTwitter: @kathystephensonfacebook.com/saltlakefood —
Rose-pistachio whoopie pies
Whoopies
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped or ground, plus extra for garnish
1 cup ground almonds
Crushed candied rose petals for garnish
Kirsch sweet buttercream filling
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 tablespoon Kirsch cherry liqueur
Rosewater icing
1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons rosewater (or regular water)
For the cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Stir in salt.
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using an electric hand mixer or a standing mixer fitted with a flat beater. Add egg and mix well. Measure rosewater and buttermilk into a liquid measuring cup and then add half to the butter mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Add remaining buttermilk mixture until well combined. Fold in ground nuts. Chill for 30 minutes.
Drop 18 large or 48 small scoops of batter about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes for large whoopie pies or 8 to 10 minutes for mini whoopies, until the cakes are left with a slight impression when touched with a finger. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.
For the Kirsch sweet buttercream filling, beat butter in a bowl until fluffy, using an electric hand mixer or a standing mixer fitted with the flat beater.
In a bowl of a standing mixer combine three large egg whites with sugar and golden syrup. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water and whisk continuously by hand until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is frothy and slightly opaque, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer the bowl of egg whites to the standing mixer. Add Kirsch and whisk until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Once cool, start adding the cream butter in batches, whisking well after each addition. The mixture will curdle but then come back together again. Switch to the flat beater and beat 3 minutes more.
Buttercream will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and beat with a flat beater before using.
For rosewater icing, sift the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in rosewater until smooth. For a thicker consistency, add more confectioners' sugar.
To assemble whoopie pies, pipe or spread a generous scoop of Kirsch buttercream on the flat surface of a cooled whoopie. Top with another whoopie and drizzle with rosewater icing. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and some crushed candied rose petals.
Servings • makes 9 large or 24 mini whoopie pies
Source: The Whoopie Pie Book, by Claire Ptak —
Pumpkin whoopie pies with maple spice filling
Whoopies
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons dark molasses
Maple spice filling
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoons Grade B dark maple syrup
1⁄8 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1⁄8 teaspoon table salt
3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed
For the whoopies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking power, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, eggs and molasses for 3 minutes on medium speed. Thoroughly scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture for a total mixing time of 30 seconds. Carefully scrape down the bowl again.
Using a pastry bag, fitted with a large tip (the hole should be about as large as the tip of your ring finger), pipe 2-inch-diameter circles onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 11/2 inches between. Be careful to keep the pastry back completely vertical to achieve nice circles. If you have to wait between baking batches of whoopie pies, keep batter refrigerated.
Bake 10 minutes. Rotate baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 more minutes, until the whoopie pies are deep orange color and spring back when touched. Remove from oven and let whoopie pies cool completely.
To make the filling: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until mixture is fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, beat for 1 minute. Scrape down bowl. If filling is too soft to hold its shape, add more confectioners' sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency.
Buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, for up to 5 days.
To assemble, turn half the whoopie pies over to that they are bottom-side up. Using a pastry bag, pipe a small dollop of maple spice filling onto each bottom. Top with remaining whoopies.
Servings • 24
Source: One Girl Cookies, Dawn Casale and David Crofton —
Les Madeleines' chocolate whoopie pies with peanut butter cream cheese filling
Whoopie pies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Dutch process cocoa powder (Valrhona brand suggested)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups buttermilk
Peanut butter filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter,
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cold
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the whoopie pies, heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add 1⁄3 of the dry mixture to the butter/egg mix, and combine. Add half the buttermilk and half the vanilla. Mix just until combined. Continue to alternate wet and dry, ending with dry ingredients.
Scoop or drop the dough onto a baking sheet with spoon. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes for smaller pies and 8 to 10 for larger ones, turning the pan half way through baking. Cookies are done when they spring back when touched lightly. Remove from oven and let whoopie pies cool completely.
For the filling, place butter and peanut butter in a bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth. Add cream cheese in small pieces, mixing until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla.
To assemble, turn half the whoopie pies over to that they are bottom-side up. Using a pastry bag, pipe a small dollop of filling onto each bottom. Top with remaining whoopies.
Servings • 4 dozen small sandwiches or 3 dozen large
Source: Romina Rasmussen, Les Madeleines Patisserie and Café —
Where to buy whoopie pies
Les Madeleine's Patisserie & Café • 216 E. 500 South Salt Lake City; 801-355-2294. Offers a different flavor each month; February's is chocolate with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. Prices vary each month; $2.50 -$3.50.
Sweet Tooth Fairy bakeries • Nine Utah locations. Sells chocolate, strawberry; and red velvet flavors for $2.25 each. Call ahead, as not all locations have whoopie pies every day.
Sweetest Confessions • 9305 S. Village Shop Dr. (1000 East, Quarry Bend Shopping Center), Sandy; 801-307-6789. The bakery offers a different flavors each month. February is a heart-shaped chocolate with cherry filling at $1.50 each.