Whoopie Pies

I decided to make Whoopie Pies for cooking club today. The theme is "quick and healthy"...so I went with "bad for you and sort of complicated". I don't listen to directions apparently.

I used the mix from WS - I thought this would make it easier but I'm not convinced. But it was red velvet and I am a sucker for red food during Valentine's Day so I bought it ($14!!!! And it only made six pies!!!).

The directions call for cream cheese frosting but I wasn't sure about that (KLG later pointed out that WS probably suggested cream cheese frosting because that is the usual pairing with red velvet cake - she's so smart! College professor and all that!). I polled some friends with the question "Do whoopie pies traditionally have cream cheese or marshmallow filling? Or is it just a buttercream frosting?".

Here are the responses:

- isn't it like whipped cream?

- i always thought marshmallow!

- I don't know. clearly the internet is working, i suggest you go there.

- i cant help! I am not sure I have ever had a whoopie pie.

- Not cream cheese for sure. Some involve marshmallow. I think the traditional filling is like frosting with a lot of Crisco.

- aren't they an Amish thing? i would say definitely not cream cheese.

My favorite part of my friends' responses is that some of them googled "whoopie pie recipe" and then sent me the exact same link - coincidentally the same site that I had read PRIOR to emailing them. Actually not coincidentally because it's the first suggestion if you google "whoopie pie recipe".

Do my friends (and husband and brother) think I don't know how to google?

Also I think it's funny that some friends called them an Amish thing and some called them a Maine thing - my friends are very geographically divided. If you do google "whoopie pie recipe" and click on the first link, you can read the whole history of whoopie pies. It's fascinating.

Anyway, they are now made (with a marshmallow filling per the New England recipe because I thought I should skip the raw eggs).

They look cute but I'm not sold - I can't wait to taste one!

Also, in totally unrelated but still food news, I bought almond butter yesterday. If I read another article about peanut exposure in utero or via breastmilk leading to peanut allergies or asthma, I will freak out. A special thanks to my employer - we get articles like this emailed to us once/week. I didn't mind them when it was a "job thing" but now I'm worried as a parent-to-be. Almond butter seems like a good alternative (NOT eating a nut butter is not an alternative). However, almond butter is TEN DOLLARS PER JAR. Seriously? This better be good.