Whoopie Pies (book)

1 rating: 3.0

A book by Sarah Billingsley.

Is it a cake? Is it a cookie? With such deliciously soft and sweet cream-filled snacks, does it matter? The Internet is abuzz with recipes and stories of whoopie pie folklore, while customers everywhere are descending on bakeries in droves demanding … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Desserts, Cookbooks, Whoopie Pies, Sarah Billingsley

Author: Sarah Billingsley

Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine

Publisher: Chronicle Books

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Afternoon Delights: A Whoopie Pies Cookbook by Sarah Billingsley, Amy Treadwell, and Antonis Achilleos Review

Jun 27, 2010

by Beasimer
posted in Bakers and Pastry Lovers

Rating:

My mom and her sisters were born in Pennsylvania, where whoopee pies or gobs are supposedly well known. I have been back to visit family many times as a child. Even still, I've never heard of whoopee pies. At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book, not knowing what whoopies pies were, but they are tasty and enjoyable.

Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell with photography by Antonis Achilleos begins with a little whoopee pie history and helpful hints. Then twenty one cake recipes are followed by twenty nine creamy fillings. While a list of suggested combinations is provided, the authors urge the reader to create their own creative combinations. Lastly the book ends with Ingredients and Sources, the index, and a table of equivalents.

The first whoopie pie I decided to make was the Pina Colada made with lemon cake (page 52) and coconut filling (page 88). I went to purchase the ingredients, but couldn't find unsweetened coconut, a filling ingredient, in any of the local stores. I substituted sweetened shredded coconut and got into the kitchen. The recipe was easy enough to follow, until I got to where I was supposed to scoop the batter onto the pans. The problem was the sifted dry ingredients sitting on the counter and not in the mixing bowl. Thinking I skipped a step, I re-read the recipe only to find these ingredients, according to the instructions, are never added.

After being tempted by the full page color photo, I returned to the store the following weekend to purchase ingredients for S'mores whoopies. The only item I couldn't find anywhere in Dallas was the graham flour. I went to the "Ingredients and Sources" chapter to find a source, and special ordered the flour from King Author Flour.

Not being able to make the recipe I planned to, I took a different approach. I had a single extremely ripe banana on the counter with no planned use. Fortunately there was a banana filling requiring a single ripe banana. I made the filling and put them between traditional rich chocolate cakes.

The cakes are easy to make, and are reminiscent to making cookies. I used scoops to portion out the cakes on the cookie sheet and a smaller scoop to add filling to the cooked and cooled cakes. The recipes provided allow for many more possibilities than suggested, while the editing issues are easily overcome.

If you are looking for a fun simple to make treat to enjoy, whoopie pies will find their way into your heart and stomach. They are also great wrapped individually and packed in lunches as the icing is protected between the cakes. Over all, this book will easily show you how to make and create whoopie pies for you and your loved ones to enjoy.

PROS:
Easy to make
Fun to eat
Whoopie pies are delicious

CONS:
Some ingredients not found at local grocery
Recipes needs better editing

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devora August 09, 2010

Wow, this sounds like such a fun project! Too bad you couldn't find out the ingredients though. You say you live in Dallas? I live in the food haven San Francisco area, so I'm fortunate enough to be able to find most ingredients easily. I've only very recently learned about whoopie pies and would love to make my own, so I'll check this out. Thanks for sharing! By the way, I think you'll appreciate this review ;)

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