makin' whoopie

when i was a little boy growing up in amishville, USA, one of my favorite things in the world was the delicious and rich little treat called the whoopie pie.
a whoopie pie, as it's called in central PA, is more or less two tiny chocolate cakes oreo'd together by the richest and creamiest frosting you've ever tasted. used to be made with lard. i hope we've found a substitute by now, though.

occasionally we'd buy them from an amish produce 'n pie stand (most often a rickety shack at the intersection of a dirt road and a well-traveled, paved one), but sometimes -- sometimes my mom and my aunts would get together and make boxes and boxes to give to family and friends. we'd freeze several dozen to enjoy in the coming weeks. it was quite a production.

i remember it seeming like the entire kitchen would be covered in chocolate and frosting -- sometimes even peanut butter frosting. i was in heaven. cut to me being 100 pounds overweight at age 26 and still salivating over these pictures alone. ugh. sugar is the devil.

at any rate, i was shocked to find out that my college friends had never heard of whoopie pies. same story here in philadelphia.

and so my goal for the month of july is to whip up a batch of these sinfully delicious cake-and-icing treats and share them with everyone i know (or at least the first 20 friends and co-workers i see).

but first i have to get my ma's recipe.

and then i have to ask shaunice to do all the mixing and baking. i'll plop the frosting and wash the dishes, but not the baking. oh, no. not again...


UPDATE: shaunice promptly waltzed into my office and offered her baking services. obvi. i live with suzie homemaker.