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Whoopie pies made with red velvet, gingerbread are the new must-have dessert - NYPOST.com
Updated: Wed., Dec. 7, 2011, 10:45 AM Whoopie!
The all-American sweet is this season’s must-have treat
Last Updated: 10:45 AM, December 7, 2011
Posted: 10:31 PM, December 6, 2011
The people of Pennsylvania and Maine can debate all they want about the origin of the whoopie pie (was it dreamed up by Amish moms or a frugal New Englander with a bit of extra chocolate cake batter?). Here in New York, we really only care about the important things: taste, convenience and style. Similar to the cupcake in ingredients but even easier to eat, the whoopie pie is essentially a layer cake sandwich, with frosting in the middle only. Traditionally as big as a small hamburger, today’s whoopies range from thick to thin, shareable to bite-size. And they’re giving the c-cake a run for its money, showing up at weddings and parties all over town. Here are some of the most delicious, holiday-flavored whoopies in the cases of local bakeries.
Red Velvet Whoopie Pie
$2.50 at Rainbo’s and Cakes and More, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex St.; 212-982-8585
When baker Ron Budinas first started making whoopie pies about 12 years ago, interest was limited, but he knew the timeless all-American snack would make a comeback: “This isn’t a fad like macarons. American people like big pieces of cake with creamy stuff in the middle.” Throughout December, you can special order festive green-hued cream cheese-based filling inside your red velvet, and there will be peppermint stick whoopies with mint cake exteriors, too. They’re massive so prepare to share.
Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pie
$4.95 for three at Blue Smoke Bake Shop, 116 E. 27th St.; 212-447-6058
At Blue Smoke Bake Shop, inside the Murray Hill barbecue restaurant of the same name, pastry chef Jenn Giblin folds melted marshmallow into buttercream to stuff her trim, cocoa-rich whoopies. These are the most delicate whoopies in town, less hamburger than its peers in girth and weight, which means you might eat more than one. “Whoopie pies are good, solid comfort food — real Americana,” says Giblin, who vacations in whoopie-mad Maine every year. This holiday season, she’s adding her own twist with a chocolate peppermint whoopie pie — devil’s food cake filled with chocolate peppermint buttercream.
Chocolate Eggnog Whoopie Pie
$3 at Robicelli’s at Dekalb Market, 138 Willoughby St., Brooklyn; 917-509-6048
Robicelli’s began making whoopie pies three years ago. What’s changed since then, says Allison Robicelli, co-chef and owner, is how often she has to answer the “What’s a whoopie pie?” question. Now, everyone knows. Robicelli’s whoopie pies are traditionally sized, with a flat shell (more flying saucer than slider), and crafted with adult palates in mind. Think eggnog buttercream sandwiched between two layers of dark Valrhona chocolate. Holiday flavors rotate (Nutella praline, chocolate candy cane, etc.), so call ahead to see what’s in store. These whoopies are also sold at the Union Square Holiday Market, Booth C34 (in the first row by 14th Street), through 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Ginger Whoopie Pie With Lemon Cream Cheese
$2.50 at Baked Brooklyn, 359 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn; 718-222-0345
Whoopie pie mania is “slower than the cupcake thing, but building,” says Baked co-owner Matt Lewis, who trades traditional fillings for cream cheese or Swiss meringues. But building it is — in part, says Lewis, because they are easy to make and eat at parties. You’ll find an array of flavors — including ginger-molasses cake with lemon cream cheese, which has a light quality that won’t leave you feeling like you’ve over-indulged. You can try to make these at home, too. Baked now sells boxed mixes that are available in the Red Hook shop ($16) and at Williams-Sonoma ($16.95).
Pumpkin Whoopie Pie With Cranberries, Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese and Dark Chocolate Dip
$11.95 for six, $21.95 per dozen at e.e. cookies; eecookies.com, 646-145-7408
After years of baking cookies for holidays, bake sales and PTA meetings, former legal billing coordinator Kori Stanton opened her Web-based small-batch cookie company in 2009, with hand-delivery below 125th Street in Manhattan (shipping to the outer boroughs and beyond). So it comes as little surprise that Stanton’s pumpkin whoopie pie was born as a cookie and evolved from there. The dark chocolate dip is the final stage, says Stanton. “It is the perfect balance of sweet, sour and chocolate.”
Gingerbread Whoopie Pie
$1.75 at Tribeca Treats, 94 Reade St.; 212-571-0500
Tribeca Treats owner Rachel Thebault has been selling whoopie pies for a little more than a year. This month, pumpkin has been replaced by gingerbread filled with a Fluff-based icing. “It’s just a fun, modern twist on a conventional holiday dessert,” says Thebault. “We have so many cookie and cupcake options during the holiday season, but people always immediately gravitate to the whoopie pies.”
Don’t forget the milk!
 |
RED VELVET! Want festive? Try the pumpkin and red velvet whoopie pies from Rainbo’s and Cakes and More. |
$2.50 at Rainbo’s and Cakes and More, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex St.; 212-982-8585
When baker Ron Budinas first started making whoopie pies about 12 years ago, interest was limited, but he knew the timeless all-American snack would make a comeback: “This isn’t a fad like macarons. American people like big pieces of cake with creamy stuff in the middle.” Throughout December, you can special order festive green-hued cream cheese-based filling inside your red velvet, and there will be peppermint stick whoopies with mint cake exteriors, too. They’re massive so prepare to share.
Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pie
$4.95 for three at Blue Smoke Bake Shop, 116 E. 27th St.; 212-447-6058
At Blue Smoke Bake Shop, inside the Murray Hill barbecue restaurant of the same name, pastry chef Jenn Giblin folds melted marshmallow into buttercream to stuff her trim, cocoa-rich whoopies. These are the most delicate whoopies in town, less hamburger than its peers in girth and weight, which means you might eat more than one. “Whoopie pies are good, solid comfort food — real Americana,” says Giblin, who vacations in whoopie-mad Maine every year. This holiday season, she’s adding her own twist with a chocolate peppermint whoopie pie — devil’s food cake filled with chocolate peppermint buttercream.
Chocolate Eggnog Whoopie Pie
$3 at Robicelli’s at Dekalb Market, 138 Willoughby St., Brooklyn; 917-509-6048
Robicelli’s began making whoopie pies three years ago. What’s changed since then, says Allison Robicelli, co-chef and owner, is how often she has to answer the “What’s a whoopie pie?” question. Now, everyone knows. Robicelli’s whoopie pies are traditionally sized, with a flat shell (more flying saucer than slider), and crafted with adult palates in mind. Think eggnog buttercream sandwiched between two layers of dark Valrhona chocolate. Holiday flavors rotate (Nutella praline, chocolate candy cane, etc.), so call ahead to see what’s in store. These whoopies are also sold at the Union Square Holiday Market, Booth C34 (in the first row by 14th Street), through 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Ginger Whoopie Pie With Lemon Cream Cheese
$2.50 at Baked Brooklyn, 359 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn; 718-222-0345
Whoopie pie mania is “slower than the cupcake thing, but building,” says Baked co-owner Matt Lewis, who trades traditional fillings for cream cheese or Swiss meringues. But building it is — in part, says Lewis, because they are easy to make and eat at parties. You’ll find an array of flavors — including ginger-molasses cake with lemon cream cheese, which has a light quality that won’t leave you feeling like you’ve over-indulged. You can try to make these at home, too. Baked now sells boxed mixes that are available in the Red Hook shop ($16) and at Williams-Sonoma ($16.95).
Pumpkin Whoopie Pie With Cranberries, Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese and Dark Chocolate Dip
$11.95 for six, $21.95 per dozen at e.e. cookies; eecookies.com, 646-145-7408
After years of baking cookies for holidays, bake sales and PTA meetings, former legal billing coordinator Kori Stanton opened her Web-based small-batch cookie company in 2009, with hand-delivery below 125th Street in Manhattan (shipping to the outer boroughs and beyond). So it comes as little surprise that Stanton’s pumpkin whoopie pie was born as a cookie and evolved from there. The dark chocolate dip is the final stage, says Stanton. “It is the perfect balance of sweet, sour and chocolate.”
Gingerbread Whoopie Pie
$1.75 at Tribeca Treats, 94 Reade St.; 212-571-0500
Tribeca Treats owner Rachel Thebault has been selling whoopie pies for a little more than a year. This month, pumpkin has been replaced by gingerbread filled with a Fluff-based icing. “It’s just a fun, modern twist on a conventional holiday dessert,” says Thebault. “We have so many cookie and cupcake options during the holiday season, but people always immediately gravitate to the whoopie pies.”
Don’t forget the milk!
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/food/whoopie_pAsgtXatUAoz6RGZQU9iaO#ixzz1fsXeYNlb
