Letters From Away

[Just a quick note on this somewhat funny story in the Bangor Daily News. The high school mentioned in the third paragraph is the one I attended years ago. (Class of 1980) Go Hornets!! And the teacher, Sarah Brooks, is a longtime local educator and I believe she still owns horse stables in Nashville Plantation, just south of Portage, Maine. And for full disclosure, I thoroughly enjoy whoopie pies and blueberry pie equally, so I’d be interested in a compromise. Clicking on the link below will bring you to the story and there is a recipe for whoopie pies in the story. I pasted the recipe below in the event you are not interested and going to the story. Enjoy! Or not! It’s your choice. – KM]

A lover if whoopie pies

campaigns for state action

Amos Orcutt is so passionate about whoopie pies he’s taking it to the governor. Well, not quite yet — but eventually. Orcutt earlier this year filed the paperwork for a bill to recognize the chocolate and cream confection as Maine’s state dessert.

 “It’s a sense of pride for Mainers. We need to promote products from Maine and focus on those little niches that we have,” said Orcutt, president of the University of Maine Foundation. “We have all these great foods and products that come out of Maine, and they’re part of what makes us unique. Whoopie pies are definitely one of those things.”

Orcutt recently enlisted the help of a group of Ashland High School students, led by teacher Sarah Brooks, to support his measure in last weekend’s mock legislation session in Augusta. Part of the Maine Youth in Government program, the students from Ashland traveled to the Capitol to debate with fellow students from around the state several items — including the whoopie pie bill.

Click on the link for the rest of this story by Emily Burnham in the Bangor Daily News.

 Sandy Oliver’s Whoopie Pie

Makes about 14 to 16 3-inch whoopie pies This whoopie pie recipe ran April 14, 2007, in the Bangor Daily News.

 2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

 Preheat oven to 375 F. Sift together dry ingredients. Cream together shortening and sugar, beat in the egg and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. You will have a fairly stiff cake batter. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving room for them to spread somewhat. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing them to a rack.

 Whoopie Pie Filling

 2 egg whites

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

 Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy, gradually adding 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Then spoonful by spoonful add the shortening and the rest of the sugar to the egg white mixture until it is smooth and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, make pairs of similarly sized ones and spread the filling on one half and top with the other half. Wrap in plastic wrap or put into an airtight container.