Whoopie Pies and Hucklebucks

What’s in a name?

We got to wondering, why are “Whoopie Pies” called “Whoopie Pies?”

So we went where we go when we want to know some obscure piece of baking trivia.  According to Wikipedia, “Amish women would bake these desserts (known as hucklebucks, or creamy turtles at the time) and put them in farmers’ lunch pails or lunch boxes. When farmers would find the treats in their lunch, they would shout ‘Whoopie!’”  Furthermore, “it is thought that the original Whoopie pies may have been made from cake batter leftovers.”  We loved this history as well as the name “hucklebuck”.

As for the history of the whoopie pie at Red Hen, our baker, Derek (that’s him enjoying one of his creations), has a soft spot for whoopie pies. He finally prevailed upon us to let him create one here at the bakery.  He did so, making them with our quality ingredients, so now you can feel good about enjoying the official Maine state treat right here in Vermont.