Looking for a true artery-clogger this Fall for the entire family? I got this recipe a few years back from the Amish newspaper, Botschaft. Fair warning as to how horribly fattening these are, but BOY are they GOOD! "Whoopie Pies" Batter: 1 cup of Crisco 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 cup sour milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup unsweetened cocoa 4 cups flour 1 tsp salt 2 tsps baking soda 1 cup HOT water

Filling: 2 egg whites 2 tsps flour 4 cups confectioner's sugar 2 tsps vanilla 2 TBSPS milk 1 cup Crisco

Batter: cream shortening and granulated sugar; add eggs and beat. Add cocoa, flour and salt. Dissolve baking soda in the hot water and add last. Cream all ingredients together. Drop onto cookie sheet by TBSPS and bake for 8 minutes at 400. Cool on countertop/table. Filling: Beat egg whites until stiff. Add 2 tsps flour, 2 cups confectioner's sugar, vanilla and milk. Cream all these ingredients together. Add Crisco and the rest of confectioner's sugar and beat well. When cakes are completely cooled, spread filling on the bottom of each cake and then top with another cake, bottom to bottom. You will have either 18 huge or 24 medium Whoopie pies depending upon your idea of "dropping a TBSPS of batter on the cookie sheet". I am always a tad heavy handed with this, so I end up with enormous Whoopie pies....kids never complained..have fun!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 11, 2001

Answers

These truly are wonderful!!!! They are worth every bit of the effort it takes to make them. Only trouble is, they just don't seem to stay around. While I was in Haiti we would try and hide them from the work crews but somehow they always knew we had made them.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 11, 2001.

It really really really sounds like the arteries would just suck up and cut right off after twenty minutes!!! Can you sub real butter? It does sound really tasty and thanks a bunch for typing it all out, Lesley. Maybe I'll give it a try for Thanksgiving. Whoopie!;)

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), October 11, 2001.

Real butter instead of good old heavy disgusting Crisco? Nah..ya only live once kiddo. There's just something decadent about scooping up a few cups of lard into a measuring cup and saying to yourself, "THIS is going to taste GOOD????" You have to try it just once a year. My brother, the recent heart attack person, suggested today that I serve each Whoopie pie with a Lipitor tablet on the side to counteract the cholesterol. You have the other 364 days to eat rabbit food and tofu...go for the gusto!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 11, 2001.

Ya know if you eat the entire batch at once, there is no way your body can absorb all that crisco. So bingeing is good for you! ;D

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

I think I'd just turn into a grease spot on the carpet.

-- Tracy (trimmer31@hotmail.com), October 16, 2001.