The Morning Call whoopie pie smackdown is officially complete. My brain (and tongue) is still a little fuzzy from the experience, but here are some of the most memorable moments, in no particular order:
Our test session took place in a fancy-appliance showroom -- and might be the only instance where whoopie pies have ever been served on a granite-topped island.
In choosing our panel of about 8 testers, food editor Diane Stoneback said she was looking for people who "sounded like fun...and maybe a little bit crazy."
Three of us were cyclists.
Like members of a sugar-addicts' support group, we all took turns introducing ourselves and our reasons for attending.
In doing this, we discovered that we'd somehow chosen seats so that all the PA natives were on the same side of the table, and all the New Englanders (or descendants of New Englanders) on the other--with Geoff from Canada in the middle. Spooky.
To cleanse our palates, we drank coffee from a built-in espresso machine, which fits into the kitchen wall the way an ice dispenser sits in a refrigerator door. I am in awe.
Thanks to the above-mentioned caffeine--as well as the hours-long fast I inflicted upon myself in preparation--I was literally shaking with excitement at the start.
We were each given SIX WHOLE WHOOPIE PIES to eat, and plenty of doggie bags. I am in deeper awe.
It turns out that sampling six whoopie pies is much like drinking (a little) too much beer. You will crave salty snacks. You will be inexplicably happy. You may even find yourself doing things like singing along to Taylor Swift at the top of your lungs and supressing the urge to call people for no reason.
All whoopie pies are not created equal. Some of them stuck to plates. One had eerily spongy icing.
And at least one baker out there has a serious lard addiction. Others were the culinary equivalent of fresh legs and a 30-mph tailwind.
I'm not out to scoop the hand that fed me, so you'll have to wait for the Morning Call's coverage for the whole story. (And so will I--we don't yet know which state won.)
I think it's naptime now.
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