How To: Making Whoopie Pies

The first question: What is a whoopie pie?

With a smile as big as one of the sweet treats, baker Holly Zarcone explained:

“A whoopie pie is an amazing dessert which is very popular in New England. It’s basically two cake-like pieces with a delicious filling between. Whoopie pies are fun to make and very, very fun to eat!”

Holly Zarcone would know. She and her husband Paul, of West Babylon, have been busily whipping up whoopie pies and a host of other delectables through their rapidly growing new enterprise, Moon River Bakery.

Holly Zarcone said it all started simply enough.

“For Christmas in 2009, our budget was stretched, so I made batches of biscotti for friends and family. One friend loved it so much he ordered it for his restaurant. Requests poured in from customers, so I branched out with more products, like cupcakes and cookies. Then, in 2011, we took it to the next level and formed the business.”

Moon River Bakery has taken off to the next level. There’s now a huge product line, a visually compelling website, and every weekend, the Zarcones bring their satisfying creations to local farmers' markets.

“We sell out,” said Paul Zarcone. “The baked goods just fly off our table. We make them with the freshest ingredients, and never use artificial preservatives.”

Moon River Bakery's product line is continually expanding. Besides whoopie pies, the product line includes rainbow cookie cupcakes, chocolate truffle cupcakes, pistachio cherry biscotti, almond anisette biscotti, green tea shortbread, oatmeal chocolate chewy cookies, pecan brownies, peppermint brownies, campfire s'mores bars, krazy keylime bars and sunshine lemon bars (and that's just a partial listing).

As to the whoopie pies, Zarcone discovered them while watching a cooking show.

"As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to make them," she said. "They’re like the ‘new cupcake.’ Just like cupcakes, you can make whoopie pies almost any way you wish. I create them with chocolate cake and mint filling, chocolate cake with vanilla filling, and also with red velvet cake. My next plan is to produce a strawberry shortcake whoopie pie.”

“Since whoopie pies are not well known in this region,” Zarcone continued, “we decided to introduce them. They’re fun, they’re whimsical, and, they’re amazingly delicious.”

Now Patch readers can find out just how delicious. Holly Zarcone has generously provided her recipe for Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies.

Click through the photo gallery for the simple, step-by-step process, and share in the fun of making these very sweet treats.

Or to experience the incredible variety of baked delectables offered by Moon River Bakery, visit their website at the farmers’ market: Deer ParkTanger Outlets at the Arches, Commack Road, Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through November 20. In Islip: Town Hall parking lot on Montauk Highway, Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon through November 19.