They're making whoopies

Now here's an e-mail to warm a food editor's heart: Gary Kunes wrote this morning to tell me that his 12-year-old daughter, Evie is "a cookie baking machine."

"Lunch at school is before 11 a.m., so she is hungry when she gets home at 4:15. So she makes sure there are always cookies in the house."

After he showed her my Wednesday story on whoopie pies, Evie got to work making winedrop cookies (don't worry, no actual wine is used in the making of the cookie.) Gary got her permission to fill the cookies with a filling for impromptu whoopies. That's Gary's picture above.

"I figured cream cheese mixed with homemade apricot jam would pair well with the clove, cinnamon, etc., spices in the cookies. I was right! Thanks for the inspiration."

Why no, thank you, Gary. Inspiring 12-year-old bakers and their dads is what we live to do.

Meanwhile on the whoopie front, I heard from a few more bakers doing the whoopie thing. Suarez Bakery at Park Road Shopping Center says they make them all the time, including a special holiday flavor, chocolate peppermint. And Miss Ms Sweets at Afton Village in Concord also makes them. You can get those details at http://www.missmssweets.com/.

And here's Gary Kune's (and Evie's) recipe for winedrop cookies. You're on your own for the filling.

Winedrop Cookies

1/2 cup each molasses, brown sugar, buttermilk and shortening

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, cloves, salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup raisins

BEAT together. Spoon out onto baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.