Tammy Wiertzema wants to put a little whoopie in your day.
After losing her job late last year, the shy Maine-native opened the Wild Whoopie Bakery in downtown Sioux Falls, drawing the attention of the city with the peculiar name and a healthy curiosity for her specialty — the whoopie pie.
“Nobody around here knew what a whoopie pie was,” said Wiertzema, who grew up baking them with her mother in Maine.
About the size of a large cookie, the whoopie pie can be best described as fluffy, creamy frosting sandwiched between two cake-like cookies. Wiertzema offers them in the regular seven-ounce size ($2.25) and the three-ounce party size ($1.25).
The whoopie pie isn’t a new creation, as it originates from Pennsylvanian Amish colonies during the depression. Supposedly the Amish women would use leftover cake batter to make small pies to put in their husband’s lunch box, and when the men would find them, they would exclaim ‘Whoopie!’
The pies, which are similar to Oreo Cakesters, are slightly more indulgent than a cookie but much neater to eat than a cupcake. The cookie part manages to stay moist, with the help of the frosting holding it together. The different types of pies have different flavors of frosting, ranging from white frosting in her original chocolate pie to peanut butter to cream cheese. Aside from the original chocolate, Wiertzema offers her whoopie pies in several flavors: chocolate chip, peanut butter, mocha, red velvet, banana nut, pumpkin, chocolate covered cherry and the upcoming mint. The most popular flavors are original chocolate and chocolate chip. Jen Wiertzema, Wiertzema’s daughter, recommended the banana nut and chocolate chip.
After sampling every flavor, I can’t possibly pick a favorite. The chocolate covered cherry had the most delicious frosting, while the chocolate chip offered a unique cookie-like texture on the outside. The pumpkin pie was wonderfully spiced and
the banana nut reminded me of mom’s banana bread. The party size pies are a good buy, since every flavor is considerably rich and it would be easy to split with a friend. You’ll also want to buy a drink, since the slightly dry texture of the pie goes down better with a beverage. My choice was milk, but she also offers several types of bottled soda and Jumpy Monkey coffee.
Wiertzema says she makes around 200-300 whoopie pies a day, which last about three weeks — despite containing no preservatives — before becoming crumbly. The original chocolate pies in party size are about 270 calories. The bakery itself is nestled in the Tri-State Creamery building on the corner of Fourth Street and Main Ave. Despite the location in a historic building, the inside of the bakery is completely new. The warm earth tone colors and mostly natural lighting make it feel more like a coffee shop than a bakery.
“I just want them to come in and feel like it’s a fun place,” Wiertzema said. This isn’t difficult to achieve as several regulars stop in during their break, even casually asking for a band-aid and hassling Jen.
The bakery will soon be offering a lunch menu of sandwiches and pasta salads, with soup during the colder months. Wiertzema also regularly experiments with new flavors for the pies. The Wild Whoopie Bakery certainly deserves a visit, not only to satiate your curiosity about whoopie pies, but also to meet ‘The Whoopie Lady’ behind it all. Oh, and to quiet that pesky sweet tooth of yours? The pies definitely succeed.
Photo by Ashley Beaudette
