Whoopie Pies Recipe by Shirlee McCoy

Even the best recipe needs a little magic to make it come to life.

Case in point – Whoopie Pies. Who can resist the soft cake-like cookie? The sweet creamy filling? Certainly not anyone in my family!

Years ago, my mother gave me her recipe for the decadent treats. I enjoyed making them for my kids, but they became even more special when my youngest daughter arrived. 7-year-old Q had spent her entire life in China. She’d left everything she’d ever known to join our family. We were strangers who didn’t even share a common language, but we were building a life together. I decided that the best place to get to know each other was in the kitchen and that the first thing we should make was whoopie pies. Q had no idea what we were creating, and I had no way of explaining it to her, but when she bit into her first ever homemade treat, she giggled. I think that was the beginning of her love for me.

That was in the forefront of my mind when I began writing my Home Sweet Home series. There is something powerful that happens when two people work shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen. Memories are made, laughter is shared, and bonds begin to form. Those are the building blocks of love, the cornerstone of family. When we share the task of cooking a meal or making a special treat, the scents and flavors and sounds that we experience are knit into the fiber of who we are.  In honor of the release of SWEET SURPRISES and the 7th anniversary of my daughter’s entrance into our family, I’m sharing our special recipe with you. I hope you make it with someone you like or with someone you love or with someone you want to get to know better. You may be surprised at the magic you create!

FOR THE RECIPE PLEASE CLICK HERE.

 

In Benevolence, Washington, the Lamont family’s delectable handmade chocolates are a precious tradition–and always a reason to return home. And for the most rebellious of the three Lamont sisters, they provide a chance to create a tempting new future, complete with delicious happiness…

Neighbors always ready to help, a laid-back pace–former model Brenna Lamont needs everything that once made her leave her hometown. To help her pregnant sister Addie, Brenna is back to run the family store, Chocolate Haven, and figure out how to start over. But she just can’t make the one-of-a-kind Lamont fudge…or make herself really fit in. And with handsome restaurateur River Maynard causing her troubles to boil over big time, can Brenna risk going after what she really wants?

River already has his hands full helping his ailing foster mother save her ranch for troubled children. He’s got no time for anything but reality and hard choices. But somehow, a daily dose of Lamont chocolates is helping his mom feel better. And Brenna’s kindness and warmth is making him hungry for an unexpected new dream only she and Benevolence’s magical sweetness can make come true . . .

Praise for Shirlee McCoy’s Apple Valley Novels

“A delicious treat. Don’t miss a visit to Apple Valley!” –Emily March, New York Times bestselling author

“Sweet as pie.” —Publishers Weekly

“A wonderful, warmhearted story.” —RT Book Reviews