Town in a Wild Moose Chase

Sandy’s Favorite Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies are now the official Maine treat. These are small whoopie pies, about four bites per pie, and not as sweet as most. You’ll want to make a double batch—they’re that good!

For the cake, cream together

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

6 tablespoons Crisco or other shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix together.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Place cookie sheet on wire rack and let cakes cool completely.

For the filling, cook in a medium saucepan to a paste consistency

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons flour

Add:

1/4 cup Crisco or other shortening

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth with an electric mixer or by hand until creamy.

Refrigerate the filling until cool.

Spread the filling on half of the cakes. Top with the remaining cakes.

Wrap individually with waxed paper and keep refrigerated.

Don’t worry about how long they keep, because after a couple of days there won’t be any left!

Melody’s Chocolate Mousse

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

In a small saucepan, combine the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates with the milk.

Stir over low heat until melted.

Add the vanilla.

Turn off the heat and let stand until cool to the touch.

In bowl, beat the cream and the sugar with a mixer until stiff peaks form.

Add some of the chocolate mixture to the cream mixture and fold together using a wire whisk.

Add the remaining chocolate and fold in until it is all combined.

Spoon the moose into 6 serving dishes and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This delectable dessert is served daily at Melody’s Café!

Marjorie Coffin’s White Moose Hot Cocoa

Combine in a small saucepan:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Blend in 1/3 cup hot water.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Boil and stir for 2 minutes.

Add 4 cups milk.

Stir and heat. Do not boil.

Remove from heat.

Add 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Stir with a whisk until foamy.

Pour into mugs and sprinkle with white chocolate chips.

Nanna Tibbetts’s Moose Mincemeat

Use given amounts if making mincemeat preserves. Halve the amounts if using for pie filling.

3 to 4 pounds moose meat (you can substitute venison or beef)

3 to 4 pounds apples, cored, peeled, and chopped

1 pound of suet (you can substitute Crisco)

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 pounds raisins

2 1/2 cups strong coffee

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

Chop moose meat after cooking.

In a large Dutch oven, combine the meat, chopped apples, and suet (or Crisco).

Stir in remaining ingredients, varying the spices.

Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

For moose mincemeat pie, use as a filling in any piecrust.

To preserve, pack hot into pint-size canning jars. Process pints for 20 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure cooker or for 1 1/2 hours in a boiling-water-bath canner.

Nanna Tibbetts’s Moose Mincemeat Cookies

1 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup honey

3 eggs, well beaten

3 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt