Moon Pies

Moon Pies 

People all around the world, and Americans most of all, love this snack, which consists of two graham crackers with marshmallow filling and chocolate coating.

            The first Moon Pie was made in 1917 by the Chattanooga Bakery in Chattanooga (Tennessee/USA). But every story has a beginning. One day, Earl Mitchell, a traveling salesman working for the Chattanooga Bakery asked some coal miners if they wanted to have a snack during their break.  One of them asked for something made of graham crackers and marshmallow and requested that it had to be “as big as the moon” (hence the name: Moon Pie). Initially, the bakery only produced 100 Moon Pies a day. They were having more and more success. During World War II, it became “comfort food” for common people and soldiers on the battlefield. Then, during the Baby Boom, Moon Pies were considered as the perfect snack for children. By the 1970s, Moon Pies became so popular that different sizes and flavours were created. Nowadays, Chattanooga Bakery produces about a million Moon Pies a day.

Moon Pies progressively gained cultural importance in the USA and some traditions and events developed, such as the RC-Moon Pie Festival, i.e. Moon Pie eating contests organized by Walmart. Americans are also used to eating Moon Pies on 20 July to remember the first time a man walked on the moon. And the list goes on: there is a song written by Big Bill Lister called “Gimme an RC Cola and a Moon Pie” and you can buy various items like t-shirts, caps, etc in the image of Moon Pies.

    Now, let’s look at the Moon Pies’ s recipe. To bake the crackers you need plain flour, wholemeal flour, rye flour, brown sugar, yeast, baking soda, cinnamon, butter, cold water, honey and vanilla extract Mix these ingredients with a blender. Stir water into the dough until it takes the form of a globe. Use a cookie cutter to make small circles. Place them in the oven and let them cook 10 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. For the fluff, you need marshmallows, egg whites, sugar syrup, sugar powder, water and vanilla extract. Mix the egg whites with the sugar syrup and the vanilla extract until you gain firmness. In a saucepan, melt the marshmallows with the sugar and water. When the mixture resembles syrup, pour it over the egg whites while whipping until the mixture is completely cooled and put it in the fridge. The final step is to melt some chocolate in which to dip the little “sandwich” made of two crackers with fluff between them.

           To conclude, Moon Pies make up an important part of American culture. Even if they are not that difficult to make, they are extremely popular, and everyone still loves them more than 100 years after their creation.

Thibaud Dujardin, Alicia Poussière, and Tristan Stofferis.