Moon pies are a cookie confection that is sure to appeal to lovers of whoopie pies and other similar sandwich cookies. Despite their name, they are not actually pies. They are made with two soft graham crackers that sandwich a marshmallow filling and are dipped in chocolate. What makes them unique and sets them apart from a s’more is how tender the graham crackers used in a moon pie are, though they still have a delicious, nutty graham cracker flavor. The marshmallow filling is sweet and firm, not so sticky that it will squeeze out the sides of the sandwich when you take a bite, and the chocolate coating has a nice cocoa note to it.
Moon pies were first produced in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1917. It has a great origin story, where the founder asked a Kentucky coal miner what kind of snack he would like and the miner described a s’mores-like sandwich cookie. When asked about the size, the miner looked up at the sky and made a four-inch circle with his hands, framing the outline of the moon – hence the name, moon pie. It is likely that this story is little more than legend, but it is still a fun origin story for a very iconic snack.
These days, moon pies are available in several flavors, including vanilla, banana and even salted caramel. They’re still a popular snack and well known throughout the midwest and South, especially in Tennessee, where they are still produced to this day. In other parts of the country, similar products with different names may be better known, but moon pies aren’t hard to find no matter where you live, and they’re still a tasty snack even if you work in an office instead of a coal mine.
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