The Moon Pie is an iconic snack in the Deep South, made by the Chattanooga Bakery Company in Tennessee since 1917. The recipe was created by an employee who combined graham cracker cookies, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate. The snack is still sold worldwide today in various flavors, and is often paired with RC or Double Cola. Similar snacks include Scooter Pies and Whoopie Pies, but Moon Pie fans argue that they are mere knockoffs.
In the Deep South region of the United States, few snack foods have achieved the iconic status of a Moon Pie. Combined with an RC or Double Cola, the Moon Pie is considered a near-perfect meal for many native Southerners. While other regions of the country may have their own scooter pie or whoopie pie, only one bakery in Chattanooga, Tennessee can claim ownership of the original Moon Pie recipe.
According to legend, the Chattanooga Bakery Company was founded in order to find uses for its parent company’s excess flour. An employee named Earl Mitchell spoke to a number of coal miners in the company’s sales territory and asked them what an ideal snack would look like. They described a hearty cookie and marshmallow snack that could fit in their lunch boxes. When Mitchell asked how big this proposed snack should be, a miner is said to have pointed to a full moon.
Mitchell then took these ideas back to the bakery, where she noticed some graham cracker cookies covered in marshmallow fluff cooling on a window ledge. Mitchell added a second cracker cookie and dipped the entire mixture in chocolate. The result was the first Moon Pies, and the bakery decided to produce the snack on a much larger scale, eventually dedicating all of its production lines to making Moon Pies.
The original Moon Pie made exclusively by Chattanooga Bakery, Inc. is still sold worldwide today. The original chocolate-flavored coating has been supplemented with vanilla, banana, strawberry and other flavors. A miniature version of Moon Pie has also been developed. As of this writing, there is no diet or low-carb version of the snack available, but homemade variations with alternative ingredients are still possible.
During Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Alabama, it’s not unusual for parade attendees toss moon pies into the crowds along the streets. The town of Oneonta, Alabama still holds an annual Moon Pie drinking contest, with RC Cola being the only sanctioned soda available to contestants. The contest is said to have started when a local Walmart store manager accidentally ordered too many Moon Pies and needed to find a way to get rid of the excess stock.
Snack foods similar to the original Moon Pie include Scooter Pies and Whoopie Pies, although many Moon Pie aficionados would argue that those offerings are mere knockoffs of the one and only Moon Pie brand that has been made in Chattanooga, Tennessee since 1917.
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