Moon pies are a beloved, historic treat from the deep south

Published 5:30 pm Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Like many of us, I grew up believing in a myth about America. I believed that the reason we had a summer break from school had to do with the agricultural aspects of our history, that children were needed at home for the summer growing season to help in fields and farms, but that’s not true. Children were often needed to help with agricultural labor, but mostly in the spring and fall for planting and harvesting.

In fact, it was common for children in rural areas to attend school in the summer, when their parents needed their labor less.

The truth is that summer break stemmed from other needs: to address the discomfort of crowded classrooms in summer heat, and to standardize the school year across the country as part of sweeping education reforms that would allow time for facility maintenance, teacher education, and rest for the children. So why do we believe in the myth when the truth is much more practical? Why do Americans cling to idyllic fantasies about our past?

Because we have been deliberately, systematically conditioned to believe them.

Romanticizing the past by intentionally suppressing the truth is another American tradition. Our history books were written with the express intent to deceive, to smooth out the rough edges of our past and prevent us from seeing the reality of the system we have been born to toil in for the enrichment of the oppressors. The fantasy is much more damaging than the truth, no matter how unpleasant, because it keeps us chained to that wheel, and only knowledge can set us all free. As our country nears its 250th birthday, I urge you to be a real patriot and seek out that truth so we can see through the lies and finally grow up.

Nostalgia isn’t always insidious, and even I sometimes enjoy some dalliance with charming, “old-timey” Americana. Moon pies are a beloved, historic treat from the deep south, and the story of their invention is wholesome and worthy of its idyllic image. These treats are real sugar bombs, so indulge responsibly.

Ingredients:

15 graham crackers, crushed

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup light brown sugar

11 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

11 tbsp milk

Marshmallow fluff – as much as you like

Dark chocolate chips – two bags if you want to completely coat every pie

¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix the cooled, melted butter and milk together and add to the dry ingredients until a sticky dough forms.

Roll the dough out in thirds between two pieces of parchment about 1/3 inch thick.

Use a circle cookie cutter to cut out rounds – I got 24, 2-inch cookies from this batch.

Bake for 10 minutes until the edges have just started to darken.

Cool completely before spreading marshmallow fluff on half of them and covering them with the other half to make 12 sandwiches.

Put the sandwiches in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to firm up – this will help them stay together while you cover them in chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler until smooth, add the melted coconut oil, and set up your dipping station.

I used two forks to help me dip the pies in the chocolate to coat. Traditionally, they are completely coated in chocolate but drizzling them with chocolate or dipping just half is always an option.

Return your chocolate-coated pies to the refrigerator to set and enjoy with a glass of milk.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.