This is a tale of two pies. Pies whose mission took them far, far away from home, to the desert of Palm Springs.

Dessert in the desert.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! First we must introduce the main characters.

Shoofly Pie. This volunteer, made mainly with sugar and molasses, is ready to make the trek of his lifetime. (Thanks to my friend Sarah J. for the A-DORABLE whisk and sticky notes from my favorite store, Anthropologie!)

Oatmeal-Butterscotch Chip Cookie Pie. Rumor had it that this contender was an outstanding choice for bake sales…and to the bake sale he would go. (Thanks Amber…I’m putting your lovely Christmas gifts to good use. They’re also from my favorite store. “Lucky me!” says the gifts-person. See my post Love Language if you’re confused.)

The mission at hand: these pies were designated from birth to raise money for the small school I teach at. A lovely high school senior organized the bake sale in Palm Springs and sent me, the worried mother, this picture message when the pies arrived safely at their destination.

I regret never having tasted these pies. I regretted never having tasted the Oatmeal-Butterscotch pie so much that I immediately made a large batch of cookies with the leftover ingredients and consumed large quantities of them. What I don’t regret is that these two noble volunteers were able to make a small contribution to supporting an awesome group of kids.