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food

The Secret to the Perfect Twinkie

Ah, Twinkies.

Whether the Hostess company goes away with all their products, or if some other company decides to purchase the brands and recipes and continue onward, that we will soon have a world without Hostess is sad in many ways.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Chocolate Twinkies
Chocolate Twinkies

Top Secret Recipes
Top Secret Recipes

You can make Twinkies and other Hostess-branded products at home.  It’s easy.

Web Watch has followed the directions outlined by Todd Wilbur in his book TOP SECRET RECIPES and we can honestly tell you that his recipes are pretty well done.

But we’re going to let you in on a little secret:  the secret to the ultimate Twinkie (or Ding-Dong, King Dong, Ho-Ho, Suzy Q, or other creme-filled Hostess product) has absolutely nothing to do with the cake.

The cake is merely the creme delivery method.

Without the perfect fluffy, marshmallowy creme center, your homemade Twinkie replica is nothing but a sad imitator.  And besides, there are hundreds of different pound cake, cupcake, layer cake recipes out there that you can choose to work with.  It’s getting the creme for the filling made correctly that’s the biggest problem.

And Web Watch has tried a few different creme recipes, but they all have tended to be not as fluffy or accurate as the one that Todd came up with.  We had the flavor right, but were missing the critical fluff factor.

Here’s Todd Wilbur’s secret to getting the ULTIMATE TWINKIE FILLING:

  • 2 teaspoons very hot water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups marshmallow creme, or one 7-ounce jar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the salt with the water and stir until dissolved. Let cool.  Combine the marshmallow, shortening, sugar, vanilla in a medium bowl and mix until fluffy.  (This is where Web Watch has gone wrong in the past by leaving out the shortening.  We’ve learned our lesson.)   Add the salt solution to the mixture and combine.

That’s it.  So easy even Web Watch can do it.

Comments on the recipe on the Top Secret Recipes website indicate that there may be a slight salt flavor if you taste the creme directly, but it should counter out when combined with a sweet-flavored cake. Also, note that the shortening may add a slightly greasy texture.

So what are your secrets for dupicating Twinkies at home that Todd hasn’t shared? Are you stockpiling Hostess products for the future, to sell on eBay or hoard for your own personal stash?  Any fond memories of trading a bag of chips for a Hostess Chocodile you’d like to share?