DIY Recipes for Your Favorite Hostess Treats
For my contemporaries of a certain age, Hostess treats, like Twinkies and Ho-Hos, hold a special place in our hearts and our childhood memories. Sure, we may have switched most of our diets to organic, whole foods, but that doesn’t mean we don’t occasionally crave something a little naughty drenched in sugar, frosting, and nostalgia.
But never fear! Even though Hostess may be shutting its bakery doors forever, we can still enjoy the treats we loved as kids by making our own. And, as a definite bonus, most of these recipes can be made with real ingredients—no high fructose corn syrup need apply.
That makes them healthy, right?
I have, in fact, made my own Ho Hos at home (that’s my homemade version next to the original in the photo above). Aside from being delicious, these devilish little treats are also extremely labor intensive—and just from looking at these other recipes, I can guess that making your own Twinkies, Sno Balls or Zingers will be no different.
It made me realize that many of the processed foods people enjoy as “snack” foods are totally taken for granted. Once you’ve sifted, mixed, whipped, filled, rolled, and frosted, you too might understand that these once ubiquitous treats might be more special occasion indulgences than you ever even realized.
- Twinkies — Try this recipe that the TODAY show put on its website, which starts with a box of golden pound cake mix. Or, do it from scratch with this recipe from Leite’s Culinaria.
- Chocolate Cupcakes — The New York Times has a recipe for “faux” Hostess Cupcakes, complete with signature squiggle.
- Orange Cupcakes — If you prefer the orange version of the iconic cupcakes, you can find your recipe here.
- Ho Hos — I’ve actually made homemade Ho Hos from this recipe on the Food Network website. Delicious, but tricky!
- Ring Dings / Ding Dongs — Whatever you call these filled chocolate cakes, this recipe from the Beantown Baker will satisfy your cravings.
- Devil Dogs / Suzie Q’s — The Pioneer Woman took on Drake’s Devil Dogs a while back; I can attest that her “That’s the Best Frosting I’ve Ever Had” really lives up to its name. Love and Flour has a recipe for Suzie Q’s; that which we call a Devil Dog, by any other name, might be a Suzie Q as far as I can tell.
- Sno Balls — This recipe even tells you how to tint your coconut pink for that signature Sno Balls look.
- Zingers — I’ve never had a Zinger, but from this recipe they look like the love child of a Twinkie and a Sno Ball—but who am I to judge?
image by LacyLu42
