Homemade Twinkie Poppers |Cooking With Amanda

I'll admit Twinkies will always have a place in my heart thanks to the powers of nostalgia and Saturday morning marketing. We didn't always have a box in the cupboard, but we convinced my mom often enough that they were essential to childhood, and she complied on occasion.

And I'm no stranger to Twinkies as a source of fun food, of course. Thankfully, we can breathe a collective sigh of relief that Twinkies have been rescued from the clutches of bankruptcy. And while Twinkies are safe on the shelves, copycat versions are no less important. Nope. Not when they taste even better, are super easy to make, and are ever so cute in poppers form.

How Hostess has not come up with a mini-Twinkie yet, I don't know, because I could eat a jillion of these Twinkies poppers. I did eat close to that while making them, so I'm thankful I had enough for photographs. (Dear Hostess, please cut me in on the deal to make mini Twinkies, should you ever decide to take your product in this direction. People love portion control. Because then they can eat a jillion, like I did.)

This recipe is a bit denser than the original version, less sponge-cakey and more cake-cakey. I just made that up, by the way, but it's really the best descriptor. I also changed the filling to suit my own tastes, so it's as sugary as the original, thank you very much, but a bit smoother and thicker.

To give these the classic rounded-edge shape, I used a rounded brownie pop pan. If you don't have one, you can easily make these in a mini cupcake pan, though they will be a bit smaller. I made both versions, as I only have one mold and it isn't wise to let the batter sit too long before baking, and I adored each. No matter which pan you use, the Poppers save you from laboriously crafting tinfoil molds for the Twinkies. I also used a disposable decorating bag and a size 10 tip to fill the Twinkies.

Both the bags and the tip are available in the craft store, and I recommend using them, because it makes filling so easy! And all that means you get your Twinkies Poppers more quickly.

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Homemade Twinkie Poppers Recipe

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Ingredients

1 box pound cake mix, 16 ounces
2/3 cup water
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray brownie pop molds or a mini cupcake tray with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine the pound cake mix and water in a bowl. Mix on medium speed with a standing or hand mixer for two minutes until well blended.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture and stir on low until well blended.
Fill the cavities of the brownie molds and/or cupcake tray two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top springs back when pressed. Let the cakes cool.
Combine the butter, confectioner's sugar, marshmallow fluff and milk until well blended. Fit a disposable decorating bag with a size 10 tip. Fill the bag with the icing and close tightly with a rubber band.
Insert the tip into the bottom of a cake and squeeze frosting into the cake until it begins to ooze back out. If desired, scoop out some cake first with a toothpick to give the filling more room.