T
he real Twinkies will be heading back onto store shelves in July, according to Michael Cramer, executive vice president of Hostess Brands LLC. Production will begin shortly. Not only will Twinkies soon be available again, but so will many of the other famous Hostess cakes, such as Hostess Donettes.
As a result of the scarcity, in the Twinkies absence of six months, a few look-alike cakes have appeared, and many of them will cost less than the Hostess brand, especially ones from the Bimbo company, which has been making a Mexican version of the snack for year (also available with chocolate or strawberry filling). I would expect Hostess to step up to the competition with a number of promotions and coupons to welcome Twinkies back to the public, so look for coupons that you can combine with sales. Rumor has it that Twinkies last forever, so you may be able to stock up. Anyone now if a Twinkie freezes well?
Of course, for the really frugal, or those of us who want to limit the added chemicals in our food, there are the homemade versions. A few different homemade Twinkies recipes are out there, and many of them have good ratings or comments. The number of recipes exploded when Twinkie-lovers everywhere discovered that Hostess would stop making their beloved snacks.
Some of these Twinkies recipes make use of convenience products, such as boxed cake mix, jarred marshmallow cream, and instant pudding mix, so opt for store brands or use coupons to save money. Other recipes are completely from scratch, which may take a little more effort, but are certain to save you money. Plus you can brag that you made them completely on your own. Who knows, maybe your version will be so good it will give the official ones a run for the money.
* Image courtesy of Hostess Brands LLC