Hostess, Please Keep Making Twinkies

As I was clocking in at school Friday, John, a fellow staff member, said to me “Did you hear? Hostess is going out of business.” I know John wasn’t expecting my reaction upon hearing his news. I asked him if he was sure, then I went on to explain the sheer panic on my face. You see, Tuesday is Twinkie day according to Cody (autistic) and Hostess makes Twinkies.


Immediately the wheels in my head started spinning and I began devising a plan:

I will have to buy a years supply of Twinkies, at least, because it will probably take me that long to help Cody cope with the fact that Twinkies will no longer exist. There are 10 Twinkies in a box and 52 weeks in a year, so in order for Cody to have 1 Twinkie a week (on Tuesdays, mind you), I will have to make room in my freezer for at least 6 boxes and maybe a few more for good measure.

Having a little time to kill this morning before going to work, I decided to get online and see what articles I could find regarding Hostess going out of business. As you can imagine, there are all kinds of stories floating around the internet, but the one I take comfort in is on CNNMoney. It says…

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)-- Rest easy, Twinkie lovers: Hostess Brands, the storied American manufacturer of snack cakes, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, but said it will continue to churn out Ho Hos, Ding Dongs and other iconic products.

"Throughout the proceeding, we're going to operate business as normal," said Hostess spokesman Erik Halvorson. "They'll keep making Twinkies."

I am hoping, if worse comes to worst, that another big company will buy Hostess out and continue making their products as insinuated in the following paragraph of the same article…

Published reports indicated that Hostess sought potential buyers, including Oreo-cookie maker Kraft Foods (KFT, Fortune 500) and Campbell Soup (CPB, Fortune 500)'s Pepperidge Farm.

Regardless, I am going to purchase those aforementioned boxes. It’s better to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, right?!

Tuesday's Twinkie Day

...according to Cody. I'm not sure why but I figure it's because Twinkie and Tuesday both start with T. Nobody else in our family enjoys eating Twinkies the way Cody does, so to keep them from getting old and moldy, I freeze the entire package. Every Monday evening Cody reminds me to get a Twinkie out of the freezer and put it in his lunchbox for the next day.

I found the following recipe at http://www.hostesscakes.com/.
I have not tried it but the pumpkin caught me eye (fitting to the season for those of us in the United States).

Pumpkin Twinkie Dessert


1 package (15 ounces) Hostess Twinkies (10 Twinkies)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 container (8 ounces) frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk
Additional pumpkin pie spice

Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise and place cream-side up, in single layer in 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Using a mixer, blend together cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and ½ of whipped topping until smooth. Spread evenly over Twinkies.

Combine pudding mix, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and milk. Whisk until well blended and layer over cream cheese mixture. Carefully spread remaining whipped topping over pumpkin. Lightly sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice. Refrigerate several hours or until set.

Makes 9 to 12 servings.