Friday, January 13, 2006

Vegan Twinkies®



The biggest difference between these and regular Twinkies® is that these taste good.

Step One.
Get one of these...



Yes, it's the Hostess® Twinkies® Bake Set, complete with baking pan, icing injector, spatula, and cowboy-style Twinkies® Container! If you can't find an actual Hostess® set, do a Google search for "cream canoe baking set" and you'll find many brands to choose from.


Step Two.
Throw out the icing injector because it's a cheap piece of junk that will break if you attempt to actually use it. Get yourself a pastry bag fitted with a large star or round tip instead.

Step Three. Preheat oven to 350º. Make the batter for Fluffy White Cupcakes. Spray the baking pan with nonstick spray and fill the cups just under halfway full (about 1/4 cup). Bake for 15 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.



Step Four. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out (running a thin plastic spatula along the sides helps release the cakes) and set them on a wire rack. Let them cool completely before filling.

Step Five. Make Cream Filling:

1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TB barley malt powder (gives the filling a sweet, marshmallowy taste; not to be confused with malted milk powder)

Beat together the shortening and margarine with a handheld beater or stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat until completely light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and malt powder and beat for another 2 minutes.

Fill the pastry bag and poke and squeeze out about one tablespoon into three locations in the underside of each cake.



(Yes, I know I'm using the icing injector I told you to throw away; trust me, I know better now.)

This will make about 16 Vegan Twinkies® with Cream Filling, but do us adults a favor and fill some with puréed organic strawberry jam instead. Or dip them in chocolate icing and make Australian Lamingtons.

And hey, you can also use this pan to make vegan corn dogs.

98 comments:

Anonymous said...

Holy frosted snackcakes Batman! Homemade snack cakes! Can you say yummmy! I had one of the "real" ones several years ago cuz I thought they were so good as a kid...yeah...let's not talk about that anymore...

Anonymous said...

Wow, you are amazing. :] All your food looks so good!

Anonymous said...

Yum! These look sooo much better than that junk that comes in a package.

Anonymous said...

You are such a good mom! You are so right to show little Shmoo that veganism is not about denying yourself treats! I can't wait to make these myself! :)

I heard about your site from Erik's Diner, and I love it! Thanks for the recipes and all of your hard work. :)

Anonymous said...

i wonder if icing could be inserted into cupcakes (or would they just explode)?! a friend's birthday is soon and i am trying to be inventive.
-jessica

Anonymous said...

Did you try freezing any? I'd be curious to see if they hold up alright. I don't know if I could eat a whole batch but they would be great for a party, this is too cool!

MommaSchell said...

Yum! These look SO good. I had the opportunity to tour the Hostess bakeries when I was a student studying cereal chemistry in college. At least yours are baked with wholesome ingredients. You don't want to know how the originals came to fruition. They were literally grown from a slew of chemicals. I think that flour as an ingredient came way down the list after all of the ingredients one couldn't pronounce if one tried...

Michelle

Jennifershmoo said...

As an update, Bed Bath & Beyond are currently out of stock on the baking pans. But I just did a search and discovered they are also called "cream canoe pans". Do a google search and you'll find quite a few of them.

Of course, then you'll have to call them "vegan cream canoes". :-)

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, jessica -- yep! You can use a pastry bag with a star or round tip, insert it into the cupcake and squeeze in about a tablespoon or more of icing, frosting, jam, pudding, pie filling, etc. etc. It won't explode! I love squeezing peach jam into sweet corn muffins.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, I am just inspired by your lunches for my own little ones! This is definitely on our weekend to do list.

Anonymous said...

this is the most amazing thing ive ever seen!

SilentGoddess said...

Ditto on everyone's comments! That is amazing! You are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Oo, and you can make those raspberry filled things too now. Looks like the sets are all sold out now, probably thanks to you.

Anonymous said...

Yum!!
If the Twinkies set is all sold out, they also have a set at The Baker's Catalog... this will give me a reason to buy one...
http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/items/Filled_Cake_Set.html

vania said...

oh my goodness, you making this confirms my believe that we can make anything vegan. Great work! Now, if only i knew where to get that twinkie making machine!

Running2Ks said...

You are amazing. You can make ANYTHING!

Anonymous said...

I went to BBB today to get a new grill pan and saw they had one Twinkie set left. The cashier said these were a really popular item.

I'm all set to make my vegan "twinkies!"

Anonymous said...

WOW! What a great idea! Just when i thought i couldnt even look at another snack cake again without getting sick, i found this VEGAN recipe! Amazing!

Anonymous said...

One could also inject the filling into a great tasting vegan chocolate cake or cupcakes.
the recipe i love is as follows:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour or all purpose flour (I have used whole wheat, too)
1/3 cup organic, fair trade cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking sode
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup organic, fair trade sugar (beet sugar, I believe, is not filtered thru charcoal)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

Sift or stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar in ungreased, 8 inch square baking pan or put into muffin tins.
In large measuring cup, mix oil, water and vanilla.
Pour into flour mixture, mixing with fork until smooth.
Stir in vinegar just until evenly distributed (as it reacts to the baking soda, it will cause pale swirls in batter)
Bake in preheated oven at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the centre. Cool thoroughly in pan on wire rack.

Got this recipe during the 'Travelling World Community Film Festival Nanaimo'

~Tracy :)

Anonymous said...

homemade twinkies ~ that's amazing!

Lisa said...

Bless you, my children will be in heaven.

Allie B said...

Mmm, yummy. I should try putting in some silken tofu blended with cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, Neesha! Crisco is now making a trans fat-free shortening. I buy organic Spectrum shortening at the health food store; look in the health food section of your local stores.

Lexi said...

oooh i've never ever tasted a twinky even and now i can't buy that bake set even because it just comes to a "product doesn't exist" page... buuuhuuuu

Anonymous said...

Here is what this great recipes looks like when you don't have the Twinkie pan and instead use a plain cupcake pan. Not nearly as eye catching, but just as consumable.

I ate six in the span of about 30 minutes.

James said...

I blogged your super fabulous blogs!

http://weirdcircle.blogspot.com/2006/02/great-vegan-blogs-by-jennifershmoo.html

Mike said...

Those actually look edible and fairly healthy, unlike regular twinkies.

Anonymous said...

Wow I LOVE your lunchboxes! And these twinkies look fantastic - even though here in Australia, they're not part of popular culture!

But I'm keen to know if I can freeze these? My weekdays are blurs, and I like to have pre-frozen treats ready to throw into lunchboxes in the mornings!

Thanks!

Jennifershmoo said...

I've never frozen them myself (they don't last that long around here!) but I think you should give it a try. If it works out, let us know. Most baked goods seem to freeze well, but I'm not sure how the filling will behave.

Anonymous said...

put this comment in the wrong area:

I am having the hardest time finding the barley malt powder. Anyone have any idea where you could get it in the New York City area? I know I can get it online but the shipping charges are nuts!

oh and could you possibly substitute barley malt syrup? I can find that.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer,

I also could not find malted barley powder. I went to a huge health food store but they did not have it. Like the other person said, can you substitute malted barley syrup or something else in it's place?

Thanks
GB

Jennifershmoo said...

Barley syrup is really a different product altogether; I don't think it could be subsituted. I have linked to a site where barley malt powder can be ordered on the web; if you do a Google search you can find several more places to order it from.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer,

Did I hear that you could make "corn dogs" in this pan also? I got the pan and am trying to find a recipe for the "corn dogs". My husband keeps asking when I am going to make something in the pan now that I have it. I was wondering if just a corn bread recipe would work? HELP!!!
Thanks, Puddin

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, Puddin! Yep, you heard right! I went ahead and added the link as a "P.S." at the bottom of this recipe. Enjoy!

Robyn Wade said...

I bought the set and made these yaesterday with a different filling. Thank you so much for the recipe.

Anonymous said...

margarine is not vegan. can you use other vegan alternatives, or is margarine needed?

Jennifershmoo said...

Yes, there are vegan margarines. Earth Balance and Willow Run are two nonhydrogenated vegan margarines that I use and recommend. Look for them sold in tubs at health food stores or the health food section of your grocery store.

Anonymous said...

Made these yesterday and while they were delicious I don't think I got enough filling inside. I felt like I was squeezing and squeezing forever. Any tips on knowing if you got enough filling in without cutting it open?

dollydlux said...

I am baking my Twinkies right now and they look amazing! I LOVE willow run margaring but my package says partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Do they make another product that is completely non-hydrogenated? I used the earth balance buttery sticks for this recipe instead since I didn't want to mess it up in anyway. A tip for the malted barley powder-it is used in beer brewing and is called dry malt extract or DME. Check your phone book and see if you have a homebrew supply store near you. There are different darknesses though and for this application I used light. It is so delicious and does add that "marshmallow" flavor! Thanks for this amazing recipe. I am going to try and stick one in the freezer before the family sees so I will let you all know how they do!

Anonymous said...

Can you tell me which shortening and margerine you used in your recipe for the best flavor? Also where can I get barley malt? I am so excited about making these, can't wait to try them!

Jennifershmoo said...

>>Any tips on knowing if you got enough filling in without cutting it open?

For me it's just taken a lot of practice to get a feel for it (so darn, you'll have to bake more Twinkies!).

I always squeeze way past when my brain says I should stop, and it usually comes out right.

Anonymous said...

Do you have any idea how long these hold up? I'd like to send some to my husband in Iraq, but it takes about ten days for a package to get there. I've sent him cookies before and they arrived okay but i'm not sure how cake would do.

Jennifershmoo said...

Well, the longest they hold up around here is a day and a half. After that, they're all gone!

Maybe someone with greater willpower than the three of us can tell us how long they hold up?

slb said...

I just made my first batch today. My cream filling is darker than yours in the picture, though. I added two tablespoons of barley malt powder, was that too much? Sure tastes yummy.

The plastic pastry injector thing that came with the bake set broke after two Twinkies. So off to Tarzhay for a new pastry bag and tips making these the most expensive Twinkies ever, but they are delicious. I've had two and have quite the sugar high.

s.

Anonymous said...

Soooo good. We made one pan with fruit filling and another filled with vegan chocolate pudding. Both delicious!

Anonymous said...

hi. i recently won a twinkies bake set on ebay, and i've gathered all of my vegan twinkie ingredients. however, i ended up getting barley malt syrup rather than the powder. this was the only kind of barley malt at whole foods, and i didn't read the fine print. can i still use this, and if so do i still use 2 TB?

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, sleepybeth -- No, I'm afraid barley malt syrup is not the same at all and can't be used as a substitute. Look for barley malt powder at baking and brewing supply stores and websites if you can't find it at your health food store.

Anonymous said...

thanks for the info on the barley malt powder. my twinkies bake set arrived yesterday and i just couldn't wait, so i substituutes vegan ricemellow fluff for barley malt powder because you said it had a marshmellowy flavor. they turned out great.

i will definitely use your recipe in the future. thanks so much!

any ideas on what i can do with my barley malt syrup?

Anonymous said...

You rock. My creme canoe pan is being shipped as we speak. Here is a song for you and Shmoo:

Do, the stuff, you find in a twinkie!
Ray, the guy who buys me twinkies!
Mi, the guy he bought the twinkies for,
Fa, the line-up for my twinkies!
So, I think I'll have a twinkie!
La, lalalala twinkie!
Ti, no thanks, I'll have a twinkie!
And that will bring us back to Do-
Twinkie, twinkie, twinkie Do.

Lively Mountain said...

We made these this weekend, we used Scooby Do cupcake molds and then regular cupcakes. All of the kids in the neighborhood loved them!

Anonymous said...

FYI

Just got the twinkie pan from hostess, it now comes w/ a pastrie bag and five different tips instead of the plastic contraption shown

Anonymous said...

WHY DONT U JUST FILL THEM WITH BROCCOLI ???

Anonymous said...

Mmm, Broccoli!

But I'd really vote for chocolate.

Anonymous said...

OH YUMM!!!! I'm vegan and I can't wait to make those! I just found out today that ho-hos have beef fat in them. EWWW. I wonder what twinkies have in them....

Well thanks for the recipie!! I can't wait to make them!!!!!

Anonymous said...

FYI, the Twinkies Bake Set has apparently resurfaced-- I just got one at Bed, Bath & Beyond yesterday, and they were brand new, not closeouts. Happily, the plastic injector has been replaced with a perfectly serviceable (though cheap) pastry bag!

And sleepybeth, if you're still reading this, barley malt syrup DID work for me as a substitute (just a touch in the mix), but mostly I use it for making German chocolate cake topping.

x hj x

Des said...

Anonymous, Now I need to know how you make that German Chocolate Cake icing with the malt syrup please...

Edward Vielmetti said...

heard you on good food!

Anonymous said...

Wow I'm definitely giving this recipe to a friend to impress his vegan teacher with.

Anonymous said...

I live in LA and had the HARDEST time trying to find Barley Malt Flour. I went to every health food store in the area and no one had it. So far this one hear by house says they have it, and as soon as I get out of work, I'll find out. A brewery supply store across town does carry it but it's a far drive from me. In the future, if you want to make these, order the powder ahead of time or conduct a search. Trying to find it when you want to make them tomorrow will drive you crazy!!

míchel said...

i am CLEARLY link-blind. i see it now... white fluffy cupcakes. whoops!

yeaaahtoast said...

tara ---
where in la? i am in pasadena-ish area and my whole foods no-havey either. Please let me know where you find it. These twinkies are worth the drive!!!

Anonymous said...

You can put pancake batter in the twinkie pan and depending on the size 1 or 2 vegan breakfast sausages. Then you have a breakfast corndog.

I've used barley malt syrup and not had a problem.

Anonymous said...

SO today I had a Dr's appointment on the other end of town. Thought I'd swing by BB&B to pick up a Twinkie pan. Cause I HAVE to make these!!! They were OUT of the dear things, tho they had plenty of clearance Hostess cupcake sets left. (How worthless is THAT? They're CUPCAKES ferchrissake...)

So... ORDERED one from BB&B online catalog. The cream canoe sets are much more expensive. PLUS these are AUTHENTIC Twinkie pans.

I am sooooooooo psyched about making these childhood faves actually NOT bad for me!!!!

Thankyouthankyouthankyou PPK!

Anonymous said...

I just made my first batch (I feel like such a late-bloomer) of the Twinkies. I filled them last night after reading through all the previous comments. So when my brain said stop filling, I kept going just like you do. I had four Twinkies explode on me (i.e. fall apart from so much filling). Sooo, do you mean approx 1 Tbsp filling per hole or 1 Tbsp to divide up between the three? I think I'm going to have to make lots more for practice! Thanks again for the deliciousness! These are fantastic!

Anonymous said...

That sounds so delicious!
Why don't you post your recipes at http://daily-cook-book.blogspot.com!

Phil and Tanja said...

I'm confused - this recipe uses margerine and shortening but isn't stuff like marge made from dairy and it being no hydrogenated doesn't mean that it's dairy free?

I like your site, I'm not a vegan, but I'm really interested in your recipes because I think you work really hard and they all sound great fun and yum!

I'm into healthy eating and like your use of lots of beans and pulses - any ideas on how to make a boyfriend who hates any kind of bean start to like them?

Jennifershmoo said...

Some margarines contain traces of dairy, but margarine is made mostly from oil. Earth Balance is the non-hydrogenated vegan margarine that I use but there are also other brands; check your local grocery or health food store.

Anonymous said...

We made this with marshmallow creme for the filling. Yum! Even though we aren't vegan, still working on the vegetarian step, it is nice to know that my children are getting "junk" food that is much healthier for them than what is found at the regular grocery store.

Anonymous said...

twinkies are so bad for you!! EWWWW

if you are going to make the same choice as me and say no to twinkies, go to this link : http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/down-with-twinkies.html and sign my petition!

Anonymous said...

Oh how i want to try this "twinkee" recipe! BUT i am having a hard time finding the barley malt powder.
Can i substitute Barley Malt Syrup? Or is NonDiastatic Malt the same thing? help!

NonDiastatic malt:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=3995

Jennifershmoo said...

Yes, nondiastatic malt is the same thing, in fact it's exactly what I use (from King Arthur, even!).

Anonymous said...

cool

Anonymous said...

Is there healthy calorie? I don't think so!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's amazing. I have to try that!

Anonymous said...

i never thought I'd see a song online about vegan twinkies. wow. the web rocks. so do all of you who are so excited about vegan twinkies. I wish someone would make me one. I don't like to bake. :-)

Anonymous said...

Ok, here is the thing . . . I live in Norway thus some of the products you have in the U.S. and the U.K. are often REALLY hard to find or REALLY expensive. Has any one any suggestion on what to do when a recipe calls for shortening and this lovely barley malt powder...I haven't a clue! I am the WORST vegetarian on the planet! I have never heard or seen barley malt powder and that should say a great deal about my eating habits! (Sorry if this post is too long.)

Anonymous said...

Just found the barley malt powder today at a brew supply store. None of the health food stores I checked had it.
I get vegan malts at my local co-op and this must be what they use for the awesome flavor. It tastes so good!!! Now all I have to get is the pan and I am set to go.
Nordicvegggie, if you get in contact with me, I would be glad to send you some barley malt powder. My e-mail address is beautiful_august@hotmail.com

Leng said...

oh my gosh I haven't had twinkies since I was little! I love twinkies!

Anonymous said...

yes I am wanting to make the twinkies but i want to know what gives them that yellow look is it a food coloring or what..

Anonymous said...

yes i would like to know what gives the Twinkies the yellow look is it a yellow food coloring or what?

Jennifershmoo said...

No, there is no food coloring in the cakes. Follow the link to the recipe and you'll find it's just a regular vegan cake recipe. The soymilk, vanilla, and unbleached flower give the batter a slightly yellow cast, and the cakes turn even more golden during baking. Try it! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi, Does anyone know where you can get a Twinkie Bake Set, or Canoe Bake set, in the UK, im from Wales and cant find them anywhere on the internet.

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hmm yummy. Keep em going especially the food for health recipes.

Anonymous said...

I am just wondering if you can sub the barley malt powder with the barley malt flour (maybe I can run it through the coffee grinder for a few extra minutes?

Jennifershmoo said...

No, barley flour and malt are not the same thing at all, I'm afraid. The malting process makes it into a sweetener. If you can't find it, just leave it out and add a bit of powdered sugar if you need to.

FoodAllergyMom said...

I have had my eye on this twinkie set for a year now, originally I wanted it to make GF hot dog buns. Well, yesterday was my b-day and I finally decided to get it for myself, and guess what...that trashy injector is no longer in the kit! They replaced it with a good old pastry bag and tips. I'm pretty happy! As we speak I am about to begin my first attempt at GLUTEN FREE vegan twinkies...wish me luck!

FoodAllergyMom said...

Hey, guess what, the pastry bag sucks too! I wish I could post a pic here...it's hysterical now but it wasn't at the time. I had to squeeze the bag so hard that the tip blew off and cream filling flew everywhere!!! AAAAAAAA

danakscully64 said...

I finally tried these and thought they were YUMMY! :)

danakscully64 said...

I came back to say that I didn't use a special cake pan for these, but shaped foil instead (suggestion from Todd Wilbur, the recipe cloner) to save money. I was able to find the malt powder at a local health food store and I honestly couldn't imagine this recipe without it. :) Before I started filling the twinkies with frosting, I took a chopstick and created a little well in each one so the frosting would go in easily. I will definately be making this recipe for my children if I ever have them someday.

Anonymous said...

hey i think you are very sexy with your twinkie recipe......

Kristie said...

I ordered the twinkie pan a few weeks ago and it came in the mail last week. Because I'm having such a hard time with the Barley Malt Powder, I bypassed the Twinkies for now and made the corndogs...my kids LOVED them! I am going to make a few batches so we will always have some on hand.

As for the Twinkies...I am bringing them a Halloween party this Saturday and I'm just going to attempt them without the barley powder as see how it goes. I should have ordered it online weeks ago, but I got lazy.

Thank you so much for this great idea and for the corndog recipe, too.

Adriana said...

Delicious and guilt free! Husband and I were in Vinkie (Vegan-Twinkie) heaven.

My mods: I used coconut flavor instead of coconut extract. I hunted for it at Whole Foods (several), Trader Joe’s, Mother’s Kitchen, Henry’s, and nothing! I will omit it altogether next time; just to compare. I used low fat soymilk, subbed barley malt powder (what a nightmare ingredient to locate) for Suzanne’s Ricemellow Crème. Instead of spraying the pan with a nonstick spray I greased it with Earth Balance “Buttery” Sticks (it’s what I had on hand). I also baked them about five minutes longer. Fantab!

Thanks Jennifer!

Desert Dogs California said...

If you search for "Mini loaf pans" they might work too. They're a slightly different shape, but I think they'd suffice.

Anonymous said...

We're snowed in today, so I had a little time to surf the web and came across this wonderful recipe. I didn't want to wait to try it, but there was no way to get to the store. So I used mini muffin pans to make 3 dozen little cupcakes, then filled them with the cream from your "Twinkies" recipe. But since I didn't have any barley malt, I used brown rice syrup. For the cakes, I used the chocolate cake recipe in the comments. They were amazing! Now I know what to make for my daughter's birthday party!

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention that I used a mix of whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour in the cupcakes, and they were still tender. Also, I make my own powdered sugar in my Vitamix using Sucanat and a touch of corn starch (or arrowroot or kudzu starch).

Leslie Richman said...

Oh that's terrific!!

Anonymous said...

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بيت الطالب السعودي

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الملحق الثقافي
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,,

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الملحقية الثقافية بالاردن
بيت الطالب السعودي

بيت الطالب الخليجي
التعليم العالي الاردني
التعليم العالي السعودي

الابتعاث للخارج

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