Hostess Cupcake Cookies

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Take a chocolaty trip down memory lane with these Hostess Cupcake Cookies.

I absolutely love creating copycat nostalgic recipes. I now have quite a few copycat recipes – like my Cosmic Brownies and Krispy Kreme Copycat Glazed Doughnuts. These recipes bring back happy childhood memories, reminding me of a simpler time when all that mattered was my Walkman and my Lisa Frank notebook! 

Emily from Team HTH got the idea to turn those famous Hostess Cupcakes into a homemade cookie. Of course, as a total cookie lover, I was immediately on board. The recipe took SO many tweaks to perfect. We tested them over 10 times before we were satisfied with the flavor, texture, and appearance.

And despite All. That. Chocolate. (I know, it’s a hard job), I still can’t get enough of these cookies. 

The cocoa cookies are soft and slightly cakey in the best possible way. The marshmallow filling is perfectly sweetened without being cloying. The dark chocolate ganache gives a rich, chocolaty finish while balancing the sweetness beautifully. 

And, of course, they wouldn’t be a Hostess Cupcake copycat recipe without those loopy swirls of white icing on top!

Hostess Cupcake Cookies are what nostalgic dreams are made of. I hope you love them as much as I do.

Sprinkle of Science

How to Make Hostess Cupcake Cookies

What is a Hostess CupCake? 

An American childhood staple, Hostess CupCakes are chocolate cupcakes filled with marshmallow, topped with chocolate icing, and finished with swirls of white icing. These iconic treats are available in supermarkets nationwide. As a kid, I remember thinking they were such a special treat. However, I bought a few during testing to compare and was disappointed! The cupcakes were light but dry in texture with a subtle cocoa flavor, the filling tasted of hydrogenated oil with a hint of bland marshmallow fluff, and don’t even get me started on the “chocolate” topping… it was waxy and very muted.

Unfortunately, their recipe must have changed over the years. When I set about creating this cookie recipe, I made sure to take all the nostalgic flavors I remembered as a child, perfecting the marshmallow sweetness, and packing it into a rich, decadent, flavorful cookie that will utterly delight kids of all ages – including your inner child! 

What Type of Cocoa Powder for Hostess Cupcake Cookies? 

• Use unsweetened (aka natural) cocoa powder for these Hostess Cupcake Cookies. 
• We tested this recipe using Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Its flavor is more bitter than Dutch-processed and perfectly complements the sweetness of the marshmallow filling. 
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder works differently on a chemical level, so stick with natural cocoa here. 
• Learn more about Natural Cocoa vs. Dutch Process Cocoa Powder here. 

What Type of Chocolate for the Ganache? 

I recommend using bittersweet chocolate for the chocolate ganache, as it perfectly balances the sweetness of the marshmallow filling. Feel free to use semi-sweet instead, but just note that this will increase the sweetness level of the cookies. Learn more about Chocolate in Baking here.

The White Decorative Icing

• We’re using melted white chocolate for the signature curly cues. 
• White chocolate baking bars or white chocolate chips will work. 
• I recommend using a quality piping bag, as a Ziploc bag may split and get chocolate everywhere! 
• You can use a small round piping tip or just cut a small hole from the bottom of the bag (be careful if you do this, though – it needs to be smaller than you think!)
• Of course, if you just want a delicious cookie and don’t want to replicate the Hostess look, feel free to leave the white icing off entirely – or pipe anything else you wish! 

Overview of How to Make Hostess Cupcake Cookies

There are a few steps to this recipe, so here’s a simple breakdown of each step:

1. Make the cookie dough. 
2. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
3. Press down the centers of your cookies immediately after pulling them from the oven, then allow the cookies to cool. 
4. Make the marshmallow filling.
5. Make the ganache.
6. Fill your cooled cookies with marshmallow filling.
7. Top each cookie with ganache. Allow to set slightly.
8. Make the white icing.
9. Pipe loopy circles of white icing across the center of each cookie.
10. Allow ganache and icing to set before serving. 

How to Make Hostess Cupcake Cookies Ahead of Time

• The chocolate cookies can be baked and the centers pressed down one day ahead of time. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• The marshmallow filling can be made a day ahead of time, and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to a cool room temperature, then re-whip the mixture until light and fluffy before transferring to a piping bag.
• Ganache and icing should be made on the day of assembly.

How to Store Hostess Cupcake Cookies?

Store Hostess Cupcake Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If chilled, let set at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Or, enjoy chilled for a deliciously fudgy-textured cookie.

Can You Freeze Hostess Cupcake Cookies?

We haven’t tried freezing these Hostess Cupcake Cookies. Feel free to experiment with freezing the fully assembled cookies, but note that the texture of the cookies will be a little different, and the filling may be runnier after thawing. Alternatively, freeze the portioned cookie dough per the instructions in my How to Freeze Cookie Dough post.

How to Make

Hostess Cupcake Cookies

By: Tessa Arias

4.75 from 4 votes

Yield: 22 cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Inactive Time: 2 hours hrs

Cook Time: 11 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 11 minutes mins

Review Print

Hostess Cupcake Cookies pack all the nostalgic flavors of Hostess Cupcakes into cookie form! Soft cocoa cookie, filled with marshmallow, topped with rich chocolate ganache. Your new favorite cookies!

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Ingredients 

For the cookies:

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (175 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup (43 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• ▢ ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup (67 grams) light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the marshmallow filling:

• ▢ 3 ½ ounces (99 grams) marshmallow creme
• ▢ 3 ½ tablespoons (50 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (39 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the ganache:

• ▢ 4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (16 grams) powdered sugar
• ▢ 6 tablespoons (90 grams) heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (21 grams) corn syrup

For the white icing swirl:

• ▢ ¼ cup (43 grams) white chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate

Instructions 

Make the cookies:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture. Dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or foil and place dough in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up before proceeding.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Once the dough has chilled, use a medium (1 ½-tablespoon size) cookie scoop to place the dough on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Roll each dough ball with the palms of your hands until smooth. Lightly wet your palms with water if needed to help with stickiness.
• Bake for 11 minutes, or until just set. While the cookies are baking, clean your cookie scoop. Immediately after removing from the oven, use the bottom of the scoop to push down the center of each cookie, holding for about two seconds before carefully lifting up. The middle of each cookie will be very slightly underdone. Wipe scoop clean as needed. Allow to cool completely before adding filling.

Make the marshmallow filling:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the marshmallow creme and butter on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer the filling to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the one corner snipped off. Set aside while you make the ganache.

Make the ganache:

• Place chopped bittersweet chocolate and powdered sugar in a heatproof bowl.
• Pour the heavy cream and corn syrup into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Pour over the chocolate. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before vigorously whisking until completely smooth.
• Allow to cool and thicken slightly for 5 minutes before proceeding.

Assemble:

• Pipe the marshmallow filling into the center of each cooled cookie, just to the brim and level with the cookie. If your filling is sticking up, lightly wet your index finger and flatten evenly.
• While the ganache is still warm, pour about 1 teaspoon onto the top of a cookie, then use an icing spatula or the back of a metal spoon to gently smooth over the marshmallow filling and close to the edge of the cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies. If your ganache thickens too much at any point, place in microwave for about 5-10 seconds to thin slightly, and rewhisk. Let cookies set for about 15 minutes before topping with icing.

Make the white icing:

• In a small heatproof bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until just melted. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
• Pipe loopy circles of white icing across the center of each cookie. Let the cookies dry for at least one hour.
• Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If chilled, let set at room temperature for about 30 minutes before enjoying.

Show us!If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe Notes

Make-Ahead Instructions:

• Cookies can be baked and the centers pressed down up to 1 day ahead of time. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Marshmallow filling can be made and stored in an airtight container up to 1 day ahead of time in the fridge. Let come to cool room temperature, then re-whip in the mixture until light and fluffy before adding to piping bag.
• Ganache and white icing should be made day of assembly.

Photos by Joanie Simon.