Soft cake-like chocolate cookies topped with fluffy marshmallow frosting, a silky smooth blanket of chocolate ganache and those iconic vanilla icing squiggles!
When it comes to legendary snack foods, Hostess definitely takes the cake. From Twinkies to Snoballs to Ding Dongs to Zingers, this snack cake company has managed to create some of the most memorable childhood delicacies.
One of my most favorite Hostess snack cakes was the Cupcake. It had the perfect flavor contrast with its moist chocolate cake, fluffy vanilla creme filling, and rich chocolate icing. However, if I’m being honest, I would’ve preferred MORE creme filling…
THANKFULLY, that’s not the case with these cookies…
As you can see, these cookies contain ALL of the delicious elements of the classic Hostess Cupcake. With a super soft and THICC chocolate cookie, fluffy marshmallow frosting, and rich chocolate ganache, these cookies are a Hostess lover’s dream come true! And for those of you who aren’t such a fan of Hostess, well let me assure you, these cookies are 100x BETTER than what you’ll find in a Hostess box.
Why are these cookies so much better than Hostess, you might ask?
Well, not to bash one of my favorite companies, but this cookie is made with quality ingredients. It’s not loaded with enough preservatives to make it last for 50+ years. (Sorry, Hostess!) I would also call this cookie a “gourmet” version of the original Hostess Cupcake.
So, let’s start by discussing the delicious chocolate cookie…
This cookie has the perfect texture ratio of moist and cakey to soft and chewy. It’s not crumbly like some cake-like cookies are, yet it’s not super chewy either. It also has a deeper chocolate flavor, similar to Devil’s Food Cake, thanks to a couple of crucial ingredients. The first is Dutch processed cocoa powder, which is much richer, darker in color and less acidic than natural cocoa powder. Luckily, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get some since Hershey sells their own version (Hershey Special Dark Cocoa) for about $5 in the grocery store.
Another key ingredient for achieving that deep chocolatey richness is instant espresso powder. Strongly-brewed coffee can also be submitted but if you don’t feel like brewing up a whole pot of coffee for about 1 Tablespoon, espresso powder is the way to go! And if you’re at all worried about tasting the espresso, don’t be! Just enough is added to the dough to deepen the chocolate flavor, and you won’t even know it’s in there.
It’s also important to note that this dough needs to have the proper shape before it goes into the oven. To get a nice even spread, I like to shape the dough into little hockey pucks. Simply grab a chunk of dough, roll it into a ball, then flatten it to about 1/2 inch thickness. This will give you the perfect thickness all the way through.
Next, we have the marshmallowy vanilla creme frosting…
I absolutely LOVE how fluffy this frosting is! It’s also super duper easy to make! All you have to do is beat some butter and salt together until smooth and creamy. Mix in a couple of cups of powdered sugar, along with a splash of vanilla. Then add a whole container of marshmallow fluff/creme. The frosting will be rather thick, so I also like to add a few teaspoons of milk or cream to lighten things up a little.
To make the frosting process easier, I put the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. You can also use a large ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Starting from the center of the cookie, gently squeeze the frosting onto the cookie and swirl out toward the edges until you’ve covered almost the whole surface of the cookie. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. It’s going to be covered with ganache anyway.
Speaking of ganache!
I use the super simple/lazy approach of making ganache by heating the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. (Warning: Make sure to keep a close eye on it, so that it doesn’t bubble over.) Once the cream starts to simmer, I pour it over a bowl of semi-sweet chocolate chips, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes as the hot cream melts the chocolate. Then I remove the plastic wrap and stir the mixture until smooth. You’ll need to allow the ganache to cool down to about room temperature so that it doesn’t melt the marshmallow frosting.
Now it’s time to dip your cookies! Just pick up a cookie and dip the frosting side into the ganache. Gently shake off any excess ganache, turn it right side up, and place it onto a plate or wire rack. You will most likely have some ganache leftover, but having extra ganache makes the dipping process SO much easier.
After you’ve dipped all of your cookies into the ganache, it’s time to make the vanilla icing for the little squiggles. Just stir some butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Make sure the icing isn’t too thin, or you won’t be able to get those nice defined squiggles.
The icing goes int a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I used Wilton’s #3 Tip). As I mentioned earlier with the marshmallow frosting, you can also use a small ziplock bag with the very tip of the corner cut off. Starting from one side of the cookie and moving to the other side, pipe 7 squiggles along the top of the cookie. It’s ok if you end up with more or less squiggles. I doubt anyone will really notice.
Unless if they’re a crazy Hostess fanatic like myself…
Hostess Cupcake Cookies
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Cookies:
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 3 teaspoons hot water
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Marshmallow Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- Pinch salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (7 oz) container marshmallow creme
- 3-4 teaspoons heavy cream/milk
Chocolate Ganache:
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Vanilla Icing:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
Make the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda a salt together until combined; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the instant espresso powder and hot water until completely dissolved; set aside.
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and espresso mixture, and mix until completely incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Shape dough into balls, and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball to about ½ inch in thickness (see photo above). Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Make The Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla, marshmallow creme, and heavy cream/milk, beating until light and fluffy.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
Make the Ganache:
- Place the chocolate chips into a medium bowl; set aside.
- Pour heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it just begins to boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, and stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, stir the powdered sugar and butter together until it forms a soft paste. Add the vanilla and milk, and continue stirring until smooth. Transfer icing to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
To Assemble:
- Pipe the marshmallow frosting onto the cookie, starting from the center and swirling out toward the edges. Dip the frosted side of the cookie into the ganache, shaking gently to allow any excess ganache to drip off. Flip it right side up and place it onto a wire rack. Allow ganache to set for about 30 minutes before piping 7 squiggles across the top of the cookie. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.