I grew up with a deep and abiding love of Hostess® Snack Cakes, as my sweet mother was not a particularly gifted baker. My personal favorite would have to be the Hostess® CupCakes® with all that chocolaty goodness and creme-filled center.
This love affair lasted well into my adulthood, and I remember well working for a children’s entertainment company and leaving after my lunch break to frequent the local Quick Stop around the corner for my CupCake® fix.
Those trips had to be a little less frequent when I began portraying Ariel-The Little Mermaid on the weekends, and my skin-tight fin gave away my not-so-secret love of snack cakes. It was all well and good when I could hide behind the Big Bird costume, but those darn princesses really slowed me down.
I can’t help but feel nostalgic when I pass the Hostess® aisle of the grocery store. Especially since I inherited my mother’s lack of baking prowess. That fact seems even more unfortunate every time I have a social event to attend and need to arrive armed with a dessert, as was the case recently.
As luck would have it, I knew I would be reviewing the Hostess® product line. I was at the grocery store and had no time whatsoever to whip up even a boxed dessert. I gleefully perused the Hostess® aisle, and while I did pause in front of the Hostess CupCakes®, I thought I’d throw caution to the wind. I set my sights on two flavors of Hostess® Zingers®, Iced Vanilla Cake with Creamy Filling®, and the Iced Devil’s Food Cake with Creamy Filling®. It’s always good to offer a choice. I brought with me my very best crystal serving platter and arranged them semi-neatly. Presentation is seldom my strong suit when running late and especially after consuming far too much caffeine.
Of course I had to taste test, and I leaned toward the Devil’s Food Cake (which I thought amusing since I was at a church event). I set up an impromptu interview of my children’s friends to see which they preferred, and they were split evenly.
At the end of the evening, I went to collect my serving dish.
I think the Hostess® Zingers® were a hit. (Lowers voice to a whisper) There were a LOT of other desert dishes that were NOT empty.
I have since learned that Hostess has added two new snack cakes to their line, the New Chocolate Creme Twinkies® and the New Frosted Devil’s Food Donettes®. Frankly, you can never go wrong with the tried and true Twinkie®, and to add a chocolaty creme to the mix, well, that’s just Twinkie® heaven. I had the opportunity to recently try (a term I use loosely) the new Chocolate Creme Twinkies®. And by “try” I mean that I took the box with me to a recent Valentine’s Day themed party, arranged them prettily on a tray, and when I went back to do a taste test, they were all gone. My own children declared them delicious. I have to take their word.
A Giveaway
I have an opportunity to give away a $100 Visa gift card courtesy of Hostess® and BlogHer. All you have to do is answer the following question in the comments section of this post: “Which Hostess® product brings back fond snack cake memories for you?”
• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post (@Fiddledeedee)
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
• You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
This sweepstakes runs from 03/01/12 – 3/31/12.
Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other blogger’s reviews and find more chances to win!
I will leave comments open until Saturday, March 31st, 2012, at 9:00 PM, EST.
{ 167 comments }
I have great memories of vanilla Zingers. My best friend in college and I would walk up to the local quickie mart for a study break and pick up a pack of Zingers and a soda. Oh to be 18 and able to do those things and my body not show it. Anyhoo — the snack machine in the teacher’s lounge at school started carrying vanilla Zingers — I may or may not have squeeled like a little girl.
Suzy-Qs were my favorite! I would put them in the fridge and eat them cold. Yummy!
DEFINITELY the Hostess cupcakes. When I was in elementary school in the (GASP) 1950s, I got a Hostess cupcake pretty much every day as part of my school lunch. Such really fond memories. And I love them still today.
we used to like the basic twinkies… used to take them to school everday
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/MeandBells/status/175304521675833344
The cupcakes. You’ve got to eat them from the bottom up so you leave the frosting till last!
I was raised by a mama that could BAKE and did. She taught me well.
HOWEVER, having just moved away from the “big city” a.k.a. now no where near a Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced Cream filled doughnut, I’m going to have to try the chocolate creme Twinkies. Looks like they could be a passable stand in.
Hostess Cupcakes. These were reserved as a special treat when i was growing up.
i used to eat twinkies for lunch every day in high school
https://twitter.com/#!/akronugurl/status/175349021584539648
my memory is from grade school and sharing ho-ho’s with my best friend Mary–now my kids share them with their school buddies–Gotta love Ho-Ho’s
I love me some Twinkie! My husband used to bring them home for me when we were first married. He would buy a two pack, eat one, and save the other for me.
Gotta be the Twinkie! I almost always had one in my red and black plaid lunch box (the metal sort, as I was old school) when I was in grammar school. My mama knew what I loved!
I tweeted about the giveaway here: https://twitter.com/#!/sharinlilbit/status/175371572041891840
I remember my brother always getting Twinkies in his lunchbox but I never did (he was skinny, me not so much). It’s the memory of wanting those Twinkies so badly that tortured me as a child. LOL.
tweet–https://twitter.com/#!/mami2jcn/status/175372975921573888
I can’t say I’d ever been a Hostess girl. Growing up in a suburb of Philly, it was ALL about the Tastykake. If I do need a cakey-chocolate fix I head to the snack machine at work for the Zingers.
Now I want one. Great!
Twinkies for the win!!!! I still carry on my affair today…
I used to have twinkies in my lunch box every day.
https://twitter.com/#!/ElenaIstomina/status/175396760011808769
The cupcakes are my favorite.
There is nothing like a Suzi-Q.
Even at 38. =)
Frozen Ding Dongs. My mom had a thing for putting food that we shouldn’t eat very often in the freezer. Now I prefer my cakes frozen.
It takes longer to eat since I have to hold it in my mouth to thaw it before I can really chew it.
Zingers bring back memories for me.
https://twitter.com/#!/StaceyRenee711/status/175423752006418432
I will admit that I am more of a Little Debbie girl, but I love me some chocolate zingers. I could eat an entire box right now!
I used to love the rare twinkie, but they just don’t taste the same as I remember. I DO love the cupcakes and the yellow cake cupcakes are really delicious!
Ding Dongs! When I was a public school teacher, I gave them out as prizes to my students and always kept an emergency box in my desk, just for me.
Hostess is just one of those icons in life! The chocolate cupcakes are still a big hit in my “goodie” drawer. And, of course, twinkies….for the vanilla in all of us..
Twinkies! Used to take them to school in my lunch box every day.
I remember sharing Twinkies with my best friend when we were little.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/kellydsaver/status/175598585063288832
I always loved the cupcakes! My mom would have to hide them from my brother so we would have them for our lunch…the worst hiding place was the oven…she turned it on once forgetting that the cupcakes were in there!
Loved eating twinkies with my brother and sister as a kid.
https://twitter.com/#!/jen_r_horn/status/175634089863413760
eating the cream filling out of Twinkies
Hostess cupcakes bring me back to my childhood. My brother and I would eat the cream out of them first.
https://twitter.com/#!/aes529/status/175665955479879680
Ding Dongs. It was a sad day when they stopped wrapping them in the silver foil and put them in the little pouches instead!
Their Low Fat Twinkies! When I first started teaching 15 years ago, I would eat a twinkie every morning while directing the children’s play
and I tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/MyW1ldCrazyLife/status/175749893174992896
We couldn’t afford that kind of luxury as a kid, so I wasn’t introduced to store bought snack cakes until I went to college. I was a freshman and in some really hard classes so I made friends with some girls in the dorm and we had all night study sessions. Once they got to know me and love me they shared with me the best study secret ever! Ding Dongs and Dr. Pepper with Rose’s Grenadine. I was ruined for ever, but I made an A in Advanced Micro Economics. And now you know where the freshman 15 comes from.
I tweeted it. And for a technical girl I sure had a hard time figure out how to get this url, but I did it!!!
https://twitter.com/#!/clbaker75/status/175772681323552769
I remember the cupcakes, loved them and the Ho Hos as well.
I remember I always enjoyed a Hostess Ho Hos after school with brothers. We would enjoy this yummy snack together, share (or fight over) toys and always have fun after school. I’m so glad to have this same memory shared with my brothers. That is my favorite Hostess snack cake memory!
Amy [at] utry [dot] it
I tweeted about this giveaway:
https://twitter.com/#!/uTry_it/status/175868527314608128
Amy [at] utry [dot] it
Mine is the yellow zingers. My grandma used to purchase those for my sister and I when we were little. Seeing them just reminds me of grandma…who lost her battle with cirrhosis of the liver 2 years ago. I miss my Grams
I remember the stash of frozen ding dongs in our basement freezer. I loved eating them frozen!!
I remember eating yummy regular twinkies when I was young–it was a rare treat back then… thanks for a chance to win!
And, have a GREAT day!
kmassmanATgmailDOTcom
Twinkies and Ding Dongs were my favorites growing up. I haven’t had them in years…maybe I’ll have to get re-aquainted with them soon! Thanks for bringing back some tasty memories!
The chocolate cupcakes because I can remember getting them every once and a while in my lunch… boy was that a special treat!
Tweeted here: https://twitter.com/#!/1prizewinner/status/176436023990030336
I grew up loving Sno Balls. They were chocolate cake with a creme-filled center and a marshmallow covering. They came 2 to a package, one white and one pink. When I looked up the Hostess site to make sure my memory was accurate and this was not just a figment of an over active imagination, I discovered that Sno Balls now come in other colors, such as green (St Patrick’s Day) and lavender (Spring) and even orange glow-in-the-dark (Halloween).
for me the twinkies! they were so delish as a kid! Thanks for a super giveaway!
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/anashct3/status/176751940020080641
Thanks for the chance to win!
email: anashct1 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Definitely Twinkies!
Twinkies!
family74014 at gmail dot com
I remember me and my sisters were allowed to have as many Hostess cupcakes for birthdays. Happiest days ever!
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/tcarolinep/status/176898130711805953
The chocolate Hostess Cupcakes with creamy filling bring back the most memories for me.
I tweeted this
https://twitter.com/#!/The_Sunshyn/status/177234496641437697
My Mom would always pack Twinkies into my lunch box and my classmates would offer to trade with me.
https://twitter.com/#!/susan1215/status/177566182625390592
The Cupcakes! I remember my Mom froze Hostess Cupcakes to keep them fresh longer and I ate it straight out of the freezer and I’ve been eating them that way ever since! Love it!
My favorite Hostess memory was winning an important soccer game and all the parents had brought snacks afterward to celebrate — fruit, lemonade and hostess snack cakes! Yum — perfect way to celebrate a win!
tweeted! http://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/177648652121161729
To me, there is nothing better than the first few minutes of travel when you hit the open road. That is when we would break out the Twinkies.
Tweet:
https://twitter.com/#!/BBirdie2/status/177706501308297216
twinkies in my lunch bag were a real treat
The original twinkies – I remember eating them in elementary school!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/jfong123/status/178031289344065536
https://twitter.com/#!/praisetruth/status/178250375189639168
I remember eating Twinkies when I was a kid. It was the most coveted snack in our house. When my brothers and sisters and I would get a Twinkie as a kid, we just beamed from ear to ear. They tasted so good when I was a kid. They just melted in your mouth. It was heavenly goodness!
My husband loves Twinkies–he’s just like a kid! I didn’t get to eat many Hostess snacks when I was growing up; in fact, I was envious of classmates who brought Hostess treats in their lunch. I love seeing my kids delight in their respective Hostess favorites. Thanks for the giveaway.
Tweet! https://twitter.com/#!/lexiquin/status/178318391185117184
I loved Hostess’ Apple Fruit pies. When I came home from school, my mother used to fry them in butter then dust them in cinnamon sugar. Sometimes mom would heat the pie in the oven and serve it to me with ice cream. YUMMY!
I loved Hostess’ Apple Fruit pies. When I came home from school, my mother used to fry them in butter then dust them in cinnamon sugar. Sometimes mom would heat the pie in the oven and serve it to me with ice cream. YUMMY!
I remember if my brother and I got good report cards as kids, my mom would let us pick out a special treat at the supermarket, and I would always pick a box of Twinkies.
My mom would always pack Twinkies or the classic chocolate cupcakes from Hostess in my lunchbox in first grade! Waaaaay back in the 70s.
I loved, loved Suzy Q’s!!! My mom would always put them in my lunch box. I would be more excited to eat the Suzy Q’s than my sandwich (lol!)
Tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/disneyfan40/status/178701969316261888
i remember getting hostess snacks in my lunchbox as a kid
thepryfamily@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/#!/thepryfamily/status/178945848036700160
thepryfamily@gmail.com
i remember getting surprise twinkies in my lunchbox from mom, yum!
https://twitter.com/#!/DesMoinesDealin/status/178946573185728512
I have a really great childhood memory of twinkies. My brother ate a whole box of twinkies one time without my parents knowing it. He hid a box in his room, ate the whole thing and was so sick that night. My parents wondered by he was so ill. The next day my mom found the box in his room. Needless to say he did not receive any punishment for it. Guess they decided that him being sick was punishment enough. Thanks for the giveaway!
katbirdfl (at) gmail (dot) com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/katbirdfl/status/179032651888476160
katbirdfl (at) gmail (dot) com
I remember always having the chocolate cupcakes for lunch during field trips.
Like Magic ~ Now you see them, Now you don’t ~ one of my treat items I can have once a month! If the grandchildren don’t find them first
https://twitter.com/#!/RnNanaRn @fiddledeedee.netI enteredyoushoudtoo.
hope i did this right
I don’t remember having any thing like that when we were younger…mom and grandma baked most of our treats.
NOW though, the vanilla Zingers. My hubby recently bought a BUNCH of them as they were on a closeout or close dated rack.
I remember eating twinkies with my brother after school
https://twitter.com/#!/HappyTina0115/status/179623602067476480
I love Twinkies and cannot wait to try the new Chocolate Creme Twinkie. And while Twinkies bring back memories of trips to the Hostess store with my Grandpa, I really, really miss the Chocodile.
A chocolate covered Twinkie could only be beat out by a chocolate covered chocolate FILLED Twinkie!!!
i loooove ding dongs! I dont buy them usually b/c i dont want to ruin my diet – so they are only for special exceptions – like traveling.
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/mermont84/status/179712879086415872
I remember biting open the cupcakes to get to the filling inside!
hostess cupcakes! I remember my mom putting these in my school lunch
here is my tweet entry:
https://twitter.com/#!/bellows22/status/180074693406113792
Even now, at my age, I’d rather have Hostess Snowball than something from a bakery. Just walking down the grocery store aisle and looking at the Twinkies, Squiggles (that’s what we still call the chocolate cupcakes!) and Snowballs makes me feel like a child, sitting in the cafeteria, and opening my house-shaped lunchbox to see what my dessert would be that day – and it was always a Hostess cupcake.
Hostess vs. hot fresh-baked fancy something? I’ll choose Hostess every time.I wish I had a Snowball right now.
Those two-packs? Sweet!
when i was little and my mom use to pack a hostess cupcake on friday as treat.
purple_lover_04 at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/purplelover04/status/180889608773574657
Hostess Ho Hos were my favorite. I would always unroll them and eat them layer by layer to make them last longer
I remember on a hot summer day my brother and I would be sitting under a tree at grandma’s house after pulling dandelions our of her yard. Sipping on a orange Fanta soda and savoring a Hostess Cupcake grandma would always reward us with after we were done. Those were the good old times and such sweet memories!
Fond memories of the chocolate cupcake…. yum
My mom sometimes gave me in my lunch their chocolate cupcakes with the little line of white squiggles down the center. I really looked forward to them.
I loved HoHo’s. Always ate them by peeling off the outside layer of chocolate and unrolling the inside. Yum!
My favorite as a kid was the chocolate cupcake – I would split it with my best friend at lunch!
Definitely twinkies!
i love…oh shoot i cant remember the name no! ding dongs i think theyre called!
i always remember my mom putting a hostess cupcake in my lunch
tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/karinaroselee/status/183167305327460353
Twinkies and Ho Hos
Twinkies with milk and a big hug from my mom when I got off the school bus
Twinkie! Always a nice surprise when I found one in my lunch box.
https://twitter.com/#!/rawfish55/status/183280277534150656
Hostess Twinkies bring back those fond memories. My cousin was a twinkie freak! sweepmorey at gmail dot com
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/mommysdizzy/status/183632668422971392
One of the best days at work was when a coworker brought in 7 pounds of twinkies for his 7 years anniversary, I ate a lot of it and got lots of work done. Thanks for the giveaway.
songyueyu at gmail
tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/syytta/status/183815001855889408
songyueyu at gmail
The choc cupcakes are memorable for me.
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/lindabr1001/status/184013970720555009
My mom used to pack them in my school lunches from time to time, and they always made me smile when I opened my lunch and spotted one.
Thanks for the chance to win!
gina.m.maddox (AT) gmail (DOT) com
TWEET-https://twitter.com/#!/CrazyItalian0/status/184051054474829825
gina.m.maddox (AT) gmail (DOT) com
The Hostess Cupcakes bring back fond memories of my childhood. What a sweet treat. I just tried Zingers this past year and dearly love them.
mayble73(at)yahoo(dot)com
my faves r hostess cupcakes ‘n chocolate zingers. i used 2 eat them with a famous taco flavored tortilla chip from 70′s. break tha snack open 2 get 2 tha white creams in tha middle ‘n scoop it out with tha taco flavored chips!!after tha cream was consumed,i’d eat tha cake part !.memories!!! ican taste it now. p.s. those famous taco flavored tortilla chips r back on tha markets 2day!! yumo.:0) peace
I just bought a box of zingers yesterday and they are gone today..love em
My Tweet:
https://twitter.com/#!/swtthing3/status/184511089873129473
@swtthing3 on Twitter
mayble73(at)yahoo(dot)com
my tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/la_la37/status/184513742900432896
CHOCODILES!!!!
https://twitter.com/#!/Mousey1432/status/184516716414513152
Hostess Cupcakes! always had those growing up:) Mmmm
https://twitter.com/#!/jessicamiller87/status/184521401368182784
Zingers al the way !:)
Eating Ding Dongs brings back great memories.
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/donnak4/status/184537084437073920
Chocolate zingers were always my favorite growing up!!
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/NicoleT1821/status/184636458890571776
The Donettes – they were a great college study snack!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/KerryBishop/status/184821242090618880
mmmmm I love love love their Banana Walnut Mini Muffins! When I used to work, I would have a baggy of them with a cold OJ for breakfast nearly every morning. I miss that
tradition, but not the working. LOL! Thanks for the chance to win!!!
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/#!/MsTofuFairy/status/185020173231726592
I love them all. I would get to choose a different one each week we’d go to the grocery store.
I’D SAY TWINKIES. TWINKIES WERE THE THING BACK WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. MY CLOTHES CLOSET WAS STOCKED FULL OF EM!
2ND ENTRY TWEET https://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/185512636287418368
My Grandpa used to treat us with Hostess snacks – different kinds which we thought was great (Mom didn’t buy us a lot of snack foods)
We rarely had sweets at home when I was a kid, but once day in school a friend gave me half her Twinkie – wow I was in heaven!
https://twitter.com/#!/LAMusing/status/185608627170721792
I was an adult when I finally had my first Hostess treat. It was a HoHo!
Hostess makes me think a very close family friend when I was a child. He was a Hostess delivery man, you know, the one who took all the products to the grocery and stocked the shelves. Their home always had Hostess products and my siblings and I loved going there, because we did not get twinkies at our house very often….budgeting you know!
Thanks for the great giveaway and fun memories!
My favorite first and continuing memory of a Hostess® snack cake is the velvety sponge cake Twinkie and biting into the cream filling. Ummm.
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/leedhowell/status/185751449781796864
I remember always eating my Twinkie by first biting off each end and then eating the middle.
Thanks for the contest.
Blogged:
http://slehan.blogspot.com/2012/03/win-100-visa-from-hostess-blogher.html
Hostess Cupcakes!!! My dad and I would go to the store and get them every Saturday!!!
https://twitter.com/#!/mrs_puddle/status/185922868708773891
I remember in my childhood when my mom gave me the Twinkies® after school I was so happy and I enjoyed the super soft cake that afternoon, this is my favorite memory of a Hostess® snack cake and I give my children the same Twinkies® after school, they are so happy to have them too.
ctong2[at]gmail[dot]com
I tweeted about this Giveaway: https://twitter.com/#!/ctong2/status/185976358839664640
ctong2[at]gmail[dot]com
A favorite memory I have was going grocery shopping with my mom as a child and we’d always buy a package of hostess treats to enjoy on the way home! Usually the Cupcakes or Hoho’s. Yummmmm. Simple but so fun!
Hostess cupcakes! Yummy chocolate with all that luscious filling. I didn’t have them very often but oh they were so good.
It started with hostess treats in my lunchbox for school and for the rest of my life, I’ve never been able to resist those little chocolate donuts. Thanks a lot, Mom!
I have fond memories of receiving twinkies and donettes from my grandparents when I visited.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/#!/willitara/status/186216702277718016
My earliest fave memory is getting home and dunking chocolate Hostess Donettes in milk.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/wizardewu/status/186231624894124032
I have memories of eating the chocolate cupcakes as a kid!
tweet https://twitter.com/#!/ajoy1332/status/186241058416500736
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