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Twinkies bring up a very special memory for me.  The only time we ever got Twinkies when I was little was when we needed to pack a lunch on school field trip days. Therefore, about two days each year, my mom bought my brother and me a Twinkie, and packed it in our sack lunch – along with a cold grape soda wrapped in tin foil to keep it cold.  Such fun memories!! (And the only real reason I liked field trips.) :)

So here we are, over thirty years later, and about three years after the first healthier Twinkie recipe request I received.  Obviously, this recipe make-over really had me stumped.  While I had an idea about how to make a whole wheat spongy cake, I had no idea how to make a healthier cream filling.  So when one reader, Stacy, left a comment a couple of weeks ago on the Redless Velvet Cake post, sharing a recipe that she said tasted “like Twinkie filling” – I tried it right away. 

Unbelievable.  It really does taste like the Twinkie filling I remember from back in the day.  Upon tasting it, I suddenly had the urge to get a grape soda, climb onto a loud school bus, and take a trip to a museum.  (But not really.) 

I will admit that it was harder than I thought it would be to duplicate the airy, empty-calorie cake part of a Twinkie.  Regardless, these “Twinkies” taste delicious and were a fun treat for my family.  My kids devoured them!

Homemade Healthy(er) Twinkies

2 eggs
1 cup sucanat
1 cup whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour from hard white wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter

In a bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer for about four minutes or until thick.  Gradually add sucanat, beating for an additional 4 minutes.  (Yes, I know, lots of beating.  That’s how it becomes spongy, light, and airy.)

Add flour and baking powder, beating until just combined.  Heat milk and butter on the stove until butter melts.  Add milk mixture to batter, beating until combined. 

Pour batter into baking pan, and bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes.  (I used a cool Flexipan that I’d gotten from Demarle.  Muffin tins would work great, or small loaf pans.)  Allow cakes to cool completely before filling.

Twinkie Filling

3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sucanat
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Palm Shortening or softened butter

Cook milk and flour, stirring constantly until mixture is very thick.  Set aside to cool.  Whip milk mixture with sucanat until sucanat has dissolved. 

Add palm shortening and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy.

Check it out!  Stick your finger in and taste it…just like Twinkie Filling!  (Except better.  Of course.)

To fill your Twinkies:

Slide a long knife through each cake – just to make an opening.

Put Twinkie Filling into a frosting bag with a large, open tip.  Place the tip into the slit in the cake and squeeze to fill.  (I found that putting some in each end of the Twinkie worked best to fill the Twinkie evenly.
 

When I called the boys in for the treat, it is a fact that my two youngest asked, “Twinkies?  What are Twinkies?”  I guess they’ll never know – except for what they’ve experienced with this healthified version.  :)

Once I explained “Twinkies” to the boys, Malachi said, “Oh!  Is this that treat Grammy used to give you on trips?”  Yes indeed.  {sniff}  I’m so glad he remembered that I had told him the Twinkie story. 

In case you didn’t already figure this out by reading through the above instructions, Homemade Healthy(er) Twinkies are a little bit of a “high maintenance” recipe.  This type of recipe did not make it into my Oh, For Real book.  Only recipes that can be made quickly and easily made that book!  But hey, this Twinkie recipe is still a keeper.  It’s lots of fun and a very special treat to make!

Think you’ll give these a try?  Have any fun Twinkie memories to share?

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