Natalie WysongFrom Its Humble Origins As A Budget Snack Cake, The Delicious But Nutritionally Empty Twinkie Achieved A Status High Enough That It Warranted A Spot In The Millennium Time Capsule. Twinkies Briefly Disappeared From Shelves In 2012 When The

From its humble origins as a budget snack cake, the delicious but nutritionally empty Twinkie achieved a status high enough that it warranted a spot in the Millennium Time Capsule. Twinkies briefly disappeared from shelves in 2012 when their maker, Hostess Brands, fired most of its workers and went out of business. Dismayed fans clamored for more Twinkies, and the new owner’s re-launch of the beloved brand was a great success.

James Dewar, savvy manager at the Continental Baking plant in River Forest, Illinois, in 1930, had a lot to do with the success of the original confection. It owes its place as an enduring classic to the recipe that, at heart, is simple; a feather-light sponge cake filled with sweet cream.

Sweet Nothings: 10 Twinkie Facts

Great Depression economics were the starting point for these cream-filled cakes, which are now a part of cultural history. Here’s what’s fact—and fiction—in the Twinkie tale.

Historical Artifact

To represent American accomplishments at the end of the century, White House Millennium Council staff included Twinkies in the national time capsule. Staff subsequently ate the Twinkies, concerned the treat would attract mice.

Empty Pans

The Twinkie took shape when Dewar wanted to find a use for the bakery’s shortcake pans, which were idle when strawberries were out of season.

Banana?

Original versions were stuffed with a banana-flavored filling, but a lack of bananas in wartime forced the bakery to switch to vanilla cream in the center. Twinkies continued to sell like hotcakes.

Snack on This

Buffalo Bob Smith, on The Howdy Doody Show told kids to ask for Twinkies in their school lunch boxes.

Easy on The Pedal

Before the bakery line was automated, workers stuffed each little cake using a machine they operated with their feet. If the Twinkies were overstuffed, they exploded.

It’s Not My Fault

The “Twinkie defense” describes the improbable legal strategy of blaming a nutritionally poor diet to avoid responsibility for one’s actions.

They Last Weeks (Not Years)

Are Twinkies the best dessert for stocking the fallout shelter? Twinkies have ingredients similar to those in most highly processed foods, giving them a shelf life of 45 days.

Sweet Comeback

After Hostess Brands declared bankruptcy in 2004 and again in 2012, it looked like the end of the line for Twinkies. New owners brought Hostess out of bankruptcy, embraced the brand’s cultural status and regained market share.

I Do!

Love Twinkies so much you want them at your wedding? With 7 ¾ pounds of fondant and 27 Twinkies, you can make a Hostess-approved wedding cake!

Flour, Sugar and Corn

The original recipe contained eggs, milk and butter, but today’s treat has 39 ingredients, eight of them corn-based.

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Recently, several of our grandkids were over for