A State Fair Staple, Deep-Fried Twinkies Are Heading to Home Freezers
Hostess to market its first frozen food item as it recovers from money troubles.
— -- From the state fair to your kitchen’s freezer — deep-fried Twinkies are heading to the home market.
Hostess Brands, the maker of several sweet treats, including Twinkies, is set to introduce the state-fair favorite as its first frozen food item for the retail market.
The treat, which will come in chocolate and vanilla, was born out of a yearlong effort by Walmart and Hostess. Both companies are looking to boost sales with new products. The new frozen Twinkies are available at some Walmart stores, with a scheduled nationwide rollout by Aug. 16 and will be available only at Walmart for the first three months.
To achieve that state-fair taste, you’ll need to finish off the treat in a frying pan or oven before digging in.
The move to frozen goods comes as Hostess works to recover from financial trouble in recent years.
The company filed for bankruptcy in early 2012 and shuttered plants later that year. It was bought and renamed in March 2013.
The iconic Twinkies snack first appeared on the market in 1930. But it was an immigrant from the United Kingdom, Christopher Sell, who gave America the deep-fried version when he began offering the not-so-heart-healthy version at his restaurant in Brooklyn in the early 2000s. From there, the idea spread to state fairs across the country.
The new frozen item will set you back $4.76 for a box of seven, and each fried Twinkie will set your diet back 220 calories.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.