13 Insane Recipes That Start With a Box of Twinkies

"These cookies are great for everyday snacks or for a kids' event. Twinkies serve as a terrific canvas. Even when you add the cinnamon, carrots, and other ingredients, you can still enjoy the distinctive Twinkie flavor."

— Lisa Hansen, Kansas City, MO

"I love all things malted, so I liked the idera of adding malt flavor to a Twinkie. I took the existing Twinkie and turned it into two textures, a filling and a crunchy crumble. The twinkie flavor is still very much recognizable; my truffles are a reimagined version."

— Pastry chef Matthew Rice, Girl & the Goat and Little Goat, Chicago

"This is like a pumpkin pie cheesecake. It has a Twinkie=based bottom and then it's a cream cheese, whipped cream, vanilla combo in the middle with pumpkin pie filling and whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice on the top. This can serve as aneasy and tasty potluck item, especially during the holidays!"

— Lindsay Bloomfield, E! Online, Los Angeles

This recipe layers graham crackers, Nutella, Twinkies, and marshmallow creme.

"I cried when Twinkies were off the shelves. When the returned to stores, I thought to myself, Thank God, the world is right again . . . Twinkies are back. It didn't seem right not to be able to share something I loved when I was a kid with my own kids."

— Vanessa Diaz, Sherman Oaks, CA

"We have had large family get-togethers at our lake cottage for years and fried Twinkies are a menu favorite. This recipe takes the Twinkie up a notch and could provide a new tradition for years to come."

— Deb Thompson, Cadillac, MI

"I am a former Peace Corps volunteer who has served in several Latin American countries, so making do with things and survival-style preparation come naturally to me. I was out of Wonder Bread one day and improvised using Twinkies. It turned out great."

— Gary Gonya, Baltimore

"I wanted to do a savory application, something fun to highlight the taste and texture of a Twinkie. The batter is made with whole Twinkies. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use any sausage that you like and dip it in the batter — hot dogs, veggie dogs, chicken sausage, even a cheddar brat."

— Chef Miguel Trinidad, Maharlika Filipino Moderno and Jeepney Filipino Gastropub, New York

"During a sales meeting at the food service company I work for, we had to split up to make a burger using the different ingredients we had on hand. My team won by using Twinkies as the bun to give it a totally different taste than just a precooked burger."

— Dave Edwards, Portland, OR