Hostess Cupcake Cookies start with a soft, deeply chocolate cookie base—either from a scratch‑made cocoa dough or a doctored chocolate cake mix—baked into thick, slightly domed cookies. Once cooled, each cookie gets piled high with marshmallow frosting made from marshmallow fluff or a marshmallow meringue, giving that vanilla‑marshmallow “cream filling” vibe.
The cookies are then topped with a layer of glossy chocolate ganache and finished with a simple white icing squiggle across the top so they look just like mini, deconstructed Hostess cupcakes. The result is a show‑stopping cookie that tastes like a handheld version of the iconic snack cake.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl and hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment for cookie dough.
- Medium bowl and mixer for marshmallow frosting.
- Small saucepan or microwave‑safe bowl for ganache.
- Baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Piping bags or zip‑top bags with tips for frosting, ganache, and white swirl (optional but helpful).
Ingredients
This version is based on a classic scratch chocolate cookie with marshmallow frosting and ganache.
Chocolate cookie base
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 225 g) unsalted butter, softened.
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed.
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar.
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature (some recipes add an extra yolk for richness).
- 1–1½ tablespoons light corn syrup (optional, for chew and shine).
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- 2½ cups (315 g) all‑purpose flour.
- 1 cup (90–110 g) Dutch‑process cocoa powder.
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (for a thicker, softer cookie).
- 1–1½ teaspoons baking soda.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
(Shortcut option: use a chocolate fudge cake mix plus flour, cocoa, eggs, and oil as in cake‑mix Hostess cookies. )
Marshmallow frosting
- ½–¾ cup (1–1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened.
- 2 cups powdered sugar.
- 1–1¼ cups (about one 7 oz jar) marshmallow fluff/creme.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- 2–4 teaspoons milk or cream to thin, as needed.
(Alternative: some recipes make a marshmallow meringue by whipping egg whites, sugar, and fluff over gentle heat. )
Chocolate ganache
- ¾–1 cup (about 130–170 g) semi‑sweet or milk chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
- ¼–⅓ cup heavy cream.
White swirl icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar.
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- 1–2 teaspoons milk, as needed, OR melted white chocolate with a bit of oil for piping.
Instructions And Steps
Begin by making the chocolate cookie base. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light, creamy, and well combined, usually 1–3 minutes depending on your mixer.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time along with the corn syrup (if using) and vanilla, mixing on low‑medium speed just until the wet ingredients are fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and slightly fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, breaking up any cocoa lumps. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together and no dry pockets of flour remain. The dough will be thick and fudgy. Use a spatula to scrape the bowl and ensure everything is evenly combined without over‑mixing, which could make the cookies tougher.
Portion the dough into balls—most recipes use about 2–4 tablespoons of dough per cookie, which equates to a medium or large cookie scoop. Arrange the dough balls on parchment‑lined baking sheets, leaving space between each because they will spread. Gently flatten each ball slightly with your palm into a thick disk to encourage an even, flat surface for topping later.
Bake the cookies in a preheated 350–365°F (175–185°C) oven for 8–11 minutes, depending on size, until the edges are set and you see slight cracks, but the centers still look soft and slightly underbaked. Avoid overbaking; the cookies will continue to set as they cool and you want them soft and brownie‑like. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
While the cookies cool, prepare the marshmallow frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter until it is smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on low at first to incorporate, then increase to medium‑high speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
Add the marshmallow fluff and continue beating until the frosting is thick, smooth, and holds its shape; if it seems too thick, add a teaspoon or two of milk or cream to loosen it slightly, and if it’s too soft to pipe, add more powdered sugar. You want a consistency that will mound nicely on top of the cookies without running.
Next, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in a heat‑safe bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan or in the microwave just until it begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edges, but do not let it boil vigorously.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for a minute or two to soften the chocolate, then gently stir from the center outward until you have a smooth, glossy ganache. If there are stubborn bits of chocolate, you can microwave the mixture for a few seconds at a time, stirring between bursts. Let the ganache cool until it thickens slightly but is still pourable or spoonable; too hot and it will run off the cookies, too cool and it will be hard to spread.
For the white swirl icing, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together in a small bowl until creamy, then mix in vanilla and just enough milk to reach a thick but pipeable consistency. Alternatively, melt white chocolate with a touch of oil and pour it into a piping bag, which many Hostess cookie recipes use to create the iconic loopy swirl.
To assemble the cookies, make sure the chocolate cookies are completely cool. Using a piping bag fitted with a round tip or simply a spoon and offset spatula, mound a generous dollop of marshmallow frosting in the center of each cookie and spread or pipe it into a thick layer, leaving a slight border around the edge for the ganache to catch.
Once all cookies are topped with marshmallow, spoon or pipe some of the cooled ganache over the frosting on each cookie. Use the back of the spoon to spread the ganache so that it mostly covers the marshmallow layer, creating a smooth chocolate “cap” but still showing some white marshmallow at the sides if you like that look. Let the ganache set slightly so it is no longer runny but still soft.
Finally, fill a piping bag or small zip‑top bag fitted with a fine round tip with the white icing or melted white chocolate. Pipe the classic Hostess swirl—a looping line of small connected “e” shapes—across the center of each cookie. Let the cookies sit at room temperature or in the fridge until the ganache and swirl are set enough to handle. At this point, they’re ready to serve and will look like mini Hostess cupcakes in cookie form.
Tips And Tricks
Cream the butter and sugars thoroughly for the cookie base; several recipes note that 1–3 minutes of creaming helps create a slightly lighter, bakery‑style cookie even though it’s very fudgy. Don’t overbake the cookies—pull them from the oven when the edges are set but centers still appear a bit soft; they firm as they cool and stay chewy and brownie‑like.
Chill the ganache briefly if it’s too runny; a few minutes on the counter or in the fridge will thicken it to a better spreading consistency. For the neatest look, pipe the marshmallow layer and the ganache rather than spreading with a spoon, then use the tip of the piping bag to swirl the ganache if desired. Let each layer set slightly before adding the next so the frosting doesn’t slide and the white swirl sits cleanly on the chocolate.
Variations
Many bakers play with the Hostess Cupcake Cookie template to create fun variations while keeping the same basic structure. For example, you can change the chocolate base to a cake‑mix shortcut cookie for a faster version, as some recipes do by using chocolate fudge cake mix plus flour, cocoa, oil, and eggs.
You can tweak the marshmallow layer to be more like a buttercream (using more butter and powdered sugar) or more like a meringue (using egg whites and sugar), depending on how fluffy and light you want it. Swapping semisweet chocolate for milk or dark in the ganache lets you control sweetness and intensity of chocolate flavor.
Some creative spins inspired by Crumbl‑style cookies include Hostess “Snowball” versions topped with coconut instead of ganache and swirl, peanut butter versions with Reese’s cups pressed into the cookie and peanut butter–marshmallow toppings, and s’mores variations with graham crumbs and toasted marshmallow flavors in the frosting.
But whichever way you decorate them, Hostess Cupcake Cookies capture the nostalgic taste of the original snack cakes in a fun, shareable cookie format that feels special enough for parties yet cozy enough for an afternoon treat.
