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Review RecipeHostess Cupcake Cookies
These homemade Hostess Cupcake Cookies feature thick, fudgy chocolate cookies topped with creamy vanilla frosting, glossy ganache, and the classic white swirl. All the nostalgic flavor of a Hostess cupcake in cookie form!
Jump to Recipe
A Hostess cupcake in cookie form? Yes, that’s exactly what this nostalgic recipe delivers—rich, chewy chocolate cookies topped with marshmallow frosting, glossy ganache, and that signature squiggle.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Bakery Style Cookie Base
The base matters—especially when you’re stacking on frosting and ganache. Get it right, and everything on top sits better, looks better, and tastes better.
✔️ Scoop evenly – Use a cookie scoop for same-size dough balls. Bakes evenly, no dry edges.
✔️ Flatten slightly – Press the tops so they stay thick and round. No puffing, no spreading.
Making The Perfect Copycat Cookie
For that true Hostess look, clean layers matter. It’s what makes these cookies look bakery-style—not just taste like it.
✔️ Use piping bags for both the marshmallow and the swirl. It’s faster, neater, and gives every cookie that signature finish.
✔️ Don’t spread toppings edge to edge. A visible border of frosting under the ganache gives contrast and keeps the swirl clean.
Storage Instructions
- Room Temp: Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Fridge: Lasts up to five days chilled—just know the frosting will firm up.
- Tip: Avoid stacking! The frosting and ganache are delicate—keep cookies in a single layer for best results.
More Hostess Recipes (Copycats!)
If these Hostess Cupcake Cookies hit your sweet spot, don’t miss our other snack-cake inspired desserts:
Homemade Hostess Cupcakes – Everything you love about the lunchbox classic, but better. Rich chocolate cupcakes with a marshmallow filling, ganache topping, and that iconic swirl.
Twinkie Cake – A crowd-sized spin on the original—easy to make and even easier to demolish at parties.
Hostess Cupcake Cookies
These homemade Hostess Cupcake Cookies feature thick, fudgy chocolate cookies topped with creamy vanilla frosting, glossy ganache, and the classic white swirl. All the nostalgic flavor of a Hostess cupcake in cookie form!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 39 minutes
Servings 16 cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Marshmallow Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme, marshmallow fluff
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, start with 1 tablespoon, adding the second tablespoon if need for a more pipeable consistency
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, chopped (approximately ¾ cup)
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
Pipeable Icing (for decorative swirl)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, beating each addition into the butter until fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated when mixed in.
- To a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, dutch processed cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
- With the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients just until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Be sure to scrape down the sides, and bottom, of the bowl as needed to ensure the cookie dough batter is smooth and all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Using a large, 2 inch (approximately 3-3 ½ tablespoons) cookie scoop, scoop and place 8 cookie dough balls per prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least 2 inches between each cookie dough ball. Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten each of the cookie dough balls to a 2 – 2 ¼ inch wide disc.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes in the center of the oven, until the edges start to crack slightly and the centers look just set. The cookies will continue to firm as they cool. Do not overbake the cookies or they may become too hard as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Marshmallow Frosting
- While the cookies are baking and cooling, make the marshmallow frosting by adding the unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter, on medium-high speed, for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the sifted powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until all the powdered sugar has been added. Add the vanilla extract and salt to the mixer and increase the speed of the mixer to high, beating for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is very light and fluffy with no lumps.
- Add the marshmallow creme to the bowl and mix on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes or until fully incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon of the heavy whipping cream and beat on high for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the marshmallow frosting is light and fluffy. If needed you can add the additional 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream to the frosting to create a softer more pipeable consistency.
- Transfer the marshmallow frosting to an extra large piping bag, fitted with an extra large round piping tip (tip opening approximately ¾ inch wide), and pipe a swirl on the tops of each of the cooled chocolate cookies. Do not pipe all the way to the edges, leaving a ¼-½ inch border of the edge of the cookie with no frosting. You can use a small offset spatula to carefully smooth the tops of the frosting to ensure a flat surface to spread the ganache and add the piping decoration.
Chocolate Ganache
- To a microwave safe bowl add the chopped semi-sweet chocolate bar and heavy whipping cream, being sure to cover all the chopped chocolate with the cream.
- Heat on high for 1 minute, let the warm chocolate rest for 1 minute then stir the melted chocolate and heavy cream until it is a smooth consistency. Stir in the light corn syrup until fully incorporated and the chocolate ganache is smooth and glossy. Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, until it is no longer warm to the touch and has thickened slightly. It should still be spreadable but not runny. This slight cooling will also ensure it does not melt the marshmallow frosting when spooned on top.
- Spoon approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the chocolate ganache to the center of the piped marshmallow topping on the top of a chocolate cookie. Using the back of the spoon, carefully spread the ganache to a smooth and even layer, being sure not to go all the way to the edge of the marshmallow frosting. You want to leave a ¼ inch border of exposed marshmallow frosting to be seen on the top of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies have been topped with the chocolate ganache.
- Allow the ganache topped hostess cupcake cookies to set for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before piping on the decorative swirl.
Pipeable Icing (for decorative swirl)
- To a medium bowl, cream together the unsalted butter and powdered sugar, using a handheld mixer at medium speed, for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream to the creamed butter and beat again, on medium-high speed, for another 1-2 minutes or until the icing is smooth. If the icing is too thick, add an extra teaspoon of heavy cream. If too thin, mix in an additional 1-2 teaspoons of powdered sugar until it reaches a pipeable consistency.
- Transfer the decorative icing to a small piping bag, fitted with a small round piping tip (approximately ⅛ inch tip opening), and slowly pipe a decorative swirl onto the top of each chocolate ganache topped hostess cupcake cookie.
- Allow the hostess cupcake cookies to sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes or until the chocolate ganache has firmed and set before plating and serving.
Notes
- To keep your marshmallow frosting as white in color as possible, you can substitute clear vanilla flavoring for the vanilla extract in the recipe.
- Using a good quality dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder will yield the best flavor and texture for the cookie dough. Do not substitute hot cocoa mix for the cocoa powder in this recipe as the hot cocoa mix has added ingredients that will alter the final results of the baked cookies.
- Marshmallow creme and marshmallow fluff can be used interchangeably in the frosting recipe with no significant differences.
- If you don’t have the recommended piping tips (R22L for the large tip and #5 for the small tip) you can simply snip the piping bag tips to the correct sizes. For the large, you will need to cut an approximate ¾ inch wide opening and for the small an ⅛ inch wide opening. These piping tips can be found online or at a big box retailer in the cake decorating section.
- The addition of light corn syrup to the chocolate ganache helps keep the ganache shiny as it cools and sets. You can omit if you prefer however, you will need to note that your ganache will lose its glossy shine over time.
- You can add 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup to the wet ingredients, when adding the vanilla extract, to your cookie dough to ensure the texture of your cookies stay chewy as they are stored at room temperature. You do not need to adjust the recipe in any other way if you are making this addition.
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