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I am on a dessert kick and I just can’t help it! This time of year has me thinking about desserts more than normal which takes crazy to whole new level. This Hostess Cupcake Cookies Recipe with a Cake Mix is all sorts of amazing. Add them to your dessert rotation and watch faces light up. Keep scrolling to see how I get all of the flavors packed into a cookie.
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We all know and love Hostess Cupcakes. A soft chocolate cupcake that is filled with a vanilla marshmallow creme, topped with chocolate glaze and then the iconic white royal icing swirl.
As a child I remember choosing it as my treat many times on trips and if you were lucky you would buy a pack that had two in it! Double delicious!
My chore for creating this cookie was to try and figure out how to get all of the flavors packed into one bite. The solution was to pipe the swirl with vanilla marshmallow creme instead of royal icing.
Thank you so much for stopping by! This Hostess Cupcake Cookies post contains affiliate links, I receive a small amount of compensation if you choose to purchase from my links (for example – as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). I only link to products that I know and love!
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How to Make a Cake Mix Hostess Cupcake Cookie
Just like all of the other wonderful cake mix cookies on my site, I started by whisking the cake mix. Then I added the eggs and oil.
Cake mix cookies are such a time saving option to the traditional cookie but there a couple of tips that I think are worth sharing. You can find them all here.
Combine the ingredients with a hand held mixer {or wooden spoon} until you have a thick dough. Using a chocolate fudge mix gives it such a rich color and flavor {yes, I may have ate a bite of dough}.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto a cookie sheet that is covered with a silicone mat {or parchment paper}.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes and remove from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before you move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely and set up.
It is so important to not over bake cake mix cookies. They can go from soft and wonderful to hard and unappealing in just a minute or two.
How to put the Chocolate Glaze & Iconic Swirl on your Hostess Cupcake Cookie
Once all of the cookies are baked and cooled, it is time to turn your attention to the chocolate glaze. It is a lot like the Glace’ Icing that I use on my Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies.
Whisk all of the ingredients together until you have a thick but spreadable consistency.
Spoon a tablespoon or so of glaze onto each cookie and spread it out to the edges. Allow it to set up for at least 30 minutes before you move on to the swirl.
To make the vanilla marshmallow creme, combine the ingredients and use a handheld mixer to incorporate everything into a smooth frosting.
Add some of the vanilla marshmallow creme into a small Ziploc bag and cut a small triangle off of one corner of the bag. Starting in the middle of the cookie, work to the other side in a circular motion. Continue until all of the cookies have that sweet swirl.
NOTE: Using the vanilla marshmallow creme frosting will give you all of the flavors you expect from a Hostess Cupcake but it will not set up completely at room temperature making them hard to stack.
Now it is time to eat {if you have waited this long}. Look at that texture! The moist cookie, glossy glaze and creamy frosting are the perfect bite. Adults and kids alike will go insane for these cookies.
They are nostalgic, delicious and most of all FUN! Enjoy.
5 Tips to Making Hostess Cupcake Cake Mix Cookies:
- Don’t over bake the cookies. Take them out of the oven when they are set and let them cool and set up on the cookie sheet.
- Make sure the Chocolate Glace’ Frosting isn’t too thin. You want it thick enough to not run over the edge of the cookie. If it is too thin then just add a little more powdered sugar.
- You will have some leftover Marshmallow Cream Frosting and I suggest using it on graham crackers with Nutella.
- If you have piping bags and a round tip, it will give you a more even swirl on the top of the cookie but a Ziploc bag works too.
- Store them in a single layer in a air tight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Do you love Cake Mix Cookies? Try these recipes…
Toffee Sheet Cake Cookies
German Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Celebration Sheet Cake Cookies
Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
Boston Cream Pie Cookie Bites
Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
Hostess Cupcake Cookies Recipe with a Cake MIx
Everything you love about a Hostess Cupcake wrapped into one delicious cookie! The very best part is that the cookie starts with a cake mix.
Course: Dessert
Author: June Albertson-Dick
Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
3.60 from 20 votes
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Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
- 2 eggs {whisked}
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Chocolate Glace' Frosting
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp corn syrup
- 6 tbsp milk
Marshmallow Creme Frosting Swirl
- 1/2 jar {3.5 oz} marshmallow fluff
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar {more if needed to get right consistency}
- 1/2 cup butter {softened}
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine cookie ingredients in large bowl and mix until completely incorporated. NOTE: Dough will be thick.
Using a medium sized cookie scoop {or heaping tablespoon}, scoop cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Repeat until all of the dough is baked.
Chocolate Glace'Frosting
Combine the Glace' Frosting ingredients and whisk until thick and smooth. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of frosting on top of each cookie and spread out to the edge of each cookie. Let them set up for at least 30 minutes.
Marshmallow Cream Frosting
Beat butter until light and fluffy, add sugar and vanilla and continue beating using a hand held or stand mixer. Add marshmallow fluff and beat at medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
Add frosting to a Ziploc bag and cut a small triangle from the corner. Starting at one side of each cookie begin piping the iconic swirl over the top of each cookie. NOTE: The Marshmallow Cream Frosting will give you the iconic taste that you expect from a Hostess Cupcake but it will not set up easily.
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