Twinkie Tiramisu
I really don’t appreciate fancy food like I should.
It’s sort of pitiful.
Even mediumish fancy food is trash on my tastebuds.
A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to start eating Crab Cakes. I had never eaten any before, but for some reason they just sounded good. For months, I was OBSESSED with crab cakes. Crabcakescrabcakescrabcakes.
So finally one night, I was out with my husband and decided to order Crab Cakes. I was so excited I could hardly stand it.
They were disgusting.
You know those crab legs that you get at Red Lobster? That you dip in butter? Yeah. They didn’t taste like that at all. Not even a little bit.
I sat there and picked at them and wished I had a cheeseburger. I may sparkle on the outside…but on the inside, I have the appetite of a carnie. Funnel cakes and nachos are just fine by me, thanks.
With all this in mind, it should come as no surprise that I despise Tiramisu (espresso, espresso GAG). So…I decided to make my own version with my snack food of choice–Twinkies!! Chocolate syrup is used in place of espresso, and a combination of whipped cream cheese, Cool Whip, and sugar makes a fluffy filling.
White Trash Tiramisu. You are welcome.
Twinkie Tiramisu
INGREDIENTS
- 10 Twinkies
- Chocolate syrup (about a cup or so)
- 12 oz tub WHIPPED cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 oz tub Cool Whip
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Line an 8×8 pan with plastic wrap and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, whip cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until combined, about a minute. Using a spatula, gently fold in Cool Whip until combined.
3. Split Twinkies vertically and lay them across the bottom of the pan, cream side up. Once the bottom is covered (it should take 5 whole Twinkies which is 10 halves), squirt chocolate sauce over the surface of the Twinkies. You want most of the surface covered, but not super thick. Carefully spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate. Repeat layers–Twinkies, chocolate, and cream. Dust the top with some cocoa powder, if desired.
4. Chill for several hours before slicing and serving.
If you’re thinking about asking me if you can substitute freshly whipped cream for the Cool Whip, the answer is no. No you can not.
This Twinkie Tiramisu is so good, I hope you love it.
Have a happy Monday!!
Thanks for visiting my blog! I realize you could be doing more important things with your time. Like watching the news or washing socks. I hope you stay awhile. Much more fun than socks, I promise. 
I have so enjoyed your site, and hope to for a long time, My family has too, they just don,t know it!, lol They have enjoyed the fruits of “our” labor! Thank you
I have so enjoyed your site, and hope to for a long time, My family has too, they just don,t know it!, lol They have enjoyed the fruits of “our” labor! Thank you
Love this. Can’t wait to try it.
Kristan,
I positively hate tiramisu because I can’t stand espresso, either! (Although, for that matter I don’t really like coffee, either.) So, I was a little disappointed to see your post title. I read anyway, because I always LOVE your stories.
So now, I am SUPER excited to try a non-espresso-ey tiramisu. Thanks for your creativity. :D I’m glad I read today.
Courtney
LOL I am loving this! Great idea! I HATE Crab Cakes too…yuck!
Wow! That is such an ingenious idea! I like tiramisu, but not the coffee or liquor included in many recipes. It looks sinfully delicious! :)
Twinkie tiramisu? I NEED this!
Wicked cute site by the way… I’ll be back for sure!
: ))
Jen
Fancy food is overrated.
This is genius. Trashy genius.
This sounds yummy! Added benefit, we’d all be doing our part in helping Hostess not go bankrupt!! Can’t wait to try these, and of course, my mind is going, how could I make this into a trifle I might have to play and make this into a tifle and see how it goes. Thanks for the idea!
What would you think if I dipped the non cream side of the twinkie in expresso? We love coffee and would like to incorporate it into the recipe.
OK now…. I LOVE tiramisu! yummy yummy! but I LOVE COFFEE!
But – I think this might be a fun dessert to try :)
I thought I would drop by and let you know my sister and I are hosting a giveaway (For Cookbooks!!) on our blog and I thought you might like a chance to enter. I’m not sure if you mind me posting this here…. I’m not sure of the protocol.
Here is the link: http://joandsue.blogspot.com/2012/01/joandsueblogspotcoms-first-giveaway.html?showComment=1326675055509#c8089753632776105678
:)
LOL. The last line made me laugh out loud. “Snort!”
I just found your site, and I think I love you. I love to cook – even fancy things -but I often say I have the palate of a 5-year old. No mayonaise, onions, peppers, etc. And I hate any hint of coffee and have always avoided tiramisu like the plague. I am so excited to try this!
I love this! I bookmarked to post on Edible Crafts when I’m back from out of town (Florida!). Poor Twinkies just filed Chapter 11, so I’ve been on a mission to save the Twinkie :)
Did I not say we are kindred spirits? That is all ;) Fabulous!
Goodness goodness! I just love your blog. I always love reading it aloud to my hubby.Thanks so much for your amazing humor :)
Now, I must admit, I do love crab cakes, but I’m still a true redneck at heart. White Trash cooking will always be my favorite. You can’t go wrong with anything made with Cool Whip, Velveeta, or Campbell’s Cream of Anything soup. I will definitely be trying this soon. : )
I love tiramisu but am more than willing to try this version because I also love Cool Whip. I must say this though: crab cakes are not even remotely fancy. snooty and crab cake do not go together. I grew up in little ole shack in the woods (no exaggeration here) and my huntin’ fishin’daddy could make great crab cakes.
Heaven.
HAHAHAHAHA, white trash tiramisu! Kristan saves to Twinkie!!! I love it.
Best use of a Twinkie-EVER!
I made tiramisu the other day but this is way better! I mean, twinkies?? I thought I did a great job by making my own lady fingers but this is fantastic
This looks awesome. I have been on a “I want to make homemade twinkies” kick but after seeing this, I think I need to make this first :)
White trash tiramisu – I love it. I think coffee is nasty and used in fru-fru desserts by snooty people to show how grown up they are. I’m with you on the crab cakes too. Crab is wonderful (especially swimming in butter); cake is wonderful, but put the 2 together and it’s icky. I hadn’t heard about Hostess. Good thing I have a recipe for knock-0ff Hostess cupcakes.
I am so excited to try this! I hate coffee and hate coffee flavored desserts even more. Why would someone ruin perfectly good chocolate with coffee? Then you come along and restore my faith in humanity! Thanks!
You crack me up! This is almost too easy to make, which means I will probably eat way too much of it.
Oh my goodness gracious! This look amazing! Who would’ve ever thought to make this? Love it!
I love this idea! I hate tiramisu as well, I just never really understood what the hype was about. I could totally get into this kind though :)
Best looking *white trash* dessert I’ve ever seen :)
I tell myself I need to try and enjoy all the snooty food and healthy food we’re supposed to like now, but I still really do love the stuff we used to eat. I fed my kids fish sticks and macaroni and cheese made from the box when they were growing up. I thought that was a great meal since they were getting home cooking. I haven’t had a box of twinkies in the cabinet in a long time out of guilt, but oh how delicious this looks!
My husband and I have a joke that if I could, I’d eat nothing but “dude food”: nachos, burgers, wings, etc. “Finer” foods are largely just gross to me.
You are hilarious. I love me a twinkie too, but I also love a crab cake!
I might have to break down and actually “make” these, hee hee. Hey – I went to Safeway Friday (can’t miss their $5 Fridays!) and they were plum out of Twinkies!!! Gah – whattodowhattodo?
Zingers, of course! No, not the same as the Twink but oh-so-sugary #yum.
I went to a company Christmas party once and on the dessert table were these little pastries in tiny muffin papers (I don’t know what those things are called :p) My BFF says “These are SO good” and I told her I think these are Zingers! From then on, every party we have we pull out the little papers and cut up some Zingers.
Oh, thank the goddess I’m not the only one with the taste buds of a carnie. I always feel so. . . low brow. I have so many foodie friends and I’m just not one of their ilk, though I sometimes try to blend in. It never works. Sometimes I sit at their dinner table about to cry because all I want is a french fry and there aren’t even any potatoes on the menu that don’t come creamed, stuffed, punched, and then squeezed out of a pastry bag. What is that about?!
Anyway. . . yum!
This would be a lot of fun in the summer!!
hahahahahaha… fellow tastebud carnie checking in :O)
I want that now!
As always you are awesome! I happen to love SOME snooty food but sometimes just want goodness…simple and delicious “carnie” goodness. ;)
I think I love you. But in a non-creepy-blog-crush kinda way. These look insanely delicious.
Have a lovely day!
I just subscribed to your blog and am I ever glad I did! This tiramisu looks awesome, and like you, I HATE espresso or anyting with even a slight coffee flavor, so I could totally see myself eating this. I agree too, with the crabcakes. I feel like I’m supposed to like these things to be normal, but I just can’t do it. I would eat a bowl of cereal or nachos for nearly every meal if I could. Thanks for a great recipe and a fun blog…can’t wait to read more!
Oh yeah girl! I so know what you’re talking about! I can’t stand real tiramisu, but this one looks oh so wonderful!!! Thank you!
Hi Kristan,
I, too, tried crab cakes and tiramisu and hated both. Small world! LOL. Love your blog and food photography. Keep up the good work.
:) brilliant!
You absolutely crack me up! I must say, despite your admition of having a fancy food limited palate, this blog inspires me to use a twinkie or two in a recipe. I adore the REAL Tiramisu, with espresso, marscapone cheese etc, but this is well worth the read…as always! Love your genuine self depricating humor. LOVE IT!
Hate to break up the party, but here in NY I saw on the news this week that they are discontinuing Twinkies. NO JOKE!!! You better stock up!! Just like the Seinfeld episode when Elaine learned the sponge was being discontinued. Anyone remember that?! Seriously…worth checking into! I heard NO MORE TWINKIES! LOVE YOUR SITE maybe we can start some sort of grassroots and stop the discontinuation of Twinkies!
I can not stand Tiramisu – but I love this idea! No espresso, cool whip, and twinkies!!! Yeah!
Really?! I sooooo can’t believe this!!!
I LOVE crab cakes and tiramisu! :( This is a sad sad day!!!
SUPER YUM! You just got pinned! :)
I do love a good coffee dessert…but I would totally make this because of the twinkies in it!!! So genius…Long live trashy food!!!!
I have been trying to get my husband to eat Tiramisu for SUCH A LONG TIME! He just won’t do it. He doesn’t like espresso, he doesn’t like lady fingers, he doesn’t like marscapone. I read him your recipe and he wanted it immediately. THANK YOU for making a husband-approved Tiramisu :)
I REALLY wish I’d known about this wonder when I had a box of Twinkies Saturday for the first time in about 5 years and was commenting on how crappy their quality is now. I think dumping chocolate syrup and whipped cream on them would’ve vastly improved them.
Girl you are AMAZING!! I love tiramisu any which way it comes – with twinkles the texture must be kinda fabulous!
You totally crack me up! “I may sparkle on the outside but on the inside I have the appetite of a carnie!” It’s ok :) We all still love ya! :)
No offense, but the reason you don’t like crab cakes is because you’re in rural Arkansas. I’m not sure what was done to the crab before it made it to you, but the best cakes are made with fresh crab and with just enough stuff to hold them together and not a drop more. Come visit me in Delaware and I will take you to Sambo’s, a little tavern with no atmosphere whatsoever but the best crab cakes in the world.
The crazy thing is, the crab I ate was actually in Long Beach Washington. But I have no doubt that the crab cakes in Delaware are amazing!! If I’m ever in that area, I will be sure to give them a try :)
I agree. I lived in Baltimore for 5 years, and their crabcakes are to die for. I live in Atlanta now, though, and can’t find any decent crabcakes. My favorite Baltimore restaurant actually sends mail order crabcakes, packed on dry ice (which sounds really gross, but I have sent them to family, who loved every bite). You just bake them in your oven. Here’s their website: gandmrestaurant.com.
Hate coffee. Love Twinkies.
Can’t wait to try this!!!!
[...] made Twinkie Tiramisu. No coffee was involved. But you want to know what WAS involved? [...]
More proof that you an evil genius.
You know, I’ve always liked the idea of Tiramisu, but I hate coffee and espresso with a passion. This even without the twinkies would be amazing, and then you go and do that too… awesome!
I made Twinkie Tiramisu several years ago after buying the Twinkie Cookbook and folks loved it! I still get requests for it. Awesome stuff.
You had me at “no coffee.” When I saw the headlines about Hostess going bankrupt, I went out the next morning and bought myself some Twinkies and chocolate milk in memoriam. Breakfast of champions, no doubt. Long live the snack cake. Haha, I guess that’s what makes them so unhealthy.
LOL, the appetite of a carnie. Thank you for making me laugh today. :-)
Oh my gosh! Looks delicious! AKA White Trash tiramisu?? Perfect! My friend and I have our White Trash appetizer nights when we get together. Yes..we call it that. I’ll have to show her this. :) Thanks!
OMG! Love this! I made this for a dinner party this past weekend (doubled the recipe) and it was huge hit. Everyone loved the name and was surprised at how easy the prep was. I absolutely adore your site and can’t wait for more recipes! Thanks so much!
Oh my gosh! Totally awesome idea.
LOL — I love tiramisu, and have a great appreciation for fancy food. I also love Twinkies. I usually have them only once a year. I might have to drizzle my next Twinkies with (my love, your hate) espresso now. Thanks for a chuckle and I’m glad you have created a tiramisu you can appreciate. Can’t wait to have my 2013 Twinkie fix!