THROWBACK THURSDAYS: TWINKIE PIE

Can you think of a more classic Americana nostalgia food than Twinkies? If you're one of the few who actually doesn't know what a Twinkie is (impossible) -- it's an American snack cake formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands, and marketed as the "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling."

It was invented in 1930 by James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental Baking Company in Schiller Park, Illinois. The original Twinkie was filled with a banana cream but when bananas were rationed during WWII, the company switched to vanilla cream, which proved more popular than the original flavor. 

In 2012, Twinkie's parent company, Hostess, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and production was suspended at all plants. Then in 2013 Twinkies, along with other famed Hostess Brands, were purchased out of bankruptcy by an investment company, and soon returned to U.S. supermarket shelves. 

When the news first hit the media that Twinkies would disappear from our shelves forever, a little part of America died. Not only had these yellow packaged snack cakes become a mainstay of our supermarket shelves, they had also persevered to become a cultural and gastronomical icon. Suddenly social media networks lit up with grief-stricken sentiment. 

It's funny how nostalgia clouds the mind. Most of us traded in the highly-processed snack cake for a healthier option eons ago, which is probably why they were going out of business-- low sales. However, Twinkies do play a supporting role in some idealized time in most of our lives, so that the mere sight of them brings up a host of childhood associations we're loath to part with. 

'Twinkies have been baked into our national pop culture for generations, making this simple confection of sponge cake and creme filling into a national icon.' 

For throwback Thursday I present the Twinkie Pie!

Twinkie Pie (recipe via bellyfull)
9" deep pie crust
1 box (10 count) Twinkies
3 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp vinegar
whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 
2. Unwrap all the Twinkies; cut each on lengthwise in half and then horizontally to give you 6 pieces per Twinkie.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, and vinegar until well combined. Gently fold in Twinkie pieces with a rubber spatula. Mixture will be thick. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 40 minutes; until set and the top is golden.
4. Let cool, slice, and serve with whipped cream. 

If you want to try your hand at making homemade Twinkies then, here's a recipe from Averie Cooks.