Following up on the launch of Hostess Deep-Fried Twinkies in the frozen food department at Walmart stores last summer, the snack cake company has expanded offerings in the freezer aisle with the addition of its classic banana flavor. Distributed in seven-count retail packs, the product is now available in supermarkets and other retail outlets throughout North America.
Deep-fried Twinkies are battered and flash-fried before they’re frozen, and can be quickly heated up in a toaster oven or convection oven. While previously introduced vanilla- and chocolate-filled Twinkies are dipped in funnel cake batter, the new offering features distinctive graham cracker breading for added texture.
“The addition of Deep-Fried Banana Twinkies is a nod to Twinkies’ original banana crème flavor,” said Burke Raine, chief marketing officer of Kansas City, Missouri-headquartered Hostess Brands, LLC. “Taking Twinkie back to its roots integrates nicely with our deep-fried line, which was originally inspired by the nostalgia of state fairs and local summer carnivals.”
The product launch is part of the company’s efforts to extend its product line into the frozen food aisle, as well as other parts of the store, as a growth strategy.
“Our retail customers have embraced both original and Banana Deep-Fried Twinkies with excitement, adding the items to their frozen sections even before the typical shelf resets occur,” said Raine.
Invented in 1930 in Schiller Park, Illinois, by James Alexander Dewar of Continental Baking Company, Twinkies have been an iconic snack food in the United States for generations. According to Wikipedia, Dewar conceived of the idea to maximize the utility of several machines used to make cream-filled strawberry shortcake that sat idle when the fruit was out of season. Banana cream, the original filling, was replaced with vanilla during World War II, when rationed bananas were in short supply. Today the shelf-stable Twinkies product line again features creamy banana as well as vanilla and chocolate fillings. Vanilla is the most popular flavor by far.
