Hostess Cupcake Cookies turn the classic snack cake into soft, chewy chocolate cookies with marshmallow frosting, rich ganache, and that iconic swirl. They’re the ultimate nostalgic treat for chocolate lovers and Hostess fans alike.
Copycat Hostess Cupcake Cookies – Looks Just Like the Classic Chocolate Cake
This Hostess Cupcake Cookies recipe is even better than the real thing! Inspired by bakery-style Crumbl cookies, this homemade version is packed with rich chocolate flavor but costs far less to make. Skip the store-bought snacks—follow the simple steps below to bake your own iconic cupcake cookies at home.
Why You’ll Love These Hostess Cupcake Cookies
- All the flavors of the classic snack cake in soft, chewy cookie form
- Topped with fluffy marshmallow frosting, rich ganache, and the iconic swirl
- Easier and cheaper than Crumbl but just as fun to make and eat
- Great for parties, gifting, or nostalgic dessert cravings
- Freezer-friendly and make-ahead approved
Ingredients For Hostess Cupcake Cookies
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract: To maintain the white color for your marshmallow frosting, you can substitute clear vanilla flavoring for the vanilla extract.
- All purpose flour
- Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder: Use a good quality dutch process cocoa powder for best flavor and texture for the cookie dough. Do not substitute with hot cocoa mix as the processed powder has added ingredients that will alter the final results of the baked cookies.
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
- Marshmallow creme or marshmallow fluff
- Heavy whipping cream
- Semi-sweet chocolate baking bar: You can substitute with semi-sweet chocolate chips, though the texture may be slightly firmer.
- Light corn syrup: Adding light corn syrup to the chocolate ganache helps keep it shiny as it cools and sets. You can omit it, but the ganache will lose its glossy shine over time.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Hostess Cupcake Cookies
Make the Cookie Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix until you have a smooth, thick batter.
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each cookie dough ball with the palm of your hand.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges start to crack slightly and the centers look just set. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on high until very light and fluffy.
Prepare the Marshmallow Frosting
- Mix the marshmallow creme into the butter mixture. Beat in the heavy whipping cream until the marshmallow frosting is light and fluffy.
- Pour the frosting into a piping bag fitted with an extra large round piping tip. Pipe a swirl onto the top of each cookie.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- In a microwave-safe bowl add the chopped chocolate bar and heavy cream. Heat for 1 minute, rest for 1 minute, then stir until fully melted and smooth. Stir in the corn syrup and cool at room temperature.
- Spread the chocolate ganache over the marshmallow frosting. Set for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before piping on the decorative swirl.
Pipe the Icing Swirl
- Cream together the butter and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream until the icing is smooth and a pipeable consistency.
- Transfer the icing to a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe a decorative swirl on top of the cookies (use a slow hand).
- Sit at room temperature until the chocolate ganache has firmed and set. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: For the best texture in both your cookie dough and frosting, make sure your butter, eggs, and marshmallow crème are at room temperature.
- Prepare The Pans: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking and make cleanup a breeze.
- Prepare a Piping Tip: If you don’t have the recommended piping tips (R22L for large, #5 for small), simply snip the piping bag tips to the correct sizes: about ¾ inch for the large tip and ⅛ inch for the small.
- Spread the Frosting Flat: Don’t pipe frosting all the way to the edges. Leave a ¼–½ inch border, then use a small offset spatula to smooth the frosting into a flat surface, creating a clean and even base for the ganache.
- Don’t Melt the Marshmallow: Allow the ganache to cool until it is no longer warm to the touch and slightly thickened. It should be spreadable but not runny, which will prevent it from melting the marshmallow frosting.
Storage Instructions
To Store: Store Hostess Cupcake Cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days—just note the frosting will firm up when chilled.
To Freeze: Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to an airtight container with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Lunch Box Snack-Inspired Treats
- Cosmic Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Ding Dong Cake
- Oatmeal Cream Pie
- Copycat Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies
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Hostess Cupcake Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2⅓ 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.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1¼ cups light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 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.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- To a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, dutch processed cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon 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.1 cup unsalted butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 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.7 ounce jar marshmallow creme, 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 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.4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, ⅓ cup heavy whipping 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.2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 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.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 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.¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons heavy cream
- 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.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store Hostess Cupcake Cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 daysor in the refrigerator for up to 5 days—just note the frosting will firm up when chilled.
- To Freeze: Place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to an airtight container with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- For the best texture in both your cookie dough and frosting, make sure your butter, eggs, and marshmallow crème are at room temperature.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking and make cleanup a breeze.
- If you don’t have the recommended piping tips (R22L for large, #5 for small), simply snip the piping bag tips to the correct sizes: about ¾ inch for the large tip and ⅛ inch for the small.
- Don’t pipe frosting all the way to the edges. Leave a ¼–½ inch border, then use a small offset spatula to smooth the frosting into a flat surface, creating a clean and even base for the ganache.
- Allow the ganache to cool until it is no longer warm to the touch and slightly thickened. It should be spreadable but not runny, which will prevent it from melting the marshmallow frosting.