It’s no secret that I work from home full-time… and that I am so incredibly blessed to blog full-time, work in my home, and be my own boss.
But let’s get something straight: working from home has its difficulties for sure. And before y’all roll your eyes as you head to work in 9am rush-hour traffic, hear me out.
First of all, I have a set schedule like you do, but the only difference is that my work is constant. Blogging doesn’t happen within a 9-5 confine; it happens 24/7. I can always be doing something work-related, whether it be Tweeting while using the bathroom, Instagramming before ordering in the Taco Bell drive-thru, or scheduling a couple of Facebook posts before a night out of drinking (and those are plentiful). People will always be craving chocolate chip cookies and there will always be that one person Pinning up a storm, so therefore, I am always working to supply those crazy Pinterest people’s needs.
Second of all, let’s not even get started on the work-related hazards. While I don’t have to deal with Dale from Accounting’s sexual advances, I *do* have to worry about the dreaded, incessant intake of calories because hello, my job involves food and I must eat it for, ya know, quality control purposes. So instead of deflecting a creepy coworker’s leers, I have to deal with my creepy-self eating a sixth cookie for breakfast. And yes, I totally eat cookies for breakfast. Because remember when I said that my schedule is wonky? Well, during certain Pinning binges or when I’m neck-deep in flour trying to perfect the most delicious cinnamon roll, I don’t exactly have time to reach for a nutritious breakfast. While I’d love to sit down peacefully in my sunlit breakfast nook and eat an egg-white omelet with wheat toast and fresh-squeezed OJ, the reality is, I’m most likely shoveling a day-old brownie in my pie-hole while guzzling milky coffee. #truelife.
And okay, the worst part of all? It’s that people just kind of give you that polite, tight smile and nod when you explain you work from home when you know they’re secretly thinking you’re some unemployed loser who wears pajamas all day long. Only the latter is true – I do wear pajamas and they’re damn cute – but I am surely not unemployed. Just because I don’t have coworkers, just because my paychecks are erratic and just because I can wear jammies to work doesn’t mean I’m unemployed. If anything, I’m the luckiest employee ever – my coworkers are gooey, buttery cookies and rich chocolate cakes. They don’t talk back, they aren’t trying to usurp my position, and they aren’t Dale the Creep. No one likes Dale.
And when a new coworker comes along, I hardly ever worry about disliking them… especially not these Copycat Hostess Cupcakes. Because no one — and I mean no one — dislikes cupcakes. They’re like the Switzerland of the dessert world. Even cupcakes like Dale.
These cupcakes are the bomb dot com, yo. They taste nearly identical to the Hostess classic but better since they’re homemade! And you won’t believe how simple they are to make! My easy shortcuts make creating these soft, moist and chocolaty cupcakes such a cinch.
In fact, I think I still have a couple lying around… and yes, I do accept job transfers if anyone’s interested 🙂
Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix plus ingredients on back of box
- 1 7 oz jar marshmallow fluff
- 1 can vanilla frosting
- 1 can chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with about 18 paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, prepare the cake mix according to package directions or until smooth and blended, about 2 minutes. Portion the batter evenly among each muffin tin, filling about 3/4" of the way full. Bake for approx. 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with light, moist crumbs. Cool the cupcakes completely.
- Once cupcakes are cooled entirely, core them by using a small, sharp paring knife, careful not to cut the cupcake all the way to the bottom. Discard (or snack on!) the cores of the cupcakes. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the marshmallow fluff with about 3/4 of the vanilla frosting; gently fold together to combine.
- Place the marshmallow mixture into a plastic ziploc bag and seal out the air. Snip off a corner of the bag and pipe the marshmallow mixture into the cored cupcakes, filling just about to the top of the cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for about 20 minutes to briefly set the filling.
- Remove the lid and foil liner of the chocolate frosting and microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until nearly melted. Dunk each cupcake into the chocolate frosting, allowing excess to drip off but work quickly as to not lose your cupcake's filling! Invert the cupcakes back onto a cooling rack and allow the chocolate frosting to briefly set on top. Then, fill another piping bag with the remaining vanilla frosting and pipe squiggles onto each cupcake for the signature appearance. Serve immediately and store leftovers airtight at room temperature.
My family and I LOVED these cupcakes! I think they taste pretty darn close to the Hostess original 🙂
Have a delicious day!!
xo, Hayley
Nat D. says
I love these things! Thanks for a version that sounds delicious and isn’t full of chemicals!
thedomesticrebel says
Nat, and thank YOU for leaving such a sweet comment! xo.
Ashley (QLCC) says
These look SO GOOD! And possibly even BETTER than the real thing 😉
thedomesticrebel says
Ashley – definitely! They’re so moist and fudgy!
SaraLily says
OMG! Love what you wrote about working from home! I hate when I tell people I can work from home whenever I want (my company is pretty mobile and since it’s global, we can all work from anywhere), I always get people scoffing! I swear my boyfriend thinks when I work from home, I’m on the couch in PJs watching Netflix all day! It’s like, no, I’m parked at the table, working on my laptop all day. Only with my full kitchen nearby and slippers on my feet. But yeah, working at home does not = vacation! Maybe I’d enjoy it more if these cupcakes were nearby, though…
thedomesticrebel says
Sara, right?! I mean, YES it’s almost noon and I *am* still in my PJs, but I have also been working since about 7am! Just because my coworkers are my dogs doesn’t mean I’m not working, ya know? Haha. And the cupcakes nearby DEFINITELY helps! 🙂
Amelia says
Looks yummy! I have filled cupcakes without coring them by using a clean condiment container…you know, like a squeezy bottle usually filled with ketchup or mustard? I cut the end off at an angle so the filling comes out faster and easier. Just one more tip to make this even easier…I’m all about the easy. Thanks!
thedomesticrebel says
Amelia, a squeeze bottle is an awesome idea! And I love that you repurpose old ketchup and mustard bottles… genius!