Hostess Twinkies have been part of American pop culture since 1930. They were invented as an inexpensive snack during the Depression. In honor of the popular snack cake’s 75th birthday, Hostess recently released a cookbook, with over 50 recipes submitted by consumers, called “The Twinkies Cookbook: An Inventive and Unexpected Recipe Collection.”

“(Hostess) heard about a lot of family traditions that involved Twinkies throughout the years,” said Theresa Cogswell, a Hostess blue-ribbon baking expert. “The iconic brand of Hostess Twinkies has been part of Americana for so long that we just called for recipes and the rest is history.”

Cogswell, along with Hostess representative Casey DePalma, came to the Ohio State Barnes & Noble Bookstore on Wednesday, from noon to 1:30 p.m., to promote the cookbook and pass out samples of one of the unexpected recipes, Twinkie Kababals. Like many of the recipes in the cookbook, Twinkie Kababals are a sweet hors-d’oeuvre, perfect for parties. In fact, Dianne Meyers of Lakemoor, Ill., came up with the idea for the treats when she was hosting a candle-making party and did not have enough snacks for her guests.

“The stories (of how the consumers invented the recipe) are what make me smile because they’re a lot of fun,” Cogswell said.

Twinkie Kababals are simple to make: just take kabab sticks and alternate pieces of Twinkies, marshmallows and fresh fruit. The result ends up tasting similar to angel food cake.

“It’s really good – they’re fantastic!” said Tarah Vadini, a junior in finance and Spanish, who opted to try the recipe.

“I’ve heard of people doing interesting things with Twinkies,” said Doug Shelnutt, an employee of Barnes & Noble. “They’re quite good.”

Cogswell said one of the more unique recipes in the book is Twinkie Sushi, a sweet dessert that looks like sushi, with green Fruit Roll-ups instead of seaweed, Twinkies substitued for rice and candied fruits in the middle instead of fish.

“If you were having a party where people didn’t know each other very well and you were trying to get everybody to talk and have a good time, I think an icebreaker would be Twinkie Sushi,” she said.

The Twinkies cookbook, which was released on April 10, is available for $12.95 in stores or online.

“Most people think they’re bad for you, but for a sweet snack, they’re only 150 calories. A candy bar is typically 300, so all things considered, it’s a good treat,” Cogswell said.