Die Hard + Homemade Twinkies

On the sixth day of Christmas the Lit Kitch gave to me…

The movie Die Hard and some homemade Twinkies! This year my husband Avrey and I are feeling a bit like Christmas grinches. We just haven’t gotten into the Christmas spirit. To me it felt like time flew by between Halloween and Thanksgiving, and then between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I am wildly unprepared for the Yuletide season.

Some years I finish my Christmas shopping in October, bake 5 different types of Christmas cookies, and have the house and tree fully decorated. This is not one of those years. This year Avrey and I are participating in Lazy Christmas. We went minimalistic with gifts and decorations. Instead of a Christmas tree we threw some mini lights on our begonia and called it a day. And we intend to spend Christmas day making pizza and watching our favorite Christmas movies…including Die Hard!

Die Hard IS a Christmas Movie

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of experiencing this absolute classic, I’ll provide a short summary. NYC cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) flies to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly and their two children for Christmas. Upon his arrival, he attends Holly’s office Christmas party. During the party, a group of terrorists take over Nakatomi Plaza, where the office party is taking place. McClane takes it upon himself to save the day…barefoot (you have to see the movie to understand).

A quick glance at the internet reveals numerous debates as to whether or not Die Hard counts as a Christmas film. Not only is the 1988 action flick a Christmas movie, I would argue it is the ultimate Christmas movie. I’m not even sure why this is up for debate. The movie takes place ON CHRISTMAS EVE. The setting is A CHRISTMAS PARTY. That alone should enough, but wait, there’s more. How about the soundtrack, which includes “Let it Snow”, “Winter Wonderland”, and “Jingle Bells”. As Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis” comes on during McClane’s limo ride, the driver, Argyle, insists, “This IS Christmas music!” When McClane offs one of the terrorists, he dresses him up in a Santa hat and scribbles on his shirt: “Now I have a machine gun HO-HO-HO.” McClane’s wife is even named HOLLY.

Die Hard Homemade Twinkies

I could argue this all day, but assuming you accept the premise that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, let’s get to our recipe. The other hero of the movie is the LA cop Sergeant Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson). He gets dragged into the plot when a call comes over his radio about a disturbance at Nakatomi Plaza. Al looks up, revealing that he can see Nakatomi from the convenience store he just left. The convenience store where he just bought several Twinkies.

Later, as McClane and Al talk over the radio, McClane states that he just tried to eat a thousand year old Twinkie, asking, “what do they put in these things, anyway?” Al responds with the exact list of ingredients, demonstrating his Twinkie expertise.

“Sugar-enriched flour, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, polysorbate 60, and Yellow Dye Number 5. Just everything a growing boy needs.”

Al Powell, Die Hard

Die Hard Homemade Twinkies Recipe

I made my homemade Twinkies using this copycat recipe from Top Secret Recipes. It only takes a few ingredients: egg whites, pound cake mix, shortening, powdered sugar, marshmallow creme, vanilla extract, and salt. This recipe also gives a hack for making the Twinkies without a special tray. Simply shape some aluminum foil around a spice bottle and pour in the batter!

This was a really easy recipe that fit perfectly with our Lazy Christmas theme! Yummy results with minimal effort.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, lazy or not! You can find all of our Christmas recipes so far here, and check back soon for new posts!