Hostess launches "Deep Fried Twinkies" as first frozen treat

NEW YORK (AP) — The deep-fried Twinkie is jumping from the state fair to the home freezer.

Hostess Brands is launching packaged "Deep Fried Twinkies" starting Friday that mark its first foray into frozen foods.

The cream-filled snack in vanilla or chocolate is the result of a yearlong collaboration between Hostess and Wal-Mart, as both companies look to spark food sales with innovative products. Hostess says the Twinkie is a bigger business now than even right before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

For Wal-Mart, it's part of a strategy of working with suppliers to come up with twists on existing foods or developing new ones. The company, which gets more than half its sales from food, opened a food lab in June as it aims to get products to the shelves faster.