Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

when i think of my favorite Easter candies, cadbury creme eggs + reese’s peanut butter eggs are definitely on the top of the list, along with a tried-and-true Easter candy: marshmallow Peeps! i loved Peeps growing up + the Easter bunny always put some in my Easter basket. even now that i’m all grown up, i still make sure to enjoy at least a handful of Peeps every Easter.

this year, i wanted to mix things up a little – instead of indulging in store-bought Peeps, i decided to make them myself. while my Peeps, admittedly, aren’t the most professional-looking that i’ve seen, i think they have a charming homemade look. =) they taste absolutely divine – they’re soft, delicate, + have a wonderful vanilla flavor – far tastier than any store-bought version. surprisingly, they were pretty easy to make – this was only my second time working with homemade marshmallow, + i found the instructions + video from the original recipe super helpful + easy to follow.

if you’re looking for a fun + delicious recipe to try out for Easter, give this one a try! even if all your Peeps don’t turn out looking 100% perfect, they’ll definitely be 100% delicious.

oh, + if you’re like me, + some of your long-beaked Peeps look far more walrus-like than chick-like? just roll with it – stick a couple toothpick tusks in, + call it an easter walrus. =)

Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

makes about 40-45 peeps, adapted from buttercream blondie

ingredients

for the marshmallow mixture:
2 tablespoons powdered unflavored gelatin
4 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
4 egg whites
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

to decorate the Peeps:
colored sugar: you can buy it, or i made my own by simply combining white granulated sugar with a few drops of food coloring + shaking the bejeezus out of it til it blended. success!
a tiny amount of cocoa powder + water – for the Peep eyes

directions

mix powdered gelatin with the 4 tablespoons of cold water + set aside.

combine corn syrup, sugar, + remaining 1/2 cup water in saucepan + stirring occasionally, bring to 235 degrees using a candy thermometer.

while bringing sugar mixture to a boil, put the egg whites in a stand mixer, + whip until soft peaks form.

when sugar mixture reaches 235 degrees, carefully add gelatin mixture + quickly stir to dissolve. with the mixer on a slow speed, slowly add hot mixture to whipped egg whites in the stand mixer. add vanilla + whip on a medium-high speed until marshmallow forms – for me, this took about 5 minutes. add food coloring to the marshmallow if desired – you only need a few drops.

to make the Peeps:
cover a sheet pan with parchment paper, + cover it with a liberal layer of powdered sugar. fill a large piping bag with the marshmallow mixture.

on top of the powdered sugar, pipe a tear drop shape first – this will be the Peep body. then pipe the head of Peep by squeezing the marshmallow on top of the tear drop pulling the piping bag up. slowly release your pressure + bring forward, allowing the ‘beak’ to form. repeat until all Peeps are made.

allow Peeps to dry overnight in a cool dry place. after about 12 hours, mine were tacky enough for the colored sugar to still stick, but not so tacky that i couldn’t handle them.

taking one Peep at a time, tap off as much of the powdered sugar from the bottom of it as possible. then, put the Peep in your container with the colored sugar. the Peeps are very well-set at this point so you can roll ’em around in the colored sugar without worrying about them losing their shape. once the Peep is fully covered in colored sugar (it won’t stick to the bottom, due to the powdered sugar), transfer it to a plate or tray. repeat until all Peeps are covered in colored sugar.

to make the eyes, i simply mixed a little cocoa powder with a few drops of water, creating a cocoa paste of sorts. i then used a toothpick to dot ‘eyes’ on to each Peep.

your Peeps are now ready to eat! they’ll keep for about two weeks in an airtight container.

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