This easy Homemade Peeps recipe is a fun and festive way to celebrate Easter. Great for an easter dinner or brunch and fun to make.
These are easier to make than you think and honestly, they were fun to make!
Why This Recipe
Hello Friends! How is your week going? We are enjoying the cool weather of the season and enjoying watching our sports. There is nothing like getting together with family and friends around the television to enjoy a good game or movie.
Homemade peeps are made with marshmallows and are actually fun to make.
Equipment Needed
- Heavy bottom saucepan
- Glass measuring cup
- Electric Mixer with the whisk attachment
- Rubber Spatula
- Large Round Tip
- 16 " Decorating Bag
- Silicone Pastry Brush
- Parchment lined baking sheets
- Candy thermometer (optional)
Ingredients Needed
This recipe just takes a few ingredients.
Gelatin –Gelatin is what makes the marshmallow puffy and squishy. You will want to use unflavored gelatin and note that you won't need an entire package, just part of it.
Sugar – White granulated sugar is used to sweeten the marshmallow peeps.
Sanding Sugar – So easy to make and food coloring will allow you to have different colors available for the peeps.
Vanilla Extract - This gives a sweet flavor to your peeps.
Candy Eys or Melted chocolate chips - These are for the peep:"eyes"
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Marshmallow Peeps
- Dissolve the gelatin.
- In a saucepan, heat the water and sugar.
3. Heat sugar over medium heat until it reaches 230° on a candy thermometer. The mixture will be bubbly.
4. Submerge the pastry brush in ice water. A "ball" of sugar will start to form.
- Remove from heat and add the sugar to the gelatin mixture. In a standing mixture start mixing the sugar into the gelatin using the whisk attachment on medium speed.
- Add vanilla and whip at high speed for another 8-10 minutes until the mixture forms peaks.
- Place mixture in a piping bag.
- Pipe "peeps" on parchment paper and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Let sit an hour or two. Use melted chocolate or black candy sprinkles to add the eyes. If using chocolate wait until you
are ready to serve before adding the eyes or it else it may run and spread.
Recipe FAQs
Sanding sugar is basically granulated sugar with food coloring.
Once they are completely set, you can place them in baggies or wrap gently with plastic wrap. Store in a cool place for about a week.
More Easter Treat Recipes
Four Ingredient Easter cookies - These tasty Easter-themed cookies have only FOUR ingredients.
Peanut Butter Eggs - Make your own version of this Easter candy.
Easter Rice Crispy Treats - This favorite cereal snack makes for fun Easter Egg decorating!
Coloring Easter Eggs - How to dye eggs with food coloring.
Italian Easter Bread - A traditional Easter Bread recipe that is colorful and tasty.
Homemade Peeps Recipe
Related Recipes
Bunny Cupcakes - Cute little bunnies decorate these festive cupcakes!
Homemade Peeps
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Colored Sanding Sugar
Instructions
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in ⅓ cup water and let sit to dissolve in mixing bowl. Be sure to sprinkle it across the top of the water, don't dump it in.
- Place one cup of sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pan.Pour ½ cup water over the sugar, making sure its all saturated.
- Heat the sugar over medium until it reaches 230 degrees:
- As the sugar’s temperature raises it will begin to form bubbles. The bubbles will pop very quickly as the temperature rises.
- To help the edges from caramelizing use a pastry brush to brush water around the inside of the pan. Once the bubbles begin to slow down they will look like slow popping bubbles. Place the silicon pastry brush in the center of the pot and immediately into a bowl of ice water.
- When it reaches what is considered “soft ball” stage (a literal ball of sugar will appear when its placed in the ice water) it’s ready to be added to the mixing bowl. Using a whisk attachment on your stand mixer turn it on low breaking up the gelatin.
- Slowly pour the heated sugar into the bowl while it’s mixing. Once it’s all inside, increase the speed to medium and let mix for 4-5 mins. The mixture will turn white and begin to look like icing. Add vanilla.
- Turn the mixer on high and let it whip for another 8-10 mins. The marshmallows with triple insize and hold a stiff peak. If it does not hold a peak, let it continue to mix until it does. This step is critical.
- Prepare your icing bag, and sugar station.To set up the sugar station, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour sanding sugar on the bottom so the marshmallows do not stick.
- Add large round tip to piping bag and cut off the tip of the bag, fitting the tip snugly inside of the plastic piping bag. Add Marshmallows to piping bag
- Pipe a thick line of marshmallow fluff in a line towards you. Slightly raise it and go back the opposite direction half way down the line. Bring it forward pull off to complete the neck and head.*If your marshmallows are sticking to the nozzle of the piping bag, run your fingers through the sanding sugar and use the coated fingers to help release the marshmallows.
- Pipe the peeps next to one another. Cover with sanding sugar and allow time to set
- Use melted chocolate or black candy sprinkles to add the eyes. If using chocolate wait until youare ready to serve before adding the eyes or it else it may run and spread.
Nutrition
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Tamara
Holy awesome. I was like, "HOW.. on earth do you get the Peeps shape?" Of course! Piping! My daughter and mom LOVE Peeps. I do not. That said, I bought homemade ones from a farmer's market once and they were awesome and didn't even look as good as these do.
Raquel
Thank you! They take a little practice but are fun to make!
Beth
This PEEPS recipe is FANTASTIC, Raquel!! They are my favorite, so I am excited to try and make them from scratch! We will be featuring this recipe over at the Creative Crafts Linky Party this week. Thanks for sharing and joining in the FUN!
Creatively, Beth
Raquel
Thank you Beth! You made my day!