Homemade Peeps

Who doesnt think of those cute little chicks and bunnies made out of marshmellow and coated in sugar when we think of Spring or Easter? These are two great recipes to make your own at home. In one recipe you have to "pipe" the marshmellow into shapes. It requires some patience and time but the end result can be adorable. The other tastes just as great but uses cookie cutters in the shapes you choose rather than piping. Its easier and equally as cute. Choose whichever you like best and have fun with it.

Some tips: When piping I use a larger bag to hold the marshmellow. It can dry out quickly in the smaller bag making it more difficult to pipe.

I purchase colored sugar instead of tinting my own. It saves on time and you dont have to worry about sifting out globs of wet sugars.

For making eyes, rather than making icing to add the tiny eyes to my creations i purchase a small tube of black icing. Less waste and less work.

The above pictures were borrowed from the internet. As soon as my concussion leaves me lol I will be making these with my son and we will post our own pics. But I wanted you to have an idea on what they will look like. You can use cookie cutters in any shape and make these for different holidays and times of year. I have done hearts for Valentines day and shamrocks for St. Pattys however I prefer making them at Easter time only, its just another little something to look forward to.


Marshmellow Peeps (Piped) 
(Taken from a Martha Stewart Cookbook) ( The standing bunnies and chicks and the pic of the piping process came from her website)

     1 unflavored gelatin (2 1/2 teaspoons)

     1/3 cup cold water for gelatin, plus 1/4 cup for syrup

     1 cup sugar

      In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Allow gelatin to soften, about 5 minutes.

      In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water and sugar, and stir over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, and place a candy thermometer into sugar water; wipe sides of pan with a wet brush if sugar crystals have splattered up. Boil sugar until temperature reaches the soft-ball stage (238 degrees). Remove syrup from heat; add to softened gelatin. Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, hand-stir the mixture a few minutes to cool; place bowl on the mixer stand. Beat on medium high with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form and the marshmallow mixture holds shape, 8 to 10 minutes.

Bunny How-To

1. Pipe a small marshmallow mound onto sugar, about 1 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch tall. Pipe two smaller mounds on either end for the head and tail.

2. Pipe the ears, starting from the top of the head onto the body, pulling forward and off to finish. With a damp finger, pat down any marshmallow spikes formed from piping.

3. Immediately sprinkle sugar over the entire surface of the bunny. Allow a few minutes for the shape to set.

4. Pipe on a icing face with a #1 Ateco icing tip;(I use the tip on the small tube of black icing)  lift bunny out of sugar with a spoon or small offset spatula. Place in a parchment-lined airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 2 weeks.

Chick How-To

1. Pipe an oval shape onto sugar, about 1 inch wide, tapering the end and pulling upward to finish with the tail.

2. For the head, pipe a mound on the end opposite the tail, about the width of the body, pushing toward the tail and up. Pull away from the head to form the beak.

3. Immediately sprinkle sugar over the entire surface of the chick. Allow a few minutes for the shape to set.

4. Pipe on icing eyes with a #1 Ateco icing tip; lift chick out of sugar with a spoon or small offset spatula. Place in a parchment-lined airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 2 weeks.

Marshmellow Peeps Cookie Cutter Style

 1/2 C cold water, divided in half

     1/4 C light corn syrup

     Pinch of salt

     3/4 C sugar

     1 t unflavored gelatin

     1/2 t vanilla

     Colored sugar (or make your own with food coloring and sugar)

     Cocoa powder and water (optional; for eyes and nose) (i use a small tube of the black   icing found in grocery store)

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 C cold water, corn syrup, sugar and pinch of salt. Whisk together over medium heat. Once sugar is dissolved, let sit unstirred until mixture reaches softball stage (around 235-240°F).

While sugar mixture is boiling, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/4 C cold water in a large, deep heatproof bowl (a stand mixer bowl is perfect for this). Let stand for about 1 minute, until it softens. Beat this at medium speed.

Once sugar mixture reaches softball stage, remove from heat and carefully pour into gelatin, avoiding the beaters and sides of the bowl. Immediately begin mixing on high speed, for 5-8 minutes, until mixture increases in volume and turns white and thick. Add vanilla and beat for a minute more.

Pour into a lightly greased casserole pan. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Using lightly greased cookie cutters, cut desired shapes out of marshmallow. Drop onto a plate covered with colored sugar and cover all surfaces. To make eyes and nose, sprinkle some cocoa powder on a clean plate. Dip a toothpick in water and then dip wet tip into cocoa. Dab dots onto sugar covered marshmallow.