As a P.K. (Preacher’s Kid in layperson speak), Easter was always a bit of a stressful day. Everyone would throw on their best dress; Mom would force me into some pastel sweater or children’s clip-on bow tie. You know the drill. All of this didn’t seem to matter though because, well, PEEPS®! Those delicious, sugar-coated sugar puffs made everything juuuuust fine.
Having made marshmallows before, I though I would see if I could birth a few beloved baby chicks of my own in the kitchen.
Spoiler alert: IT WORKED! And I have to say… I even think mine taste better than the commercial store-bought version.
I would recommend buying a few (boxes) at the store to compare with. You can’t have too many!
I started the process with regular granulated sugar. I used a cup in each of three Ziplock bags (good ones… not cheap thin ones, as they will break). Drop some gel coloring into the sugar, seal them up and go watch your favorite show. Maybe take some time to read our older posts or send us a hello on Facebook! This is going to take a bit.
Work the coloring (liquid, gel, powder– all work fine) into the sugar. Toss it around, roll it, throw it. Whatever you need to do. After several minutes, you will see perfectly-colored coating sugar. Who needs to go spend $5 on a tiny bottle again!?
Be sure and sift the sugar fairly well to get rid of all of the larger clumps. Peep poop, if you will. Once you have made the marshmallow mixture (recipe below!), timing is the only thing you have to be careful about. If your mixture is too warm or doesn’t have enough air in it (eg: didn’t mix long enough), you will have a hard time getting the chicks to keep shape.
You can see below how to pipe the chick shapes. This is a good example of a mixture that is slightly too warm. I let the bag sit for a minute or two before piping the rest. Luckily, they held their shape better.
I piped my marshmallow goodies in a row of 5 chicks touching on the sides. I just couldn’t imagine eating these without pulling them apart and having that exposed side. It just wouldn’t have felt the same. Spoon more of the homemade colored sugar all over and let them rest.
I may have not waited for these to cool and rest completely for the 30-40 minutes that I recommend. They were DELICIOUS! So soft and fluffy. The outer coating sugar was just perfect. Not too fine and just about the perfect color to bring back all of those sweet holiday memories, colored tongue and all.
At the end of the piping bag, I managed to squeeze out two smaller chicks. I mean, why not make a blue Peeps family? Seems legit to me.
All in all, I was incredibly happy with how these turned out. The possibilities of shapes and styles are endless when you are able to just pipe out whatever you want to try. You’ll certainly see these chirping up again on the blog.
Peeps® are a Registered Trademark of Just Born, Inc.
- 1 cup sugar for each color, in Ziplock bag
- food coloring, any type
- 1 packet gelatin
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cocoa powder + tiny bit of water, optional - for eyes
- Combine 1 cup sugar in Ziplock bag with coloring.
- Mix until well combined, several minutes.
- Sift larger pieces out.
- In mixer bowl, put ⅓ cup cold water.
- Empty packet of gelatin over water and let sit while you make sugar mixture.
- In saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup water.
- Swirl to combine well.
- Using a candy thermometer, heat over medium heat until it reaches soft ball stage (238 F).
- Do not stir during this process. If crystals form on pan walls, use brush with water to dissolve it back down.
- When at 238 F, remove from heat and slowly pour into mixer bowl with gelatin.
- Stir by hand for a couple minute to break any gelatin lumps.
- When cooled slightly, place on mixer with whisk attachment and combine at medium-high speed until white and somewhat stiff. About 8-9 minutes.
- Immediately transfer to large piping bag (14" works well) with ½" tip. Alternatively, use gallon Ziplock bag with corner cut.
- With colored sugar in a shallow dish, pipe chick shapes directly into the sugar. If the shape doesn't hold, let the mixture cool for a minute or two and try again.
- See blog post for piping technique.
- Use spoon to cover marshmallow chicks with sugar. Let cool for 30 minutes on tray.
- Enjoy! -- Visit SouthernFATTY.com to tell us what shapes you made!
Peeps® are a REGISTERED TRADEMARK of Just Born, Inc.
Comment below and let us know what shapes you decided to make!
For the peeps yous have down a half inch tip on the packs you get them in says 102 like that not by inches so what sizi do i use
Each brand will have their own numbering system for the tips. I use THIS tip from Ateco. Wilton also has a 1/2″ tip (the size of the bottom opening). It is THIS one (1A). Good luck!
-Phillip
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Hi, I’m just wondering how much gelatin is in a pack because we have unflavoured gelatin at Home and also can it be unflavoured?
Thanks!
I really should have measurements for that. Thanks for asking. I’ll update the recipe to include this. One packet would be 2 1/2 teaspoons (or 7g). Unflavored is preferable for this. Enjoy! Please tag us @southernfatty if you post any pictures!
Success! These are (relatively) east to makeI didn’t use colored sugar to coat them, I used toasted coconut, toasted almond and another batch with cocoa!
Love that! Toasted coconut sounds wonderful. Enjoy them!
Thank you so much for this recipe. These were my favourite part of an Easter Basket. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you, again!
Enjoy!
Can you use mols to make the shapes you want? I have a silicon mold that would make great shapes. I figured it would have to have a little cooking spray, but didn’t know if it would melt the marshmallow.
Absolutely! I’ve done this with silicone molds. I would recommend spraying and then sifting a good morning 50/50 cornstarch/powdered sugar mix heavily. This will help it release.
Came out great!
Awesome! I love these myself.
Thanks for the recipe. You didn’t mention where the vanilla comes in. I put it in the mixer after cooking and it came out well. Love this recipe for any occasion!
I’ll get that updated! It goes in to the mixer for the final mix just as you figured out. Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi…how would you store these so that they are good for at least 3-4 days?
Hey Jelena —
Great question. The best way that I have found is to put them in an airtight container in the fridge (or bag, even), but add some powdered sugar and cornstarch mix (just a bit of starch in sugar is fine – don’t need to measure it out) to throw into the bottom. This will keep some of the extra moisture away. Should be good to go!
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I’m a 72 year old man and I was able to figure it out and make them. They were great. My piping skills improved as I went along. Next time they’ll be even better.
That’s great! They taste pretty good, don’t they?!
wow, these look amazing!
Thanks, Andie! They’re seriously a ton of fun to make. (And eat…)
In my book, it’s such a crime to post so cute pictures.
I’ve never made homemade marshmallow, that’s why this lovely work seems to be an untouchable thing to me. Great work, great work, Phillip!
Thanks! These are seriously so much fun to make.
I am going to try this!! My friend who I haven’t gotten to see for 3 years is coming and this is her favorite treat, I think I’ll try to spell her name for the shapes. Thank you for posting, home made is so much better than store bought.
Great! They aren’t all that bad to master, really. The taste and texture is soo much better than the others, I think. Tag us if you post any pics of the finished product! Cheers–
I’ve made passable marshmallows before, but my piping skills are not up to the challenge LOL
It’s not that bad! 🙂 Give it a go!
Just irresistible! I don’t need to compare taste to the store bought, homemade is always better! That’s always a reason to get into the kitchen and make it ourselves!
Thanks 🙂 So true!
I had to do a double take – I thought these were real Peeps. Awesome recipe! Homemade marshmallows are always the best!
What a compliment! Homemade marshmallows really are the best. So much softer/fluffier than store-bought ones.
Thanks for the comment!
Cool stuff, man!
Thanks! They were pretty fun to make. Even more fun to eat!