Homemade Peeps

Why We Love This Recipe

• Better than store bought: Making these at home results in a much better flavor and texture, so they're definitely better than store bought!
• Cute and colorful: These look adorable, and make the perfect DIY gift for Easter. Who wouldn't want a few of these in their Easter basket?
• No corn syrup or dyes: We used naturally colored sugar and honey, so these homemade peeps have no corn syrup or artificial dyes/flavors.
• Easy recipe: You only need 7 ingredients to make these homemade peeps, and as long as you closely follow the instructions, they're super easy to make! The only hard part is waiting a few hours for them to set. 😉

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these homemade peeps:

Ingredient Notes

• Honey: We used honey in place of corn syrup, but this recipe also works with agave nectar. Note that if you use honey, these do have a strong honey flavor! We love the taste, but if you're not a huge fan of honey, agave will provide a much more neutral flavor.
• Gelatin: We tested this recipe with gelatin and agar agar, and we had a lot of trouble achieving the correct texture with the agar agar. Just note that gelatin is not a vegetarian ingredient. If you want to make these vegan, we suggest using a fully vegan marshmallow recipe.
• Colored sugar: These colored sugars we used are colored with natural ingredients, so these bunny peeps have no artificial dyes. If you can't find any naturally colored sugar, you can also use regular sugar and combine it with a few drops of natural food coloring.

Step-by-step Instructions

PREP: Spray a quarter baking sheet (~9x13 inch pan) with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper. Dust with 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and set aside. Grease a regular spatula and an offset spatula and set aside.

STEP 1: Add the gelatin to a stand mixer with ½ cup of cold water, stir gently and let sit to bloom for 10 minutes while you make the simple syrup. 

STEP 2: Add the remaining ¼ cup of water, the sugar, and the honey to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook without stirring until the thermometer reads 240°F. 

STEP 3: Remove from heat, let the bubbling subside for a few seconds, then turn the mixer on low speed while you carefully pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin, pouring the hot syrup down the side of the bowl to prevent scorching the gelatin. Beat on low for 1 minute, then increase speed to high and beat for ~10-12 minutes, until thick and fluffy. It should increase 3x in volume. Add in vanilla and salt and continue mixing for 2 minutes. 

STEP 4: Immediately transfer marshmallow mixture to prepared pan and spread into a smooth, even layer. Let sit at room temperature for 6-12 hours to set. 

STEP 5: Grease the cookie cutter before cutting into bunny shapes. You should be able to get ~36-40 marshmallows. Coat in colored sugar and (optional) pipe melted dark chocolate for the eyes and nose.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Storage: Store these homemade peeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several weeks. You can also freeze them for long term storage.
• Be sure to heat the honey syrup to 240˚F / 116˚C. This is the "soft ball" stage of candy making, and it will help you create the perfect marshmallow texture.
• Let the marshmallows set: Give them at least 6 hours, or let them set overnight before trying to cut them out. If they're not quite set, they won't cut well.
• Bunny eyes and nose: We melted chocolate, then added it to a plastic bag and snipped off a corner. We then piped little drops for the bunny eyes and nose. This is totally optional!

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