Faux Peeps

Peeps. The name alone makes me shiver. I know they're cute, I know kids like them, but come on people. Peeps are fricking disgusting. They always feel stale and the colored sugar tastes like it's full of nasty chemical compounds that could help you grow a third arm. And while yes, I could use a third arm, I'm not into eating food stuffs that make me gag. I do, however, love marshmallows. I love them in cocoa, I love them in s'mores, I love them melted and poured over ice cream. While peeps are technically marshmallows, they don't taste like the real deal.

Making your own marshmallows is actually incredibly easy and quick. I make peppermint marshmallows for Christmas, so I decided to make vanilla marshmallows to replace those nasty Peeps this Easter. While the chicks are all 3D and difficult looking, I figured finding a bunny cutter to make Peeps Pink Easter Bunnies would be easy. Wrong. No Peeps bunny shapes to be found anywhere! I even searched high and low for Peeps Playdough molds to no avail. I had to make my own. Nobody had better ever say I'm not crafty!

A few notes before you begin: This is only a very easy project if you own a stand mixer. Owning a hand mixer is fine but it means that you will need to stand over a bowl, whipping constantly for at least 15 minutes. I don't really have that kind of patience, so without my trusty Kitchen Aid, there is no way I'd make these :) Also, you may want to prepare a second, smaller glass pan in addition to the 9x13. I ended up with a ton of extra marshmallow this time! You don't want to waste any of this good stuff.

Faux Peeps (Feeps?)

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
2 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbls. corn syrup
4 envelopes gelatin
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 c. water, divided

Preparation:
Spray a 9x13 inch glass pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 c. water in a bowl. Allow to sit and soften for 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Turn heat to medium high and cook until it reaches 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Place bowl of gelatin over a small pan of simmering water and whisk until all gelatin is melted and combined. Set aside.

Beat egg whites in stand mixer of high until stiff peaks form.

Whisk gelatin into sugar mixture. While mixer is still turned on, slowly pour sugar and gelatin mixture into the egg whites. Beat on high speed for 10-15 minutes. The mixture will get very thick and fluffy. It should look like a jar of, well, fluff.

Pour your fluff immediately into prepared pans, smoothing with a spatula. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours. It can sit as long as over night.

Now for the fun part. Fill a shallow bowl with colored sugar. Spray your cutter (or knife) lightly with cooking spray. Cut into marshmallow slowly, as it might stick a bit. Lift carefully with your fingers and push out from the cutter into the bowl of sugar. Flip to coat on all sides and move to a piece of waxed paper.

Pipe on the teeny face. I used black gel coloring for the eyes and nose, but you could also use melted chocolate. My cutter shape came out a little wonky, and I made it much bigger than a standard Peep Bunny. I think the little pink guy felt threatened by his giant cousins. Rightfully so. 

Marshmallow