Homemade Easter Peeps
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 60 bunnies
 
Making Easter Peeps out of homemade marshmallows is a lot easier than you might think and they make a colorful and festive Easter gift.
Ingredients
  • 3¼-ounce packs of unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cool water, divided
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • Colored sprinkles
  • Melted chocolate chips
  • Graham cracker crumbs, optional
Instructions
  1. Combine the gelatin and ½ cup cool water in a mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining ½ cup cool water, 1½ cups sugar, ⅛ tsp salt and 1 cup corn syrup.
  3. Cook the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.
  4. Increase the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. If, like me, you don't have a candy thermometer, cook the syrup for 8 minutes.
  5. Remove the syrup from the heat.
  6. With mixer on low, pour the syrup into the softened gelatin and whisk to combine.
  7. Increase the speed to high and beat the mixture for 8-10 minutes until it is thick, fluffy and cool enough to handle with your fingers.
  8. Whip in the vanilla extract toward the end of the mixing time.
  9. Dump the marshmallow mix by spoonful into the greased bunny molds, or place it in a piping bag and pipe the mix into the greased molds, or spread it into a greased 9x13 pan.
  10. Cover the pan with a greased sheet of plastic wrap and let the marshmallow rest for several hours or overnight.
  11. Pop the marshmallows out of the molds or cut the marshmallows with a greased knife or greased cookie cutters in the pan.
  12. Roll the marshmallows in sprinkles or other toppings as desired.
  13. To make s'more Peeps, dip the marshmallows in graham cracker crumbs and then dip in melted chocolate.
  14. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until it is mostly smooth with a few chunks, then continue stirring until smooth. (If you overheat the chocolate it will seize and become hard, so after one or a few intervals, just stir the chocolate until completely melted and smooth.)
  15. Servings depend on size of the marshmallows.
Recipe by Itsy Bitsy Foodies at http://itsybitsyfoodies.com/homemade-easter-peeps/