Peeps are a beloved Easter treat, but what if you could make one that's the star of the show? This giant, homemade marshmallow Peep is sure to amaze your guests and is surprisingly achievable!
Skip the Store, Make Your Own:
Forget store-bought candies, this recipe uses homemade marshmallows for a fresh and delicious twist. The key? A special 3-D Peeps pan (available online or at craft stores).
Simple Steps, Big Impact:
The process is easier than you might think. I'll guide you through greasing and prepping the pan, making two batches of fluffy homemade marshmallows, and assembling your giant Peep masterpiece.
Tips and Tricks:
The post includes helpful hints like using yellow sugar for a vibrant color and creating eyes with chocolate chips. Plus, we answer the age-old question: Does a giant Peep go stale? (Spoiler alert: It depends on your preference for a soft or crunchy texture!)
Ready to impress your friends and family? Make this Giant Homemade Marshmallow Peep the centerpiece of your Easter celebration!
Giant Homemade Marshmallow Peep
You'll Need:
3-D Peeps Cake pan
butter (to grease pan)
⅓ cup yellow sugar (stir yellow food coloring into white granulated sugar)
2 batches of my homemade marshmallow recipe (see recipe on my Starfish S'mores post too)*
yellow food coloring
wooden dowel
2 large dark chocolate chips
*Each batch of homemade marshmallows will require these ingredients:
1 cup water
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
You will have extra marshmallow by making 2 whole batches. If you have a professional kitchen-aid with a 6 quart bowl, you can make 1 ½ recipes instead and should have enough to fill both sides of the pan. Otherwise, I suggest just making the two batches.
Instructions:
Grease the inside of each half of the 3-D Peeps pan really well with butter. Sprinkle yellow sugar all over the inside of the pan, making sure to get in all the grooves.
Make one batch of the homemade marshmallows, adding yellow coloring as the marshmallows are being whipped. Pour the yellow marshmallow into one half of the 3-D Peeps pan. Butter one hand really well and press down on the marshmallow making sure it's really well compacted in the pan.
You will have more than you need. Use any extra yellow sugar to coat the excess marshmallow.
Make another batch of yellow marshmallows and fill the other side of the 3-D Peeps Pan.
If the first pan of marshmallows is still sticky, just press the two sides of the pan together. If not, wet your fingers with water and rub the water all over the first marshmallow that you made. This will make the marshmallow sticky again. Then press the two sides together.
I set my pan inside a large bowl and snuggled a towel under the top of the pan to keep it level.
Allow the marshmallow to dry for at least 4 hours.
Set the Peeps pan upright and carefully peel the two sides off the marshmallow.
Trim off the excess marshmallow along the seam and sprinkle some yellow sugar over the seam and any bare spots.
Stick a wood dowel into the peep where the eyes should be, to create a small well. Stick the pointed end of a large chocolate chip into the well. It will just stick.
This marshmallow should stay fresh for a week sitting on Easter Grass in a basket. If you put it in an airtight container it will stay fresh for several weeks. Of course, I like stale Peeps, so letting it sit and get crusty isn't a bad thing. You can probably keep this for at least a month if you don't mind a more crunchy exterior.
More Sweet Easter Treats
from Hungry Happenings
Sugar Spoon Chicks - tiny sugar eggs on spoons
My Marshmallow Recipe can be found on this post:
If this Easter Recipe interests you, then you should go and check out all these other delicious ideas.
- Irresistible Sweets with Dixie Crystals® - July 13, 2024
- How to make peanut butter? - February 15, 2024
- OREO Penguins - December 20, 2023
Anonymous says
I am sugar free and gluten free but still do a lot of baking for family and friends. We were just talking about putting peeps in the microwave for 12 seconds and watching them expand them letting them cool to eat! They make a great decoration around the tree stump cake i make with a bunny butt on the side looking like a bunny diving in to the tree stump. Love em! Ginny Fedrowitz
Rebecca Mockbee says
I LOVE peeps! I always have to get some when I see them arrive in the store! I have even passed my love of them on to my 3-year-old! (much to my husband's chagrin!) 🙂
Anne Burns (see e-mail) says
I loved reading your article on the giant peep (I found it on pintrest).
Each year we get peeps to celebrate easter. My husband and I have a continuing argument about leaving the peeps fresh or letting them get stale. My favorite way is fresh and soft! My 4 year old now adds to our debate and tries them each way to see what she thinks are best. What a great fun easter tradition.
Anne Burns
Robin Ruedi says
I LOVE to make peep smores!!
Leslie W says
I love PEEPS! Every Easter I make a cake and use PEEPS to decorate the cake. Now my daughter helps me make the cakes but I think she enjoys eating the PEEPS more than decorating with them 🙂
mosquints(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Anonymous says
I love PEEPS, I try to find all of the new ones out each season and use them as edible decorations.
eyes2theocean says
We're a Peep loving family, my kids especially like to make smores out of them. However this weekend I spied Godiva chocolate covered Peep.Oh the GLORY they were good. LOL
beth says
Oh, sounds wonderful. I do love my Peeps with chocolate too!
dani elkins says
peeps are my husbands favorite easter basket treat.he loves them stale so a few days before making his basket I poke holes in the package so he can eat them right away.You think he got the winning lottery ticket because he can eat his peeps without waiting.lol
beth says
That is such a smart idea! I hate having to wait too, so I understand his enthusiasm.
Jenn @ Once Upon a Tier says
I am not a huge fan of Peeps, but I love all those cute products by Wilton! I would love to make a giant Peep cake!
beth says
I love that even people who aren't fans of the marshmallow, might love the cuteness factor of a Peep and now you can make cookies, cupcakes and more using the Wilton products.
Lisa Y. says
I have always been a Peeps fan! When I was younger, my Mom would always buy Peeps for me at Easter, and continues to do so! My husband just shakes his head at me as I eat them! I already got the Peeps cookie cutters. I thought it would be fun to give my family Peeps, since they always give them to me! I would love to win the rest of this package! How fun!
beth says
My husband isn't a fan either, and just doesn't get my obsession with them either!
Caradith Sprouse says
Can you believe it, I HAVE NEVER HAD A PEEP!. My mom never got them for us because she didn't like them. I love Marshmallows. Why wouldn't I like them. My son just told me he liked them, so the bunny is getting them so I can try one. I love all of the colors and how cute they are!
beth says
I met someone else recently who had never tried a Peep. It was pretty amazing to me, being I've been eating them since childhood. I hope you enjoy your first Peep!
Mary H says
I love peeps - thanks for the instrucs! I remember them always being in my easter basket as a kid... my mom would use them to create a treasure hunt of sorts for me to find my basket!!
beth says
We always had to hunt for our baskets too. I loved that tradition.
Sheena Howard says
I love peeps! I've never been big on plain marshmallows, but Peeps are amazing! We buy them every year for my babies and they always go to them before all other Easter candy! 🙂
beth says
It is amazing how different a Peeps tastes than a plain marshmallow out of a bag.
Lynne says
I love Peeps for Easter!! So pretty & springlike!
suburban prep says
I am not a Peeps fan but the rest of my family loves them.
I have made with my niece and nephews this large cupcake that looked like a basket and put Peeps on top. They loved it because we dyed the coconut green to look like grass and then put jelly beans.
beth says
Sounds like fun!
Ana says
I Love Peeps! The first year that Peeps plushies came out, I was in my last year of high school. One morning, that year, I came out to find my car COVERED in decorations -- including two Peeps plushies. It was a pleasant surprise, but it became clear it was not intended for me. Our neighbor across the street had made the cheerleading team at an opposing high school and their team decorated my car by mistake -- decking it out in their school colors. Unfortunately, it had rained that morning and the plushies were a soaked mess. I ran them and the rest of the decorations inside my house before I left for school (thank goodness I wasn't running late!). On my way back from school, I bought actual marshmallow peeps in my neighbor's school colors and walked them over to congratulate her and explain the mix up! She came over to see the still soggy decorations from my car and we had a laugh (and some peeps) together.
beth says
What a fun story. Thanks for sharing!
lesleyana says
i am not a huge fan, i must admit (don't boo me!) but love all the projects i am seeing using them for other than eating!
beth says
Most of my family members aren't fans either. As a child, that just meant more for me!
Sugar Butter Baby says
errmigawd - I love peeps! My friends & boyfriend always buy me peeps, send me peeps links and have even gotten me peeps plushies!! I would love to win this and bake some goodies to share with them all!
beth says
Half of my Easter decorations are plush Peeps! I love 'em too. Good luck.
BethMcD says
I LOVE PEEPS - preferably stale. I open up a package as soon as I get them and let them sit a few days before i enjoy them. The chicks are my favorite (i know they all taste the same) They also always remind me of my Pepere. We used to give him peeps every year for Easter since they were his favorite and he always, with out fail, would open them right up and share with us. He may no longer be with us here, but I know he's there when I'm enjoying a peep...or two 🙂
beth says
I love them stale too, and do the same thing. Thanks for sharing your sweet memory. I'm sure you think of your Pepere around Easter time whenever you see Peeps.
Heather B says
I LOVE Peeps, especially around Easter and definitely in the Spring. I use them in my trifles and homemade ice cream. I also melt them and use them as frosting and in rice krispie treats.
beth says
Oooh, I've never melted them and used them as frosting or in Rice Krispies treats, both great ideas that I'll have to try.