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
Becky says
My husband and I love peeps! I never knew people ate them stale, until I met my husband. Both him and his mom buy the peeps cut a slit in the plastic and put them on a shelf for a few weeks, then eat them! Works out well for us, as I like them fresh so if I don't eat them and they sit around, he's a happy camper 🙂
Carrie M. says
Love your giant peep. I could feel your excitement!
Sherri says
LOVE THAT PEEP!! That is so fun!! Thanks for sharing at The Mommy Club Link Party!
Lisa@hooplapalooza says
oh my goodness so many peeps love peeps! my hubby loves them stale and i like them any ole way but that big mama peep you made? well i would have to put that on display for a couple days so and then dig into the stale peep! :>O
Mandy Cordeniz says
I have a love/hate relationship with Peeps but my 2 girls LOVE them. We just found "birthday cake" flavor and I have to say I'm liking them. They didn't last very long…my little sugar monsters tore into them. They would go nuts over a giant Peep! Thanks for sharing, Beth. I love your creativity!
beth says
Oooh, I haven't tried the birthday cake flavor yet. I'll have to go find some.
Patti L. says
Peeps and I have a love/hate relationship. As a kid I wanted to love them. They always appeared in the Easter aisle of the drugstore, along with plastic eggs, chocolate bunnies, and huge baskets mostly filled with fake grass and tissue paper. I wanted to love them, but there was just something "off" about them. That didn't stop me from eating at least one every year. When my son was growing up I just had to do the "Mom" thing and make his Easter baskets. Peeps were always included. Fast forward quite a few years --- I make my own marshmallows now! The difference in a store bought marshmallow and fresh, homemade ones are night and day! I would love, love, love to make my own homemade, fresh Peeps!!! Those molds are just too cute. And really, who could resist the big, ka-giant, uber Peep?!
beth says
I love homemade marshmallows too. They really do taste so different than packaged marshmallows, but have to admit I'll eat those too!
Karen @ Sugartown Sweets says
This is awesome Beth! I've just made my sister her umpteenth Peeps birthday cake. This giant chick would have been perfect. I'm a long-time Peeps lover and marshmallows are one of my favorite treats to make. How Peeps-tastic that you've combined the two..love this!
Sheree says
I love peeps, but I have to wait until they're slightly stale to eat them. They are so much better that way and for some reason, they don't seem too sweet when they're stale. Yum!
Emily says
I love peeps and you love to win this give away
VickiT says
I don't like Peeps fresh out of the package but open the packages and let them sit a day or two for them to become "stale". They are so much better then as they're chewy. Last year my son and his fiancee came home after shopping the after Easter candy sales with a present for me. They said they bought me some Peeps. Oh goodie I thought. And THEN? Yea, THEN I saw exactly what they had bought me.
They bought an ENTIRE CASE of Peeps. I can't recall right this second how many were in that case, but suffice it to say, there were A ALOT of Peeps in that case. It's a huge box. And yes, I am STILL trying to eat them all. LOL I hope they don't buy more this year. I'm going to have to resort to those microwave Peeps explosion tests I've seen on the internet if they bring more of these little stinkers home again this year.
But, I would LOVE this cake mold. It would be awesome to make a huge Peep for our Easter table. It sure would be the talk of our house that day......and the millionth time of hearing about all those Peeps I still have from last year still waiting to be eaten. HAHA.
beth says
I can totally relate. I love stale Peeps and I won 365 packages of Peeps about 10 years ago. The UPS driver showed up at my door with several huge boxes filled with the Peeps. I was passing them out to everyone I know. I even gave the pumpkin Peeps out to the kids who came to my house for trick or treat. It's amazing I didn't get tired of them, but every year at the holidays I buy more!!!
Sharon DiAmore says
I would love for someone to bring me or win a case of Peeps! I've always wanted to enter one of the Peeps diorama contests, but never have enough Peeps to make my idea.
Anonymous says
I always look forward to Peeps. Seeing them for all the holidays is cool BUT Easter Peeps are definitely a favorite!
Barb (e-mail entry) says
tried chocolate covered peeps for the first time they were different!
Barb
tlw says
Signs me up please! (Wilton is so wonderful.)
I haven't ever been fond of Peeps as a food item--mostly a texture thing. But I have always considered them one of the cutest food items ever.
We used to to stick them in the microwave for a few seconds--like 3 to 10?, if I remember correctly. They get huge and fat...and then I would let my little brother or sister eat them.
I've been wanting to try my hand at homemade marshmallows, so I will definitely be looking into your recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Allie Morse says
I love peeps!!! I just now got braces but my orthodontist said that I could have the peeps for easter. I was so excited! I actually use peeps a lot during easter for cupcakes for my friends and family.
Anonymous says
I love "old" peeps, when you leave them out to get a little stale they taste the best!
Nikki- spgoddess55(at)msn(dot)com
Jan says
Not a fan...but would be fun to make.
b15f608a-b9c9-11e3-b5dc-000bcdca4d7a says
My love affair with Peeps began as a child when my mom would send my dad to the market and he would secretly come back with Peeps. My mom thought they were disgusting (she is a very healthy eater). Even though my dad is Jewish…he lived for Easter just for the Peeps! So, I can thank my dad for introducing me these wonderful treats and I have now passed on my sugary cravings to my boys.
Jan (e-mail entry) says
Dear Beth,
OMG! My husband LOVES, loves loves peeps! Every year for every holiday I have to buy them for him in every color and shape!
He would be surprised out of his mind to find a giant peep on Easter morning!!
(He has just come home from nearly 2 weeks in the hospital where he lost about 16” from his intestines, and his appendix, but he is still allowed to have peeps!haha).
Beth, I want to compliment you on your skill and creativity! You amaze me and I cannot wait to get your emails every morning! Thank you so very much for your ideas, which I have used on many an occasion when bringing desserts to parties!
Jan Rodick
beth says
So sorry to hear about your husband. I hope he is on the mend and feeling better soon.
I'm so happy to hear that you are excited to open my e-mails and that you have used some of my ideas. That is wonderful!!!
Jenn S. says
Love Peeps! I always looked forward to them in my Easter basket growing up and make sure they are in my kids baskets today. So yummy!
Ferris Farm Fuller says
Yum! Peeps and Easter. I made a Peeps diorama a few years ago!