Friday, March 24, 2006

Peeps

In case you didn’t notice, All Easter Week kind of overlapped and is now two weeks. (I don’t hear any complaints!) Of course any discussion of Easter candy would be incomplete without Peeps which is why I saved them for last.

image

The thing is, there are lots of people who talk about Peeps and chances are you either love them or hate them already. Here’s what I think about Peeps: I think Peeps are pretty cute. The colors are great and the idea of a crusty crusted soft marshmallow is a good one. I think the name Peeps is pure genius. And the idea of a little yellow marshmallow candy shaped like a baby chicken is pretty good too. The manufacturing variations of them allows them to have their own personality. (According to the Peeps factory tour on their website their eyes are added by hand. It gives them a rather personal touch.)

But see, I don’t really like the taste of them that much. They’re sweet and all, and that’s good. And I know yesterday I said I liked plain old rock candy, so it seems odd that I wouldn’t like fluffy sugar.

If I do like Peeps, it’s when they’re stale. At least they have a little texture then. They’re tacky and lose their springiness and suddenly have a little tooth to them (well, Peeps can’t have teeth). Anyway, a slightly stale Peep is chewy and kind of a nice change of pace. A very stale Peep is almost like cookie. I’ve tried toasting them, but it’s tricky, because they catch fire quite easily. I guess the best thing to do with them is to do a mashup where you pull one apart and mash it into something else like crushed Oreos or chocolate chips.

There are several iterations of Peeps. There are different colors of the little chicks and little bunny shapes (which I don’t like as much for no good reasons I can verbalize). You can get white egg shaped ones for decorating and of course they’re not just for Easter anymore with other shapes/colors/flavors for all the major Candy Holidays.

Of course the thing I most like to do with Peeps is take photos of them (stay tuned for more of those, my new camera arrives today). There’s a whole Flickr group devoted to them, called Peep-Tastic. Then there’s Peeps Research, more Peep Research,  a PeepShow, and of course the official site. For more literary expressions in Peeps, check out Lord of the Peeps, Peeps Haiku and then the definitive resource, the Wikipedia entry. Click here for some worksafe PeepPr0n and finally, for the last word on Peeps, check out this article from Salon’s archives.

I took my photos about two weeks ago and the Peeps have been in an open plastic baggie every since, I think they’re ready to eat.

So, do you love em’ or hate em’ and how do you eat ‘em?

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  8. Candy Mash Ups - Marshmallows & Chocolate
Name: Peeps
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Just Born
Place Purchased: Rite Aid
Price: $.50 (on sale)
Size: 1.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 106
Categories: Marshmallow, United States, Just Born, Peeps, Easter

POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:53 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I hate them, but then again I don’t like marshmallows…But my husband and mother in law both love them…my mother in law loves them stale as
    well..so you’re not alone there!!!

    Comment by Amy on 3/25/06 at 6:49 am #
  2. I like them. How can you not like the taste? It’s like an orgasm balled up into a chick-shaped marshmallow covered in sugar and dye.

    Comment by 573 on 3/25/06 at 6:50 am #
  3. I love them!  Microwaved… if you time it right, they get slightly carmelized/burnt in the middle and when you pull them apart, the sugar solidifies into crispy strands.  Peeps rock.

    P.S.  The new peanut butter Hershey’s Kisses are amazing - please try them if you haven’t already!

    Comment by Elise on 3/25/06 at 6:50 am #
  4. Marshmallows are only good crisped over a fire (or an electric burner, yes it can be done!) till the outside is black and the inside is gooey yummy.  Peeps don’t do it for me, if only because they goop out when melted in a way that just doesn’t seem as tasty as regular old Kraft jumbo marshmallows.

    Comment by Jullila on 3/25/06 at 6:51 am #
  5. I hate them but I agree, they’re totally cute and tempting… and definitely the ULTIMATE easter treat

    Comment by Nicole on 3/25/06 at 6:52 am #
  6. Peeps have got to be THE GROSSEST candy ever. Oh sure, they tempt you with their cute & pudgy appearance but they are yucky! I do like them
    for decorating purposes since they are available for my favorite candy time - Halloween. And now I’m seeing contests where you can win money for using Peeps in new & creative ways. Target practice sounds good! Ha.

    Comment by Suzanne on 3/25/06 at 6:53 am #
  7. Dislike - not a marshmallow fan (unless they’re toasted to perfection over an open fire).

    Comment by Tricia on 3/25/06 at 6:54 am #
  8. Peeps.  I’d rather eat the sugar eggs by a long shot.

    Comment by Dave on 3/25/06 at 6:55 am #
  9. I can only bring myself to eat ones that are pink or yellow. I always sort of subliminally worry that the purple ones will be grape-flavored, and a grape-flavored Peep just might put me off sugar forever.

    Comment by Dashrashi on 3/25/06 at 6:57 am #
  10. MMMMMM…grape…I might actually like them then…grape anything is the best smile

    Comment by Amy on 3/25/06 at 6:59 am #
  11. *lovelovelove*

    Comment by Tindy on 3/25/06 at 7:00 am #
  12. In high school I was involved in the Drama Club, and every year we went to the drama guild competition, where all the different high schools put on plays and compete against one another. My friends and I decided to break up the competitive tension with the other towns by going around at the event and giving Peeps to everyone. It was a big hit, and we got to meet a lot of new people that way. One guy played a character named “Peepo” in their play, and we gave him an entire box of peeps.

    My younger sister told me that, years later, the kids are still going around giving each other candy (and Peeps) at drama competition.

    Comment by Raedia on 3/25/06 at 9:52 am #
  13. I don’t really like ‘em.  They’re too sweet, and for all their sweetness and the resulting calories, you’re not getting very much.  I’d rather have the filled eggs or whoppers or something totally different.  They’re cute to look at though, and Easter wouldn’t be Easter without ‘em.  I think they’re *great* for those peep-eating contests, seeing how many you can stuff in your mouth - especially if they’re bright colors, because then you get peep juice sliding down your chin.  Hehe.

    Comment by Karla on 3/25/06 at 10:38 am #
  14. <b>LOVE</b) them! My latest way to eat them is putting them in the freezer first. They don’t get frozen hard, but they get the consistency of a stale Peep. Yum, yum, yum!

    Comment by Jodi on 3/25/06 at 2:03 pm #
  15. Very, very stale is the way to go!

    Comment by desertwind on 3/25/06 at 10:14 pm #
  16. I will be honest and say I do like them, I did at one point LOVE them. Now I must eat them stale, they taste so much better that way. Otherwise, I throw them in the microwave and make smores or in a cup of hot chocolate or even sometimes my tea.

    Comment by Eliza on 3/26/06 at 2:34 am #
  17. LOVELOVELOVE the Peeps.  Love.  Probably my all time favourite candy, and that’s saying a lot.  I prefer them fresh, but really, any way is good.  I love marshmallows, and cute marshmallows covered in sugar is even better.

    The only way to make Peeps even more sugary are the “decoratable” ones they sell now with cake icing.  Mmmmmmmm.

    Comment by jen on 3/26/06 at 11:31 am #
  18. Peeps are my favorite Easter candy, but I sort of ruined them for myself a couple years ago. I went to Walgreen’s the day after Easter and spent about $50.00 on half-off Peeps “for craft projects.” It only took a few months to eat them.

    Comment by Shauna on 3/26/06 at 5:41 pm #
  19. I like the slightly stale peeps, too. When i get “fresh” ones the mushy, sweet mess surprises me and i get that, ooh, it’s gross, but kind of good sensation. i cannot bring myself to eat those chocolate “eggs”. it’s one thing to have caramel ooze out of a shell of chocolate but to call it an egg and to have the sweet goodness inside be compared to the slime of an egg is completely and utterly unappetizing. why make chocolate unappetizing?

    Comment by rose on 3/27/06 at 1:46 am #
  20. Wow, putting Peeps in tea! What a great idea! I am going to try putting them in coffee.

    Stale Peeps have an excellent texture. The fresh ones aren’t as good, but I still like them. Without the sugar on the outside, though, they’d be nothing.

    Comment by Lisa on 3/27/06 at 3:20 am #
  21. The only time I liked—no, loved—Peeps was when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with my first child.  I’d eat a package in a sitting.  Yuck.

    Hey—check out Sweettarts jelly beans!  They’re really yummy and have a different shell than normal ones.  smile

    Comment by MusicalMom on 3/27/06 at 6:55 am #
  22. I love microwaving them until they explode. So I’m not into them so much for the taste than I am the entertainment value.

    Comment by Carly on 3/27/06 at 7:55 am #
  23. i love love love peeps.  i, too, am firmly entrenched in the “STALE PEEPS UBER ALLES” camp.  they should probably just start selling them this way since it seems like most people prefer them stale

    Comment by amaguri on 3/27/06 at 8:09 am #
  24. I, too, love stale Peeps.  The staler, the better!  I just open the package and put it in the cupboard for a week or so, until they are al dente.  Yummmmmy!

    Comment by Susan on 3/27/06 at 9:32 am #
  25. I definitely love fresh, fluffy peeps, but I have issues with the eyes. I expect them to be a sweet, little, sugary treat and instead, they’re nasty bits of beeswax. So I found it interesting that you said the eyes were applied by hand because I have to pull them off before devouring this Easter candy.

    Comment by Chrysa on 3/27/06 at 10:01 am #
  26. Cybele's avatar

    Carly - I just tried microwaving a marshmallow for the first time this weekend. (Photographic documenation to follow in a few days.)

    It occurs to me that so many people prefer them stale (including my mother who emailed me to say that they’re best rock hard and dipped in coffee) that Peeps may be the only candy I know of that requires some action on the part of the consumer to prepare it (opening the package and letting them dry out).

    Maybe they should develop some sort of pre-staled ones that have a little “ripe” label on them like they do with avocados!

    Comment by Cybele on 3/27/06 at 11:23 am #
  27. You’ve gotten try roasting them with a flame torch.  Like marshmallow creme brulee - the sugar on the outside crystallizes and hardens.  Let it cool, and it’s crunchy on the outsite, gooey on the inside.  So good!
    here’s some photos: http://colleencuisine.blogspot.com/2006/03/peeps-flambe.html

    Comment by Colleen on 3/29/06 at 8:51 pm #
  28. Cybele's avatar

    Colleen - hah! I need to go out and get a torch! Maybe I’ll just try it on the gas stove. I can see it ending very badly though!

    Comment by Cybele on 3/30/06 at 7:10 am #
  29. Peeps?  Do I like them, you ask?  You might say that.  If Peeps are too plain for you, you really need to cook them in different ways.  You must have missed my Peeps-freak website, Cooking with Peeps.  Don’t miss the Peeps Stir-fry (or PeepSmoothies):

    http://www.topoimagery.com/peeps

    Comment by Doug A. on 3/31/06 at 11:21 am #
  30. There is SOMETHING about PEEPS!  I am 58, and I remember loving them as a kid.  Soooo… I introduced them to my 3 year old grandson,Sean, and now HE is a Peeps freak!! He love them in “Lellow”(Yellow, for the rest of us) and savors them like they are a rare treasure.  I buy them at Walgreens ..a two pack for a buck.  He eats em straightout of the box.  He is only allowed to eat 2 at a sitting.(Suger High prevented by this rule) Hurray for Peeps!

    Comment by Michelle Catalan on 4/01/06 at 2:08 am #
  31. Peeps are priceless…have you seen the movies circulating about them?

    My fav:
    http://grouper.com/GlobalMedia/MediaDetails.aspx?id=620122

    If you type in Peeps, a bunch of videos come up…funny stuff.

    Comment by Sabastian Clark on 4/05/06 at 8:44 am #
  32. i hate these stupid sweets they are so manky they stink of xxxx
    [comment edited by admin for language]

    Comment by moughal on 4/24/06 at 3:50 am #
  33. Asher’s, a local candy company (http://www.ashers.com), makes “Peeps in a Puddle”, Peeps which have had their bottoms dipped in yummy Asher’s chocolate. We can’t keep them in stock!

    Comment by becky on 9/04/06 at 1:08 pm #
  34. I just found some holiday cards with Peeps on them - how cool!  http://www.zazzle.com/sgresnic

    Comment by Mary on 12/04/07 at 3:42 am #
  35. I’m pretty much “take ‘em or leave ‘em” about Peeps, but I definitely prefer the chicks to the bunnies.  I think the reason why is that the chicks are pudgy and the bunnies are flat.  They just feel better in a more marshmallow-y shape.

    Comment by Beth on 1/29/08 at 11:56 am #
  36. Love Peeps, the stalerthe better!

    Comment by Cherie on 3/20/08 at 8:05 am #
  37. The Stalerthe better! Go stale or not at all. I really don’t like them otherwise, Some of the fantastic ideas presented here have started me thinking though. What about over the fire like summer in the back yard? I have to confess though, I broke my own rule this morning when the bunny left some that are dipped in milk chocolate from a local choclatier that we love. Pandolfi’s. The chocolate covered ones are so over the top sweet. I could only have one. I may suffer through a second one tonight with my tea!

    Comment by Susan on 3/23/08 at 12:27 pm #
  38. I love peeps. My husband ordered me 2 cases of them for Mothers Day, I still have about a case left. I like them stale, toasted, or dipped in chocolate and frozen.
    I have to hide them or my family will eat them all up.

    Comment by Wyn on 6/05/08 at 5:56 pm #
  39. My sisters and I used to have ritual Peep sacrifice. We’d stab them, microwave them etc. Then eat their remains. My sister Laura once had a birthday cake (spring birthday) with a toothpick impaled peep, complete with red food coloring. We were morbid kids.

    Comment by Sara Em on 10/28/08 at 4:01 pm #
  40. a few years late on this comment, but has anyone noticed that the flavor of Peeps has gone down the tubes recently? I hadn’t eaten them in a few years then bought some on a whim a few days ago. Yuck!!! They are softer marshmallow than they used to be, and there is an awful bitter aftertaste that I don’t remember…  I threw half my package out, and that’s a significant step for a sugar addict like myself.

    Cybele, would be interested in a re-evaluation to see if you see any difference since 2006… since they’ve been outsourced to China, maybe?

    Comment by Karyn on 4/03/09 at 7:48 am #
  41. I love peeps! Im part of the peep fan club! Your crazy if you hate peeps! I LOVE PEEPS

    Comment by peep lover on 12/23/09 at 2:57 pm #
  42. I know some people just simply loath Peeps, but I am one of the few people who love Peeps and worship them (ok, figuratively) at Easter when I get them from the Easter Bunny in my basket. Yes, I still believe in the Easter Bunny. I’m in middle school. But anyway, the Peeps are just so cute, it almost makes it sad when you have to eat them. The marshmallow is good, not to sweet, but kind of light- not to substansial- so I end up eating a ton. I like the thin sugar coating on the outside, it adds a lingering sweetness and a nice texture. I almost always eat Peeps raw, not microwaved or anything. The only thing I don’t like is that they turn hard as rocks after a week if you have a open package, and that the Peeps’ sides are stuck together, so you rip peices of them off and you don’t get the full cuteness effect. However, Peeps Jousting makes up for that. Stick a toothpick in the front of a Peep, do the same for another, then put them in the microwave and let them go at it. It’s better than T.V. ANYHOO…. Peeps are an awesome candy :D :D :D :D

    Comment by K <3's peeps!!!!! on 1/31/10 at 3:42 pm #
  43. You got to love peeps.  I can only eat one though.
    Here’s a little movie we created using peeps this Easter.  Enjoy
    http://vimeo.com/39585743

    Comment by Jensen Hande on 4/08/12 at 3:40 pm #
  44. I love, love STALE PEEPS!  At this moment, I have a dining room table lined with opened Peeps to get stale.

    Comment by Joy on 3/20/14 at 2:16 pm #
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