Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Peeps Mash Ups - Savory

Peeps Mash Ups IngredientsI will preface this post with the following: I may have gone off the deep end.

In my joy of experimentation with Peeps and mashing their sticky innards into other foodstuffs, I’ve jumped from fun & tasty to the illogical conclusion of savory & disgusting.

(Okay, well, they’re not all disgusting.)

I like marshmallow Peeps as an idea, but not much as a confection. They’re fun to look at, pose & contemplate. But I don’t get much pleasure out of eating them. Pairing them with savory items was supposed to be a way to moderate their grainy over-sweetness.

I picked up a few things to try with my Peeps for 2009: Goldfish Crackers, Cheetos, Pepperoni (turkey for me) and Nacho Cheese Sauce.

Scroll slowly, otherwise you’ll overwhelm yourself.

Peeps + Goldfish CrackersPepperidge Farms has come out with some new flavors & variations of the classic Goldfish Crackers. As a kid the Pizza flavored ones were my favorite but now I prefer the Cheddar. (Though given a choice I’d probably still opt for Cheezits.)

The new variation that I picked up is in their whole grains line. This one is Toasted Corn.

After reading over the ingredients, corn is pretty far down on the list. And they’re not really corn flavored, they taste more like those Chik’n Biskit crackers I used to like to drink with flat 7-UP in a friend’s basement as a pre-teen while we played with Troll Dolls.

Peeps + Goldfish Crackers

The crunch and salt actually goes well with the sweet fluffy marshmallow and grainy sugar coating. It’s the dusting of garlic that the crackers seem to have that ruins it for me. A plainer cracker, like Saltines or Oyster Crackers is probably a much better and actually realistic Mash Up idea.

Peeps NachosI could have gone decadent and upscale:
Peeps & Figs with Brie
Peeps on Sliced Pears with Crumbled Blue Cheese
Peeps on Toast Points with Salmon Roe

Nope, I went the other way:
Peeps with Nacho Cheese sauce.

I had trouble finding my favorite brand of plastic cheese. I usually buy Frito Lay, the stuff that comes in a squat can and probably has a shelf life of three years. All I could find is this Mission Cheddar Cheese Dip.

Peeps Nachos

I’m sorry friends, I wussed out. I didn’t eat this. I thought it was fun to construct. In the future I think I might use different color Peeps than the traditional yellow. I think the green to simulate jalape?os and maybe the purple & pink to really make it jarring would have the best impact.

I did try Peeps on corn chips ... which is actually rather nice. The salty grains of the chips and the sweet sugar granules played nicely.

There’s probably a great idea in there somewhere for S’Mores Nachos using chocolate tortilla chips, chocolate chips, caramel sauce & Peeps. (All toasted under the broiler, natch.)

Peeps + Nacho Cheese SauceTo be fair to my readers, I did eat this.

This is a Peep in that Mission Cheddar Cheese Dip.

The Mission Cheddar Cheese Dip is a bit too soupy and watery for me. I like a thicker, more gelatinous cheese sauce (or just real gooey, stringy cheese).

The cheese was tangy and salty and had a cheddar “flavor” to it. The combination with the Peeps wasn’t so much bad, but the tangy yogurt quality of the dip didn’t go well with the fake vanilla flavor of the Peeps. I don’t recommend you try this at home.

Peeps + CheetosOne of the original items I was interested in smashing into my Peeps was Cheetos. And why not, they’re both some ghastly colors.

Cheetos now come in some insane flavors and textures. I like both the Crunchy Cheetos and the classic Cheese Puffs. (And some crazy sweet versions in other lands.)

Peeps have a definite advantage over Cheetos in several ways. Though Peeps are brightly colored, they don’t make a mess on your hands. And Peeps may actually be better when they’re stale.

Peeps + Cheetos

It was funny how much more I tasted the corn when combined with the sweetness of the marshmallow. Corn (Grits) is a great breakfast cereal so this was like mixing my savory grits with my sweet grits. The crunchy texture was a good offset to the silky smooth marshmallow and the micro crunch of the granulated sugar.

The Flaming Hot Cheetos might be a fun experiment.

Peeps + PepperoniAnd here it is, the pi?ce de r?sistance is futile. A while back someone suggested bacon or jerky with Peeps.

But really, when it comes to preserved meats and mashing names together, there’s nothing that can come close to Peeperoni. (It’s hilarious, I know!)

It took me a while to find turkey-based Pepperoni (as I don’t eat mammals, except for gelatin because I can’t possibly give up gummis), which I know is nothing like real pepperoni except that it comes in little disks and contains insane amounts of salt.

This Hormel Turkey Pepperoni smells like feet. I didn’t know if that was normal or not.

Peepperoni

First, like the cheese sauce experiment, there is no “mashing the sticky Peeps into the pepperoni” action. Peeps don’t stick to pepperoni. It’s like pushing to north ends of magnets together.

So I broke out the toothpicks.

The salty and chewy texture of the pepperoni was a nice complement to the sweet fluffy chew of the marshmallow. I think part of the failure of this is the abject lack of fat in this turkey version.

As an alternative to this, I think a sweet Lebanon Bologna might actually be interesting, especially if fried and put together on some slices of sweet egg bread.

Peeps + Chocolate Sunflower Seeds

As a bit of a palate cleanser, I did mix up something tasty. I had some Chocolate Mousse Peeps which went fantastically well with the crunchy, sweet and nutty All Natural Sunbursts.

For even more Peepitude, here’s a list of some other Peep occurrences on the internet ... some you’ve probably already seen, but some you might not have. Serious Eats is also devoting this week to Peeps Week.

Here are my previous Mash Ups.

Related Candies

  1. Peeps inside a Milk Chocolate Egg
  2. Palmer Hollow Chocolate Flavored Bunny
  3. Marshmallow Pig
  4. GudFud Stuffed Marshmallows
  5. Peeps

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:00 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyMash UpPeepsRecipesReview5-Pleasant

Comments
  1. bettyfelon's avatar

    YES STILL HORRIFIED

    haha you are far braver than I

    I wonder how peeps would taste with peanut butter

    Comment by bettyfelon on 4/07/09 at 9:25 am #
  2. I’m going to call this your “Extreme Peeps Edition” of Peeps Mash Ups! Love the savory snacks, very bold ideas! I’m going to try mine with white cheddar crackers and see how it turns out!

    Comment by Kimberly W. on 4/07/09 at 10:36 am #
  3. Wow.  Deep end is right.  This reminds me of a cheesecake recipe that I came across recently that incorporated Guinness Stout and cheddar cheese.

    Comment by Rob on 4/07/09 at 11:40 am #
  4. So awesome!

    You are far braver a person than I am raspberry

    Peanut butter would be an interesting one.

    How about Peeps on a log?

    Comment by Bear Silber on 4/07/09 at 11:47 am #
  5. Mmm, I was thinking peanut butter, too. Unsweetened, natural pb! Yum.

    Hmmm. Great photos! Very whimsical. [trying very hard not to think about eating those mash-ups - nacho cheese *urp*].

    Comment by KateC on 4/07/09 at 12:33 pm #
  6. Sera's avatar

    Oh Cybele, I adore your creativity! I love Cheetos, yet I haven’t had them in YEARS. Now I have a good excuse to remedy this! smile

    Comment by Sera on 4/07/09 at 1:22 pm #
  7. It’s official.  You’ve overdosed on candy and gone off the deep end.  wink

    Comment by doreen on 4/07/09 at 1:48 pm #
  8. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Book of Bunny Suicides, but these pictures reminded me of those drawing.

    Comment by Marvo on 4/07/09 at 2:18 pm #
  9. “And Peeps may actually be better when they?re stale.”

    Yes, they are. In fact I don’t think they’re any good until they are so stale they are crunchy.

    Btw, your unlikelywords.com link is broken.

    Comment by bitguru on 4/07/09 at 3:20 pm #
  10. Anything with peeps are SICK. S-I-C-K. The peeps are the reason everyone is scared of going to sleep at night. LOL, just kidding about the sleep thing.

    Comment by Riel on 4/07/09 at 3:29 pm #
  11. Awesome post!

    I’ve always like a mix of sweet and savory (french fries dipped in peppermint icing, anyone?), so I’m actually rather tempted to try Peeps with cheese!

    Comment by Peloria on 4/07/09 at 5:56 pm #
  12. We don’t have peeps in aus, but marshmallow is not really popular here anyway. How about a peep sandwich?

    Comment by Sweet Pursuit on 4/07/09 at 6:08 pm #
  13. The first thing one must do after returning home with some fresh peeps is remove the plastic wrapper.  The next step requires patience, lots of patience.  Like a fine red wine, those peeps need to breathe.  Don’t even think of separating one from the pack for at least a week.

    Comment by JollyJoe, Mike & Ike on 4/07/09 at 6:51 pm #
  14. I’ve read your blog a few times but not posted in awhile but I had to say…..
    AWWWWW..Poor Peep with a Cheeto thru the head :(

    Comment by Melonie on 4/07/09 at 8:34 pm #
  15. Exciting post! I’ve already had my annual package of peeps, but now I’m considering eating more.

    Comment by Tyler on 4/07/09 at 8:39 pm #
  16. You made my day!  The pics are just hilarious.  I have to make sure my husband sees this since peeps are one of his favorite candies.

    Comment by Diane on 4/08/09 at 4:54 am #
  17. this is genius.  i officially have a blog crush.  I love the picture of the peep sitting in the bowl of cheese.  I also prefer that frito lay squat can.  If I had thought of this first, I would have surely done it myself.  peeps savory!

    I did my own wacko peeps post a few weeks ago on my own blog, “peeps stunt cycle”.  linked to my name.

    Comment by the pizza on 4/08/09 at 4:57 am #
  18. Have you ever thought of trying Cheez Whiz with your Peeps?

    Comment by Johnny Carruthers on 4/08/09 at 5:53 am #
  19. Ohh, who has tried french fries dipped in a wendy’s frosty?

    Comment by Riel on 4/08/09 at 10:33 am #
  20. Just in time!  I am bringing chips and dip to the family Easter celebration…I’m gonna sit a peep in each dip I bring!...I don’t think I would eat peeps with any of these items, but now you have me thinking about peeps and bacon…..Cybele, you inspire me!!!

    Comment by Michelle F on 4/08/09 at 11:20 am #
  21. Fries with a frosty or a chocolate shake—totally great!  Also buttered toast with hot chocolate is a nice one.

    Something about that dish of nacho peeps is just priceless.

    Comment by JJR on 4/08/09 at 1:45 pm #
  22. Cybele, I’ve been reading your blog for 2 - 3 years now, and this is the first time I’ve commented…I LOVE this post!  I had to laugh out loud…thank you!

    Comment by Fran on 4/08/09 at 2:55 pm #
  23. mmm, JJR, I need to try that.

    Comment by Riel on 4/08/09 at 4:41 pm #
  24. Tricia's avatar

    You may have gone off the deep end? MAY??? I’d say that right there is the understatement of the year on Candy Blog!

    Comment by Tricia on 4/08/09 at 5:37 pm #
  25. Wow. The pictures are super cute, but I was imagining what the combos would actually taste like…and then I threw up in my mouth a little bit. :x

    Comment by Shauna on 4/08/09 at 11:06 pm #
  26. Please don’t do this to me when I’m full of Cow Pies and Pecan Puddles.

    Comment by jMo on 4/09/09 at 7:33 pm #
  27. So glad I’m not the only person who does this! My personal fave is dipping Peeps in some melted chocolate and giving them a cute little chocolate straightjacket!

    Keep (Peep?) up the good work!

    Comment by Cookie on 4/10/09 at 1:12 am #
  28. I’m surprised that you stayed away from Peeps and nacho cheese- my absolutely favorite snack at the movies are red Twizzlers and nacho cheese; trying them with Peeps is TEMPTING!

    Comment by Jeff B on 4/10/09 at 7:03 am #
  29. I love your Peeps pictures. Very cute and fun! I really enjoyed scrolling down!

    Comment by skibs on 4/11/09 at 1:21 pm #
  30. How do you slice a peep in half like that?  Laser?

    Comment by Amanda on 4/13/09 at 2:43 am #
  31. This is hysterical. Nice work!

    Comment by Sara on 6/21/09 at 11:23 am #
  32. nice post. I love the cute and funny peeps.

    Comment by utari on 7/11/10 at 7:42 pm #
  33. Hi, Candyblogs,
    I seem disgusted at the site of this savory mashup, as i hate peeps themselves. but i am willing to try it.

    Thank You,

    Wesley A. Fitsporn
    Email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or reach me in work at: 1-803-220-1212

    (Wesley A. Fight- Sap- Oh-Ar-N)

    P.S, please don’t make rude comments about my name, its pronounced Fight-Sap-Oh-Ar-N

    Comment by Wesley A. Fitsporn on 1/18/11 at 4:43 pm #
  34. Hahaha, Wesley A. FitsPORN xD

    Comment by Lol Katie 00 on 1/18/11 at 4:44 pm #
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