How to Make Peeps That Actually Taste Good

Pips seem to be everywhere. Even if it's not the pips season... there are some. Expectation. Can they see us? Are they reasonable? Instead of buying packs of mass-produced marshmallows in icing sugar, use this simple recipe to make pips and marshmallow crumbs with your own hands. You may not have much experience making marshmallows, so you might end up with marshmallow monsters, but you'll feel like Martha herself, I promise. In addition, when you make homemade pips, you choose the color of the icing sugar yourself. You'll definitely eat too much in one sitting and end up feeling slightly nauseous, but at least you have an excuse. You just test them... you know, for accuracy.
Using a fork, combine the cold water and gelatin in the bowl of a powerful electric mixer equipped with a whisk attachment. Let stand until ready to eat.Combine the granulated sugar, tap water, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form on the sides of the pan. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer inserted into the mixture reads 238 ° F, 7 to 8 minutes. Add to the gelatin mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-low speed until the gelatin is melted and the mixture is frothy, about 1 minute. Whisk with vanilla until smooth. Increase speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form and the mass has tripled in volume, 8 to 9 minutes.In a large pastry bag, place a 1/4-inch-diameter tip. Place the powdered sugar separately in 3 shallow plates.To make pips: Fill a pastry bag with marshmallow mixture. To make the base for the pips, lay a 3-inch oval on top of the yellow powdered sugar in the mold. Quickly remove the bag to make a ponytail. To make the head and beak, start at one end of the oval and shape it into a small “S” shape vertically, quickly pulling the bag back to make a beak. Sprinkle the pips with yellow sugar on top and sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pips to a baking sheet. Let stand until tender. Repeat the procedure, using yellow or pink granulated sugar as desired.To make the pancakes have eyes: follow the instructions on the package to melt the black marshmallow. Dip the tip of a wooden stick in black melted candy; spread the melted candy on the pips heads on each side. Let stand until tender, about 20 minutes.To make the bunny cookies: Spread a 2-inch circle of marshmallow mixture over the white powdered sugar in the mold. Without removing the tip, rearrange the cut into small tubes. Move the tip of the straw to the top of the circle and put the smaller circle in the center of the larger one to make a ponytail. Quickly remove the bag. If there is a string of marshmallow mixture left between the tail and the pastry bag, smooth the surface of the tail with a slightly moistened fingertip. To make the legs, hold the tip of the tube close to the bottom of the large circle and slightly to the left of the tail. Make a " leg” about 1/2 inch high; quickly pull out the bag. Smooth out any threads with a lightly moistened fingertip. Repeat the procedure slightly to the right of the tail to get the second leg. Sprinkle white sugar on the tops and sides of the buttocks and legs. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the rabbit leg to a baking sheet. Let stand until tender.To prepare the rabbit's feet, follow the instructions on the package to melt the pink lollipops. Transfer the melted candies to a pastry bag; cut a tiny hole at the end of the bag. Make a dot the size of a pepper pea in the center of each leg and make 3 smaller dots under each larger pink dot to make fingers. Let stand until tender, about 20 minutes.