Peep. Photo: Seaships, Flickr

The nation's first Peeps store, Peeps & Co, is coming to Maryland this fall.

These pudgy marshmallow chicks and bunnies have certainly racked up quite a following over the 50 years of their existence, so we can't say we're terribly surprised to hear they're getting their own shop in National Harbor in Prince George's County.

According to the Washington Post, the store -- owned by the preciously named company Just Born -- will be packed with Peeperphernalia including Peeps dressed as Village People, Peep pens, key chains and even fancy china.

And what of the "& Co" in the shop's name? Ah, yes. For those who are not happily drowning in a sea of Peeps, available wares will also include Hot Tamales and Mike and Ike's, two other brands owned by Just Born. Of course the puffy critters will be the star of this show.

Peruse our homemade faux-Peep recipe.



[Via Washington Post]

Not all candy-making is a science involving a delicate dance of temperature and time. One Easter candy, in fact, can be quite fun -- fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to play with. You know what I'm talking about -- the cute, adorable, and delicious Peeps.

While many candies have devoted fans, nothing seems to inspire the fun and frivolity of the Peep. These little marshmallow suckers inspire an insane following. The blog Unlikely Words found just about every Peeps-themed site of note on the Internet -- pickled Peeps, Presidential Peeps and even anti-Peeps. Even better is the annual contest held by The Washington Post in which people diorama the heck out of their Peeps. We're talking everything from excellent movie recreations like The Wizard of Oz and Ghostbusters to an awesome plumber Peep.

They're almost too good to recreate yourself ... almost! You can still go out and buy your beloved chicks and bunnies, but why not whip up some pals for them as well?

I'm not the biggest fan of using food in art (unless you or someone else is going to eat it all), but oh, how I love Easter Time. Why? That big ol' bunny we know brings not only the insidiously delicious Mini Eggs, but also The Washington Post's Peeps contest. Did you catch it last year? It asked for shoebox dioramas showing Peeps in different worldly scenarios -- historic, current, or future events. Some were real life (like the peep-o-suction image Marisa shared), some were historical (like Marpeep Antoinette), and some went Hollywood, like the wonderful Reservoir Peeps, or the above Psycho Peeps.

Simply come up with a scene (they say there's possible extra points for punny goodness), create your diorama, get some good photos, and send 'em in by 11:59 PM on March 15. But be sure to keep it in tact. If you're a finalist, the paper will get the diorama picked up for a professional photo shoot before semifinalists and winners are revealed on Easter Sunday.

Create away!

If we had had an Easter "Show Me Your Peeps" contest this month -- we didn't, but if we had -- there is no doubt in my mind that the grand prize winning Peep would have been the Peep that served as inspiration for Brian Shilling's Peepy Bunny meatloaf. Brian simply shaped his recipe for meatloaf into the Peeps bunny, used black olives for the eyes and nose, and baked away. Now, the final product was much, much darker than your regular neon pink or sunshine yellow Peep, but I think that's okay. I don't know if I could eat neon pink meatloaf, Peeps-shaped or otherwise.

As we've admitted before, here at Slashfood we are all a little obsessed with Peeps. Love them or hate them, it is hard to escape the little marshmallow treats, especially at Easter time. In the past we've torched them, used them in recipes and looked at how to make your own using a Williams-Sonoma kit.

Now, the Evil Mad Scientist has sent us this recipe which eliminates the marshmallow altogether but adds a few unexpected twists. Using a meringue base and adding saffron strands for added oomph, I'm fairly certain these "Peeps" will be unlike anything you have ever had before.

Yes, you read that title correctly. In case you were blissfully unaware like I was, Just Born, the makers of Marshmallow Peeps, hold a 'Celebrity Survey' every year. Apparently they conduct this survey "to keep up with today's trends and cultures." Maybe it's just me, but I can't recall ever seeing anything other than various shapes and colors of Peeps emerging from their factories depending on the season. If their products have ever actually reflected trends and cultures, it is news to me.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the little marshmallow treats as much as the next person - but there are limits. Though I'm fairly certain this one can simply be filed under "for those that have way too much time on their hands," in the spirit of Easter (or maybe just because it is Friday) I'll let you in on the results after the jump. I apologize in advance.

Peeps are soft, fluffy little mounds of sugary goodness that are absolutely the best around Easter, although Just Born is continuously expanding their line in an effort to include all major holidays. Usually, this expansion manifests itself in the form of new colors, like the bright green Peeps that are popping into stores for St. Patrick's Day, but sometimes they try to do something a little different, as they did when they release the cocoa-flavored bunny peeps a few weeks ago. Their latest release, however, omits what has traditionally been the most important part of the Peep: the sugar. Sugar-Free Peeps are the newest Just Born product. They are made with Splenda and come in packages of three yellow chicks.

Despite the plethora of Peeps in the candy aisles these days, I have yet to encounter the sugar-free version in person. Call me a traditionalist, but I have a hard time believing that the Splenda version could be anywhere near as good as the regular ones - especially when you consider that sugar, corn syrup and gelatin make up 98% of a regular Peep!

Just Born is always expanding their Peeps lineup, as the sugar-coated marshmallows are one of their most popular products. Instead of only offering yellow chick Peeps at Easter, they have chicks, bunnies and egg shapes in a variety of colors and flavors. And for other holidays, they have themed Peeps, with hearts on Valentine's Day and trees at Christmas.

At Halloween, Just Born introduced cocoa-flavored black cat Peeps, which I passed on because I was somewhat put off by the color. I am a huge fan of Peeps, but I like my Peeps in the spring. While shopping this week, however, I came across Cocoa Bunny Peeps and, as they were Eastery-enough to meet my standards, I picked up a package for a taste test.

The important thing to note about these candies is that they are not chocolate marshmallows, despite the promising light chocolate color. They are merely cocoa-flavored and that flavoring is entirely limited to the sugary coating on the outside of the bunny. The subtle chocolate flavor didn't really do anything to enhance the Peep and, although I would eat them again, if I really want chocolate with my Peeps, I'll stick with Milk Chocolate Peep Eggs - or better yet, a dark chocolate Peeps s'more using a regular Peep.

For a closer look at the cocoa bunnies, click past the jump. *warning - the photo after the jump is graphic, and may not be suitable for all viewers*

As if eating Cadbury eggs, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps in the same day wasn't excessive enough, a blog called Asteroid has a step-by-step guide to making a turducken-style creation that combines all three of these Easter sweets. It begins by making incisions in several peeps and stuffing mini Cadbury eggs inside. The newly fortified marshmallow critters are then stuffed into a hollow chocolate bunny whose base has been removed (above). The whole deal then gets sealed up again; chocolate welding is optional, apparently. Take that, giant Cadbury egg.

[Photo: Asteroid]

Easter is on Sunday, so we only have a few more days before our beloved sugared marshmallow friends become all but a sweet, stale memory. And that's even with the statistic that one billion Peeps will be sold before Easter.

If you haven't yet decided on a dessert for your Easter menu, then might we suggest the Chocolate Creme Peeps Pie, as chronicled by NPR? Rather than using our pastel friends as mere garnish, this pie uses a few of the butchered bunnies in the pie, their melted marshmallow bodies contributing to the airy lightness of the pie folded in with whipped cream and chocolate. The added sweetness of the colored Peeps sugar is offset by a splash of Brandy.

Of course, no Peeps pie is complete without the requisite green food coloring-dyed shredded coconut as a grassy garnish. 

More Peeps madness, y'all. Last year, the company that makes Peeps debuted a chocolate egg with a marshmallow peep hiding inside. This year, they have the same sort of thing, but the chocolate egg part is made with crispy rice -- like a Nestle Crunch-wrapped Peep. Could it get any better?!?! Yeah, I thought so.

Of course, this just opened the door for more Peeps creativity. The SF Chronicle has suggested you crack open the chocolate egg to create two separate halves, put the pieces back together, stick it in the microwave, and watch the marshmallow Peep inside expand and hatch out of the chocolate egg. I guess it's kind of a molten chocolate marshmallow brulee.

If the sugary coating on Peeps is too much for you, the Bunnymallows made by Kraft may be the perfect solution. Smaller and more colorful than their large Jet-Puffed cousins, the Bunnymallows are seasonally shaped into miniature bunnies. They seemed to be lighter and less dense than regular Jet Puffs, but it is possible that, because they are a seasonal item, the package was simply much fresher than the bags of marshmallows I usually encounter in stores. Whatever the reason for their wonderfully light texture, they were delicious.

No, really. Please.

I thought it was pretty interesting that Williams-Sonoma had a brandless "Marshmallow Chicks Kit," that they sell online only with a soft, pastel, nice and classy photo of a girl making her chicks - very Williams-Sonoma-esque. But here's another Peeps kit in a loud, colorful box that actually screams "Peeps!" with a coupon for $1.00 off your next purchase of real Peeps (in case you just can't figure out how to make them with the kit?), and the option to purchase extra molds and colored sugar for different holidays.

It's $26.

 PeepBlog is a blog that keeps up with all things in the world of those tasty marshmallow critters. Some people, as it turns out, use them when showing off their car decorating skills, but Peeps are meant to be eaten. PeepBlog has a whole recipe section dedicated to cooking with Peeps. Beginning with how to select the appropriate Peep for your purposes, the cooking section covers basic techniques, including baking, frying, grilling and poaching. Once the basics have been mastered, PeepBlog suggests that you move on to more complex recipes, like Peep Salad and Peep and Sour Sauce, which - apparently - is perfect for kicking up a stir fry.

Is there any end to the usefulness of the Peep?

As some of you may recall, back when Sarah Gim profiled me, I said that Peeps should be banned from the planet. Surprisingly, there wasn't too much backlash from that. My views aside, there seems to be plenty of affection for these marshmallow creatures around here. Not that I ever condone eating Peeps, but if you must, then I think perhaps the best way is to make some sort of spectacle out of it, such as warming them up a tad with a kitchen torch. That's what Colleen Cuisine did.

Props to Colleen for keeping it interesting without resorting to costumes. The folks over at GBSFood did something similar a while back, with their "Peeps brulee."

[Photo: Colleen Cuisine]