If You Give These a Try, You Will Not Hear a Peep

To celebrate the season, you must have peeps! Skip the artificial flavors & colors, not to mention the preservatives by making the holiday sweet yourself!

Homemade Peeps (Marshmallows)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons (about 3 envelopes) powdered gelatin
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water

For Coating:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 cup potato, corn or rice starch

Preparation:

1. Prepare a 9″ x 9″ pan by lining it with parchment paper, then lightly oiling the parchment with a flavorless vegetable oil.
2. Combine the gelatin and lemon juice in the top of a double-boiler. Set aside.
3. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey and water in a 2 quart saucepan and attach your candy thermometer. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, brush down the sides of the pot to ensure all sugar crystals are melted. Increase to medium high and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until it reaches 252°F.
4. Carefully pour the hot sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer, pouring down the side of the bowl so it doesn’t splash up. Seriously, I can’t stress this enough – this sugar is extremely hot, so be careful. Insert your thermometer and let stand and cool until it reaches about 210°F, about 10 minutes.
5. While the sugar is cooling, melt the gelatin over a pot of simmering water on low heat.
6. Once the sugar has cooled, slowly pour the gelatin into the bowl, down the side. Gradually turn the mixer from the lowest speed to the highest. Once you reach the highest speed, continue to whip for 6-10 minutes.
7. If you want to add food coloring, you can add a few drops just before it finishes mixing, or you can add it after you’ve turned off the mixer and just gently swirl it through with your spatula to get ribbons of color throughout.
8. Pour the marshmallow into your prepared pan – you will need to use a spatula lightly coated with oil to scrape it out of the bowl and level it out. You’ll need to work pretty fast because the marshmallows begin to set up really quickly after removing from the mixer. Allow to sit for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight, before cutting.

Trimming & Finishing:

1. Sift together the confectioner’s sugar and the starch. You won’t end up using all of this, but the remainder can be saved and re-used next time you want to make marshmallows. Having more than you need makes the process easier though.
2. You can cut these using an oiled pair of scissors.
3. These should keep for several weeks at room temperature. You’ll know they’re reaching the end of their life when the texture starts to get a bit grainy – this is just the sugar re-crystalizing. Whatever you do, do not store these in the fridge. Sugar absorbs moisture and they’ll just get sticky.

From Wanna Come With (www.wannacomewith.com)

If You Want the Peep Shape…

 1. Place the marshmallow fluff in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 –inch round tip (or a coupler base without a tip). Pipe the Chicks onto the baking sheet covered with colored sugar.

2. To pipe the Chicks, begin with the body: hold the bag an inch above the surface at a 90 degree angle. Squeeze the marshmallow out, allowing it to form a 1-inch round before beginning to pull back towards you. Taper as you move backward, forming a 3-inch body. Release pressure and pull the bag upward to form the tail.

3.  Next, form the Chick head by again placing the bag at a 90 degree angle. Pipe on top of your body segment, and move the bag back toward the tail. Once you have reached the middle of the body, reverse directions and move the bag back toward the front of the chick’s body. Simultaneously release pressure on the bag so that the marshmallow stops flowing and tapers off into a beak shape.

4. While the marshmallow is still wet, sprinkle the chicks all over with the remaining colored sugar.

5. Mix the cocoa powder with a few drops of water to form a thick paste, or melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Use a small paintbrush or a toothpick to dot the chocolate on the chicks to form eyes.

6. Let the Marshmallow Chicks sit out at room temperature for 4-6 hours to set the marshmallow before enjoying them. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container, and for best texture, enjoying within 2-3 days.