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Spring is in the air \u2014 the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the grocery store is full of Peeps! Those little marshmallow-based confections are one of the sure signs that spring has arrived. In the 70 years since they were invented by Bob Born, they\u2019ve secured a spot as one of the most beloved treats for Easter (not to mention Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine\u2019s Day, for which there are completely new broods of Peeps to love).\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
While Peeps are delightfully sweet and squishy right out of the package, if you\u2019ve spent time on social media lately<\/a> you may have seen folks doing something a little different with these cute Easter sweets: microwaving Peeps!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Microwaving Peeps is super quick and easy to do. Place a single Peep on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave for about 20 to 25 seconds. In mere seconds, you\u2019ll see the small chickadee puff up like a balloon. Because there are so many varieties of Peeps<\/a> available, it\u2019s important to note that the results should be similar with any flavor, but different ingredients may affect the final product slightly. The standard ingredients in Peeps are sugar, corn syrup<\/a>, gelatin, and less than 0.5% of Yellow #5, Potassium Sorbate, Natural Flavors, and Carnuba Wax. But what the ingredient list doesn\u2019t include is something that ends up making all the difference: air!\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Within each Peep, the mixture of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin creates air bubbles, which help the sweets keep their characteristic shape. Microwaves heat from the inside out, so when you microwave a Peep, the water molecules in the corn syrup heat rapidly, creating steam, which forces the air bubbles to expand, causing your Peep to swell to four times its original size \u2014 but for just a moment \u2014 before deflating to a goopy mess on your plate (you did remember to use a plate, didn\u2019t you?).<\/p>\n As soon as you take the Peeps out of the microwave, you\u2019ll see all the effects of the experiment. First, you\u2019ll note a slightly nutty, burnt sugar smell \u2014 a result of the sugars breaking down within. You\u2019ll also see the Peeps\u2019 stretchy, gooey consistency, like a cheese pull but for marshmallows. In terms of flavor, a microwaved Peep is very similar to its uncooked counterparts, but because texture is so important to the Peeps experience, these hit way different. They become chewy or even crunchy depending on how much time they\u2019ve spent in the microwave. (Because this relies on the specific ingredient combination present in Peeps, this experiment won\u2019t work with vegan varieties.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Once you\u2019ve microwaved a Peep, there\u2019s not much you can do with it (although you can use them to make edible slime<\/a>). A better alternative is to bake or fire-roast your Peeps, like toasting marshmallows for s\u2019mores. One year, my stepmother used Peeps to top her sweet potato casserole<\/a> instead of the traditional marshmallows. It worked beautifully, and, for the most part, you can substitute Peeps for regular marshmallows in many recipes. Here are some of our favorites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Happens to Peeps When You Microwave Them?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Ways You Can Bake with Peeps<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n