Taking a “Peep” at Easter’s Iconic Marshmallow Treats

There are so many different Peeps to choose from.

Zachary Ninomiya

There are so many different Peeps to choose from.

Kylie de Best, Photojournalist

Peeps are a delicious marshmallow treat, coated in a sweet layer of sugar. Sold in a variety of flavors, from fruit punch to pancake, there is a choice for everyone. Although they are marketed towards any holiday, they are typically found around Easter time.

Originating in Pennsylvania in 1953, they weren’t very easy to make at first. In fact, it used to take people 27 hours just to make one marshmallow compared to six minutes now. Additionally, each year enough Peeps are made to circle the Earth twice. The most popular design is the chick, but rabbits and other festive designs are also available. They have been around for 67 years, so they have come a long way since then (Peeps). To find out which flavors people should try, I had some of the different flavors.

With so many choices to try, the first one sampled was the original. This one has a nice, gooey inside, with the consistency of a classic marshmallow. The sugar on the outside gives it a nice sweet flavor, not too sweet compared to other products topped with sugar. Many enjoy the nice, sweet sugar coat on the outside, as it perfectly complements the marshmallow.

The second flavor was Pancakes and Syrup. Surprisingly, this marshmallow didn’t have as much flavor as one would think. The marshmallow itself wasn’t very fluffy, and was a little more dry like a pancake. There is a hint of maple syrup taste in it, but overall there isn’t much flavor at all. The chicks were colored brown with white sugar on top. Overall I didn’t find it as appealing as I would an actual meal of pancakes of syrup, because it was too crazy of a combination to put in a marshmallow in my opinion, and should rather remain just a breakfast item.

Cotton candy was the third flavor I tried. Instantly, I could smell the cotton candy scent after the box was opened. Decorated with blue sprinkles and colored pink, it is a pretty sight that grabbed my attention. It has a sugary texture to it, and the blue sprinkles give it a crunchy texture. It essentially tastes the same as the original, just a little sweeter and more like sugar. 

The last Peeps flavor sample was the fruit punch. It tasted a lot like Kool Aid, and it was very sweet and artificial tasting. I wouldn’t recommend this flavor to people, as many did not like how it tasted. Melanie Henderson (9) agrees, saying “It didn’t taste like a marshmallow, but instead like expired Kool Aid.”

With the variety of choices to choose from, it may seem hard to choose from at first. With this list of how some of the Peeps taste, hopefully it will be easier for some to choose.