Homemade Gourmet Peeps (without corn syrup)

I have to admit that when I was a kid I had a major sweet tooth! I liked Easter even more than Halloween because the candy is so much better. Those chocolate Cadbury Eggs with the crunchy candy coating on the outside… stop it! I seriously think I could eat an entire bag. Since I discovered that I can make homemade marshmallows with honey instead of corn syrup I feel like I have looked for every excuse to find ways to use marshmallows.

The vanilla bean in the marshmallows makes them very gourmet, but if you can't find vanilla bean you can use vanilla extract instead. I know that making homemade marshmallows and turning them into peeps sounds like a lot of work, but you would be very surprised at how easy it is and how little time it actually takes. It will just look impressive! I actually went out and bought a cookie cutter in the shape of a chick (aka peep) and it was too big. So I used round cookie cutters and I think they look really pretty and fancy. You can cut these into any shapes you like. If you don't have any cookie cutters then you could simply cut them into squares.

Here's what you need:

A batch of homemade marshmallows (recipe here)

sugar sprinkles; in fun colors

cookie cutter; shapes optional

*All you need to do is make a batch of homemade marshmallows and allow them to sit up for at least 6 hours or longer

Note: when making regular marshmallows I usually toss them in powdered sugar to take away the sticky outside and you DO NOT want to do that for this recipe. You need them to be sticky in order for the sprinkles to stick.

*Line a baking sheet or plate with wax paper

*Fill separate bowls with sugar sprinkles in desired colors

*Once the batch has set up use a cookie cutter and cut out the shape of the marshmallow of your choice

*Roll the sticky marshmallows around in the sugar sprinkles until it is evenly coated

*Place on wax paper making (if covered completely it shouldn't be sticky anymore)

*Display or package them for an Easter basket

*Store at room temperature, covered