Homemade Pumpkin Peeps

The Hub loves Peeps. The rest of us not so much. He took some to Disneyland to share with the girls, which they were all over until they tasted one. He tried to get us to make s'mores with them out at the lake, but that didn't pan out either. But making pumpkin Peeps was the most fun we've had on this blog for a while. Andrew, home for the weekend, thought a trip to the new Peeps store at National Harbor would inspire us. I don't really know what I thought would be in it, but it's adorable and has more Peeps merchandise than you would have thought imaginable on the planet.

I've had a pumpkin marshmallow recipe in the files for a while, but I used this website for directions using the pan, which is a must for making exact Peeps replicates. Although the pan is from Wilton, it appears to be only available at Target. You can also bake little cakes it, so it's worth the $10 price. The recipe makes way more than necessary and since they have to set up overnight, I'd make a half recipe next time. A stand mixer and candy thermometer are musts. The website shows her pouring the marshmallow in, but ours was too thick and we were having some real doubts about it at that point. The next morning they peeled out of the pan without tearing with some help. I put my colored sprinkles in sandwich bags and shook each one individually. My eyes are mini chocolate chips which I stuck in after piercing the Peep with a sharp knife. We all loved them and they taste great too.