How to Make DIY Cactus Peeps for Easter
Walking down the aisles of your local drug store, you’ve probably noticed that the candy aisle has been taken over by pastel-colored bunnies and eggs. Easter is here, and with that comes the delightfully themed treats we love so much. Peeps — those bright, sparkly marshmallow bunnies and chicks — are high on our favorites list (have you seen these Peeps s’mores we just made?!). So much so, we were inspired to make our own, and found an amazing tutorial by Buttercream Blondie. To put a little spin on it, we made cactus Peeps, because hello: How could we not? Read on for the tutorial.
Ingredients:
— 1/2 cup light corn syrup
— 1 1/2 cups sugar
— 1/2 cup water + 4 Tablespoons
— 4 egg whites
— 2 Tablespoons powdered gelatin
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
— green food coloring
— edible glitter (in green, orange and pink)
Tools:
— candy thermometer
— paint brush
Instructions:
1. Mix gelatin with four tablespoons cool water and mix to combine. Set aside.
2. Separate four egg whites and whisk in a mixer until soft peaks form.
3. Combine corn syrup, sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to 235 degrees Fahrenheit using a candy thermometer. Once temperature is reached, remove from heat, add gelatin and quickly mix together. Then slowly pour the mixture into the egg whites with the mixer on medium speed.
4. Add vanilla and mix until stiff. Pour a few drops of food coloring into the mixture and mix until even. A few drops go a long way!
5. Using a pastry bag or plastic bag with a corner cut off, spoon the mixture in and then pipe onto a sheet of parchment covered in powdered sugar. Create your cactus shapes!
6. Let your cactus Peeps set overnight in a cool, dry place.
7. Once dry, brush with water and then sprinkle edible glitter on top.
Pro Tip: The mixture will start to harden if you turn the mixer off, so keep it going while you are piping your Peeps.
First, get your gelatin ready. It will get really clumpy and will be completely stuck together. That’s okay!
Go full Rocky and take down those egg yolks :)
When you add the gelatin, it will be like a 7th-grade science experiment that’s about to boil over, so keep mixing and take it off the heat to avoid a sticky overflowing mess.
We only dyed our mixture green, but if you want to make multiple colors, separate your batch. Just be sure to move quickly, because the mixture will harden.
Be sure to cut the corner of your pastry bag large enough to pipe the shape you want. The shape will turn out cleaner if you make them with a single squeeze.
For even coverage, sift the powdered sugar onto the parchment. If you need to move your Peeps, put a little bit of powdered sugar on your fingertips — these guys are SUPER sticky.
Just a touch of water will do the trick here. Brush water onto your Peep, then add edible glitter (which you can buy online in a wide array of colors).
These would be a perfect addition to a hipster Easter basket.
We served ours in small terracotta pots filled with brown sugar. Stick a skewer into the packed sugar, then lean your cactus against it.
Just hanging out in the desert with all their desert friends.
What other Peeps shapes will you make? Show us your projects by tagging us on Instagram + using hashtag #iamcreative!
