When I was a little girl, my favorite treat to find in my basket on Easter morning were those pink and yellow marshmallow bunnies and chicks. You know the ones I’m talking about? Boxes and boxes of those marshmallow peeps in every color of the rainbow are lined up just inside the entrance of most grocery stores right about now to encourage Moms and Dads to choose the grab and go approach to filling their children’s Easter baskets.
I must admit that I still love those little critters; I just no longer indulge now that I know what’s in them! It’s a truly stomach turning list of ingredients: artificial flavors, colors and high fructose corn syrup among other unpronounceables – definitely not something I can in good conscience give to my children on a special day that they will cherish and remember as grown ups and perhaps mimic my behavior with their own children!
I’ve wanted to find a healthier alternative to those chemical whip store peeps for a very long time, but it wasn’t until just a month or two ago that I found a recipe that is truly delicious!
The marshmallows from the following recipe are just as tasty as the fake ones from the store (verdict from my kids). This is important as I have tried the “healthy” marshmallows from the healthfood store in the past and my kids thought they were gross, not to mention expensive ($3.99 for a tiny bag).
These homemade marshmallows are also excellent to put on a stick and roast over an open fire. We have a fire pit in our backyard and roasting marshmallows is something we really enjoy doing for birthday parties or just hanging out as a family.
I am so glad I finally can make marshmallows that taste good and don’t have a bunch of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup in them! I realize this recipe has organic white sugar in it, but marshmallows are white, after all, and I couldn’t figure out any other sweetener that produced a white, fluffy marshmallow other than white sugar.
* It is very possible that rice syrup might work as a substitute as it is a light colored sweetener, but I haven’t yet tried it to know for sure if this would work or taste good.
Thanks so much to Linda DeFever, a personal trainer and fellow Chapter Leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation in Wauconda, Illinois, for generously sharing this basic recipe!
Homemade Easter Peeps
Ingredients
1 cup filtered water
3 TBL non-hydrolyzed gelatin
2 cups organic white sugar (rice syrup may work as a healthier sweetener)
Dash of coconut oil
Nontoxic food coloring of choice (optional)
Instructions
Place 1/2 cup water in a large bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it in an even manner. Let it sit for a few minutes and then begin the next steps.
Put the sugar and the other 1/2 cup of water in a small pot and bring to a boil while stirring. Once the mixture is a rolling boil (or 242F with a candy thermometer), pour the hot sugar water mixture over the gelatin/water mixture and beat with an electric mixer for about 10 minutes until the combined mixture turns into marshmallow with peaks.
If adding optional food coloring, add required amount to achieve desired color during the whipping phase with the electric mixer.
Pour marshmallow mixture into a 9X13 glass dish that has been coated with some coconut oil.
Let it sit out for several hours and up to 12 hours until firm.
Remove marshmallow from dish in one large piece and cut out desired Easter shapes with kitchen scissors or press out shapes with small cookie cutters.
If using marshmallows for roasting over a fire, simply cut into rectangles.
Store marshmallows in an airtight container in the pantry.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
* This post is shared at Real Food Wednesday!
|
|
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to buy those, too. But only the white ones!! So I at least avoided the artificial colors. I do buy the natural marshmallows occassionally – I only use a few in my 6.5 year old’s cocoa. It will be nice to make homemade ones for him. Thanks for the recipe.
I have used rice syrup as a sweetener and they marshmallows were fabulous indeed!
Thanks Rachel. I’ve been wanting to try it but was afraid to as rice syrup is so expensive and I didn’t want to waste 2 whole cups on a major flop!
oh thanks for this recipe. i have been searching for alternatives in the grocery store for her Easter basket and as you know there is barely anything without artificial colors or other stuff i won’t give my child. so frustrating!! i didn’t know they made white peeps!
Laura\’s last post: Shoes
Thanks for posting this. I had gotten the recipe from Linda last year and made them for a camping trip but I wasn’t sure where I put the recipe since then and I need to make marshmallows for this weekend. We always do Resurrection Treats for Easter. What’s the possibility you have a recipe that is a replacement for the nasty crescent rolls that come in a can? That is the other ingredient in the Resurrection Treat I haven’t been able to find a good substitute for.
Barbara, I do! Try these:
http://simplyrealfood.blogspot.com/2010/02/healthy-crescent-dogs.html
These marshmallows sound great. Somebody commented that the gelatin you use is especially good because it’s kosher. However, kosher products are not always as healthy as people think. Reisman’s and Irene’s make kosher pastries that still use hydrogenated fats in them.
A guy I work with as a fitness insturctor and also a WAP member suggested Bernard Jensen’s gelatin powder. I’ll try the Great Lakes brand the next time.
Bernard Jensen’s is excellent as well. I’ve used both that one and Great Lakes with success.
Sarah,
I just checked with NOW Foods. They said that their bottled and bagged bulk gelatine (bottled is a 1 lb container. The bagged is 5 lbs.) is not hydrolyzed. By the way, I did not get a notification in my email when you replied to my comment below. Thought you might like to know.
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom\’s last post: Finding the True Meaning of Easter in Eggs
Thanks! My kids love peeps. I will have to try these w the sugar alternatives that we can have.
I am wondering about the non-hydrolyzed gelatin. How can you tell if your gelatin is hydrolyzed or not?
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom\’s last post: Mothers In Jail — Parental Rights- the Government- and Medicine
Is there a healthy crystalized sugar that would give the same crunchy effect as peeps? Definitely will try this recipe … thanks Sarah
Thanks for this, Sarah. Sounds like such an easy recipe, too. Can’t wait to try it – I love the light and fluffy-ness of marshmallows. They are a family favorite roasted over a campfire for us as well. I plan to make a few batches of this next time we all get together, if not for an Easter treat! :-p Mhmmm!!
This recipe is especially cool to me because I’ve tried to make cookies and treats using healthier ingredients. But, I finally resigned myself to the fact that for the rare times that I make sugary treats, I’ll just use the regular ingredients – due to taste complaints (when I make a healthy version) and due to the cost/time of using/making the healthier ingredients. There is nothing worse than making a “healthy” junk food treat for that special occasion that no one wants to eat that cost you a fortune to make!
But, this is definitely an exception in my book!
If you want an alternative to the crescent rolls for Ressurrection Rolls use the Yogurt Dough in Nourishing Traditions! It’s a great pastry dough IMO! Thanks for this recipe! Can’t wait to make it!
Wow! This is great. Thanks for posting this recipe. What do you use for food coloring? Of course I could just stick with white.
Hi Linda, the healthfood store has some natural food colorings in the same baking section as the vanilla, chocolate extract etc … I prefer just white but someone below mentioned beet powder as a food dye also.
Thanks for the tips Sarah. I have not found chocolate extract anywhere, but I’ll keep the others in mind.
I posted a few ideas recently for other natural food colorings: blue, green and pink. For green I used dried parsley and for pink we used beets. Perhaps beet juice would work if you didn’t use a lot. For yellow you could use turmeric, but not too much as it may affect the taste. Here is the info on making blue food coloring:
http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/natural-blue-food-coloring-dye-just-in-time-for-easter/.
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom\’s last post: Mothers In Jail — Parental Rights- the Government- and Medicine
When I want to color any food, my organic beet root powder works GREAT for pink, and it’s on the sweet side, so it doesn’t ever affect anything I’m making (since it’s not too noticeably sweet). For green, just a pinch of organic spirulina powder works (just not too much, since that flavor is intense!). And turmeric for yellow. Since they’re all powders, I would think you could just mix them in with the sugar before adding liquid. BulkHerbStore.com is where I get mine, their prices are great!
Good read on sugar in general:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=is sugar toxic&st=cse&scp=1
This would make a fun Easter activity (well I would make them and let the kids cut them out. I’ve been meaning to make marshmallows for ages.
Such a great recipe, thanks! my kids keep asking for marshmallows from the store, but even my father in law thinks they have too much bad stuff!
marina\’s last post: Super Easy Crockpot Applesauce
I have made marshmallows using maple syrup and were they good!!! I think I will try this recipe using beet powder for color.
Barbara, I would love that recipe for marshmallows with maple syrup!
I use a typical homemade marshmallow recipe using organic corn syrup – it is an amber color and raw og cane sugar – it always whips up white even though it is brown liquid. I dust them with organic powdered sugar. Of course these are rare in our home, but once or twice a year they sure are a treat and taste SO much better than store bought anything!
Are there any low-glycemic alternatives ?
Agave nectar is low glycemic but it is not a healthy choice as it is very highly processed .. about the same as high fructose corn syrup. Coconut sugar is a healthy choice and is low glycemic but the marshmallows would not turn out white.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist\’s last post: The Health Hazards of Cast Iron Pans
I wonder if vegetable glycerine would work. It is safe for people struggling with candida and they would turn out white.
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom\’s last post: Mothers In Jail — Parental Rights- the Government- and Medicine
That may work with a few drops of stevia perhaps?
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist\’s last post: The Health Hazards of Cast Iron Pans
I should clarify my above comment about my kids loving peeps. Actually, my oldest hasn’t had one in years and never had a colored one. My youngest has never had one. I would love to bless them with something that is not as unhealthy, but still fun.
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom\’s last post: Mothers In Jail — Parental Rights- the Government- and Medicine
So glad you shared this recipe! My kids don’t like the peeps, but they do love marshmallows and ask for them all the time in the winter when we drink hot chocolate.
I’m curious – what does non-hydrolyzed mean?
Barb @ A Life in Balance\’s last post: green- frugal food storage step by step
Do you think honey would work? Would that make these GAPS friendly?
Not sure .. honey is quite strong tasting. Making them with sucanat made them way too strong tasting too.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist\’s last post: The Health Hazards of Cast Iron Pans
I made them with rice syrup and they were fantastic! Not as sweet as real marshmallows, but still very good. I also added a small amount of red palm oil after mixing them and it turned them a pretty yellow color! My three year old is very happy!
Honey works very well in marshmallows. Add a little coloring – beet juice, carrot juice, spinach for green! – and you have a really nice treat, no white sugar necessary.
oh thank you!!! My husband is a Peep fanatic.
Stephanie B. Cornais\’s last post: This Moment- Coming Up Roses!
Hi Sarah! We had Easter dinner tonight and I made these. They were a HIT with everyone
1st they were surprised at homemade marshmallows, then they were surprised they were made using not only organic ingredients, but only three ingredients. I was surprised that they actually DID taste like Peeps! (I didn’t even coat them in sugar and I’m completely addicted to Peeps when they’re in season). I have made marshmallows before but with corn syrup and like your recipe so much better.
All campers present tonight commented on how the shape would work perfectly for S’mores.
I did make a half-batch of brown rice syrup and although they tasted ok, they didn’t taste close enough to traditional marshmallows for me. Is there a difference between brown rice syrup and just rice syrup??? Thanks a bunch!!!
K @ Prudent and Practical\’s last post: Creating Pillow Covers
How these peeps who make the real Peeps can sleep at night while making millions selling their toxic products that do nothing but contribute to childhood obesity, ADHD, and even autism, is beyond me.
Perhaps they don’t eat the stuff they sell to others?
I’m wondering if anyone has tried to make vegetarian marshmallows using this recipe? I have a box of Natural Desserts unflavored “jel” and I was thinking about trying to make marshmallows with it.
Found this randomly…and obviously it’s not easter but I read through this recipe anyways. I might have to try this. My 4 year old always wants marshmellows! But I wonder if you put these in a mold, like a candy mold perhaps, they could come out in shapes? That would be way more fun!
Will try these with WheyLow (1/4th the calories and carbs, but real sugars) for the occasional hot chocolate topper.
(I stopped eating Peeps after I learned that the eyes were made from carnuba wax, ie. what you wax the car with – eeeww!)
DavetteB\’s last post: Welcome to My Home on the Web!
Thanks for this recipe! I’m going to try my beet root powder for pink, spirulina powder for green, and turmeric for yellow; perfect!
My daughter and I were just talking about making peeps. I’ll have to try this recipe.
I remember years ago I made homemade peeps and used an icing bag with a large tip to pipe out bunnies and chicks before it solidified. I wonder if that would work with this recipe? I may try it.
Kristin\’s last post: I Heart the Bugaboo Bee {& a Bugaboo Giveaway}
Definitely consider that that you said. Your favourite reason appeared to be at the web the easiest thing to take into account of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while other people think about issues that they plainly do not realize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , other folks can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
Discount Downloads\’s last post: 1
Abi Crawford I’ll make these next year!!
Oh yes!!!!
Wonder if Unflavored vegan gelatin would work?
blech! I can’t imagine going to the trouble to make homemade versions of “treats” I hate, lol
Laura if you can’t say something nice…
LOL! I don’t mind the peeps, but my kids hate them!
Wow! A recipe that consists solely of water, sugar, and gelatin is a “healthy” alternative? Sometimes you just have to give up things that are bad – and NOT try to replace them.
I love peeps. stale are even better. lol. I know gross. I try to avoid them now. I keep meaning to make the homemade marshmallows.
I was just looking for this! Thanks
I make marshmallows successfully using honey! And real marshmallow root!
I picked some peeps up the other day and they were just plain NASTY!!! Definitely not what they used to be. :/
“Non-hydrolized gelatin” – that’s one thing I’ve never heard of. Or hydrolized gelatin, for that matter. I’m assuming that Knox is hydrolized? What is bad about it? Since I have 2 boxes of it on my shelf…
Wow – so many colors. PEEPS have come a very long way!!!!
{ 1 trackback }