You can’t see the forest for the Peeps.
You know in romantic comedies when the leading man focuses in on the dream girl, time slows down and you know that’s the girl he’s going marry? That was me with Peeps (sadly, I cannot marry a Peep). I knew I would review them sometime within the life of this blog, but just didn’t know when. I feel they’re they’re a perfect candidate for Clearance Cuisine – holidays come and go, but hundreds of Peeps remain on stores shelves, waiting to be eaten.
Now, I’ve eaten lots of Peeps in my life. I know what they taste like. But they’re just something like a marshmallow coated in colored, granulated sugar and manufactured into a different shape for every major holiday that’s just downright endearing.
I wasn’t planning on buying any in the near future until the “90% OFF ALL HOLIDAY MERCHANDISE” sign caught my eye at Big Lots. Coupled with my 20% off coupon, this brought each box to 8 cents a piece. I grabbed the six remaining boxes and the box that they cam in and hauled my bounty to the cash register.
Now at first, I was nervous about how old my marshmallow trees would be, considering they had been produced specifically for the holiday season and now it was mid-January. To my surprise, the box said they were good until November 2012! The Hulu video linked above mentions their long shelf life – apparently some people even like to slit the plastic packaging open so the Peeps inside can “firm up” before being enjoyed (aged like a fine Peep?).
There’s nothing like biting (more like tearing) into a Peep, crunching though the sugar coating and chomping the marshmallow innards. It is a bit sadistic when it happens to be a little yellow (or lavender or orange or pink, etc.) chick or bunny as opposed to a tree.
In addition to providing a puffy sugar snack, they also provide great subjects for photos. Now you can recreate those dioramas that you had to do in middle school with cute little chicks, trees, bunnies or snowmen (as you can see we did below). Valentine’s Day happened to be yesterday, so you’re sure to find some great deals on hearts and I <3 U‘s real soon. Enjoy.
Fun Fact: Apparently, there’s a Peeps Store in Maryland! I should do a food factory/store road trip if I ever win the lottery and don’t have any commitments.
Tags: Big Lots, Candy, Holiday/Seasonal, Marshmallow
