Peeps

Peeps are little chick-shaped marshmallow treats coated with fine yellow, blue, green, pink or lavender sugar, and decorated with two little black eyes. They have been around since the 1950s, and have become an Easter favorite in the United States and around the world. The original Peeps were yellow, with the other colors being added over the years. Peeps marshmallow treats are so popular that they are now sold in other shapes and flavors for Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas. In addition to the wildly popular chicks, you can now find Peeps bunnies, Christmas trees, snowmen, pumpkins, hearts and other novelty shapes.

Do you remember your first Peep? That sweet, sugary marshmallow chick that hops into stores every Easter is the most popular Easter candy next to chocolate.http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/ In fact, enough Peeps chicks and bunnies are sold each Easter to circle the Earth's circumference! All those Peeps are hatched at the Just Born candy company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Just Born has a rich history dating back to the early 1900s. In 1910, a young Russian named Sam Born emigrated to the United States. A candy maker in Russia, he started out in the US making chocolate Jimmies and the chocolate coating for ice cream bars. In 1916, he invented an innovative machine that inserted sticks into lollipops. Just Born got its start in 1923 when Sam opened a candy store by that name in Brooklyn, New York. Despite the economic depression of the 1930s, Just Born prospered and grew, moving its operations to a larger facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1932. During these early years, Just Born made chocolates, crystallized fruits, bridge mix and other candy products. The product which would make the company famous came along in 1953, when Just Born bought the Rodda Candy Company. Among its other products, Rodda made a little marshmallow chick called a Peep.http://www.justborn.com/get-to-know-us/our-history The rest, as they say, is history!

When Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company, Peeps were being made completely by hand. Marshmallow was squeezed out of pastry tubes to form the chicks, and then each was individually decorated. At that time, it took 27 hours to make one Peep!http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/ Sam Born's son, Bob, helped to mechanize the processhttp://www.justborn.com/get-to-know-us/our-history, which has continued to be improved upon over the years. Today, it only takes 6 minutes to make each Peep.

Peeps are made of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, preservatives and yellow, pink, blue, green or lavender dye. Carnauba wax is used for their little black eyes. Ingredients are mixed together in large kettles and then sent to a whipper for beating. The Peeps sugar coating is made by mixing sugar with one of the color dyes in large metal mixing pans. One color of Peep is made at a time. Colored sugar is spread on a conveyor belt which passes under a forming machine, where marshmallow is squeezed out in the shape of a Peep or other figure. How the forming machine actually works is a closely held Just Born secret. The conveyor then moves through an area where more colored sugar is blown onto the Peeps. From there, the conveyor rolls through the decorating room where eyes and other details are added. Finally, the Peeps are packaged, boxed and shipped to a store near you.http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/