They're the ubiquitous, fluffy treats popular around Easter. They’re so popular that more than 5 million of the marshmallow chicks and bunnies journey along the conveyor belts at the Peeps Pennsylvania factory every day single day.
So, how are these colorful, surgery treats made?
The magic begins inside metal mixing bowls, where the ingredients are whipped into a fluffy, sugary paste.
Next, the paste is molded into the shape of a chick or bunny, before it continues its journey on the conveyor belt.
Then, the treat is given what the company calls a “sugar shower.” Yes, that’s when the Peeps are coated with colorful sugar.
After the Peeps get colorful and sweet, they move to on get their ‘Peepsonality.’
“They get their eyes and their nose,” describes Peeps brand manager Caitlin Servian of the ‘Peepsonality’ stage of the process.
The sugar-coated candies then continue on their journey, cooling off just enough to be taste tested.
What do testers taste for? What makes the perfect Peeps?
“It’s that combination of that iconic vanilla marshmallow flavor paired with that crunchy sugar crystal top,” describes Servian.
Finally, the Peeps are plopped into paper trays and covered in plastic wrap. But before they hit the shelves, they go through a metal detector.
“The Peeps are going through a final safety check,” says Servian.
In 1953--when Just Born, the maker of Peeps, first began--it took 27 hours to make a single Peeps by hand with a pastry tube! But thanks to automation, the whole process is done in six minutes.
