The Tamesis
Spring—especially March—is my favorite time of year. Yes, I love that it’s finally time to see birds, squirrels, and more crawling back into the world after their cold hibernation. Of course, I love the rows of color-coordinated tulips blooming in the middle of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan (truly a sight to behold!). The fact that I finally showed my ankle, even though it was horribly pale? thrilling. But if I’m being honest, there is one thing that does signal that warmer days are coming: my local convenience store is stocked with candy-colored Peeps.
Created in the 1940s in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Peeps began as a marshmallow candy that was handmade into Easter mascots, then generously soaked in a sugar dust bath and dyed into the most vibrant shades of pink, yellow, purple and blue ever seen in nature. Since then, thanks to the help of machinery, the process has become fully automated and now takes only six minutes for five spring peepers (traditionally shaped into thick-eared rabbits and sharp-billed chickens) to be born.
I grew up in Dallas, Texas, and peeps were always a staple in my household. But my candy-loving mom has a very weird Easter tradition that goes along with dyeing eggs and Easter bunny gifts—our peeps always put a deliberate tear in the packaging. You see, my mother taught me from an early age that old peepers are the best voyeurs.
When you expose Peeps to the open air for a day (or, ideally, five days!) before you start eating them, here’s what happens: The normally soft candy on the outside will harden. Suddenly, your gooey marshmallow bunnies, which might make your fingers sticky when you pick one up, now take on the appearance of a Cadbury egg…with a crispy sugar shell on the outside that’s still soft on the inside.
If you think what I’m saying is weird, allow me to show you the countless Reddit threads devoted to this topic over the years. “Ideally they should sit for at least four days, but I rarely last that long,” wrote one enthusiastic Reddit user. If the word “stale” makes you uncomfortable, another commenter has an idea: “It’s more fashionable to call them stale than stale.” Like wine, these delicacies age better. (Side note: Will try freezing them ASAP at the request of many peeps who claim it’s better.)
As Vogue’s health editor, I can’t legally recommend that you join the elite world of dry-aging Peeps. But as a fan of the sweet tooth for decades, I know even the biggest naysayers will enjoy the crispy texture of tangerine peel.
