Last April fools day ThinkGeek pulled a prank about Marshmallow Creeps. These were Peeps that looked like Creepers from the popular indie game Minecraft. Well, needless to say it went over well, and people were sorely disappointed to discover that they could not actually purchase them.
For months I've been thinking about making my own marshmallows. So when I remembered these little guys , I knew just what to make! And let me tell you, these were so easy. All this time I was putting off making marshmallows because of the whole boiling sugar part. It was NO BIG DEAL!! So let's get to it shall we?
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup green Sugar (instructions on making your own below)
- Green food coloring
- 3 packets of unflavored geletin
- 1.5 cups of granulated white sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup cold water (divided)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Stand mixer
- Free Printable Label
How to make it:
- You're going to need a lot of green sugar for these guys. I opted to make my own, since it's a really easy and a lot cheaper. Start with about 3/4 cup of sugar in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add 30-40 drops of liquid food color and whisk until even in color.
- Let the sugar dry out in a thin layer on a pan. It will have lumps, so throw it back in the mixer and whisk until sugar is fine and free flowing.
- Set the green sugar aside, its time to start the marshmallows! Prep work is key here. Start by using a spray non stick coating to cover a 9x13 pan and the paddle of a rubber spatula. I also dusted the inside of the pan with green sugar. It turns out it wasn't needed, and changed the texture of the marshmallow a little on that side. If doing it again, I'd omit that step.
- Pour half of the cold water into the stand mixer bowl, and add the gelatin packets. I didn't even stir.
- In a heavy bottom sauce pan, add the rest of the water, the sugar and corn syrup (I also added some green food coloring). Heat on medium high and stir until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Use a candy thermometer and let the mixture come up to 240 degrees without stirring.
- Once the mixture comes to temp, move to the mixer. Turn the mixer on low with the whisk, and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin mixture. Once all if the sugar is in the mixing bowl, turn the mixer up to high.
- Let mixture whip until thick and about triple in volume. For me it was 12 minutes. Add 1 tsp of vanilla to the mixture in the last minute of whisking.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared pan, using the greased spatula to scoop it out and smooth the top.
- Pour some green sugar in the top and leave it alone for at least an hour.
- After the marshmallows have cooled, turn the block out into a shallow cookies sheet (this will help you save the sugar) coat the rest of the sides in your sugar. Use a greased pizza cutter to cut it into long rectangle blocks about 3 times taller than they are wide. Coat the naked edges in the sugar.
- With a greased knife, cut the legs of the creeper (there are 4), and dust the bare marshmallow with sugar.
Look at the pile of Creeper bodies! That's what you get for blowing up my house!
- Once all of your bodies are ready, its time to do the faces! I used chocolate ganash (2tsp chocolate chips to 1tsp heavy cream melted in the microwave) and a toothpick to paint the squares. Start with the mouth, then the eyes, the the frown.
- Once your faces are done, you're ready to package! I made a super cute label you can download here. Slip the creepers into a zip lock and either staple the label to the top, or tuck it in with them. Done!
These were so fun to make, I'm brimming with other themed ideas! I could see these at a Minecraft kids' party, or just a special treat For the gamer in your life. They are too funny!
haha so neat! Oh my gosh they could also be Gumby peeps!! ahhh love! haha
Angie @ Big Bear's Wife recently posted..Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Orecchiette {Pasta}
You're so right! I actually told my hubby they looked like Gumby with only the 2 legs, so I had to make 4 like in the game!
My boyfriend and I are totally geekin' right now!!!! So amazing!
Jody Kristina recently posted..Polka dots and stripes
Ha! That's how I felt the whole time I was making them!
These are simply super cute!!
Winnie recently posted..עוגת שוקולד דובדבנים ללא קמח
Those are so great and adorable! I love them!
Shelan recently posted..Salted and Peppered Caramels (Recipe)
Pingback: Sweet Sharing Monday | Sweet Anne Handcrafted DesignsSweet Anne Handcrafted Designs
What a fun idea! They look like they'd be perfect for Halloween, too! I'm pinning it.
Noreen recently posted..Bunny Money
my boys would LOVE these! (like many kids would!) you are a cool!!
michelle recently posted..Hula Bunny PEEPS and a Spring Hop Along PEEPS Party!!
I was guilty last year of trying to buy these online! LOL! I am SO going to make these for my boy! Thank you so much!
My husband would absolutely love these. I'm totally making them for his birthday, or for father's day. Such a creative idea! Love it!
Brianna recently posted..The BEST Gluten-Free Mini Chocolate Cupcakes EVER! (filled with Salted Caramel and topped with Salted Caramel French Buttercream)
I think its hilarious that your hubby would love them! Mine's a total video game geek too!
Great idea!! My son would love these for his Minecraft party. Wondering how long they will keep, so I could make them in advance if possible. Please LMK… Thx!
Well, I made mine the weekend I posted them. Stored in a Ziploc they are still good today! I would say the danger is going stale and getting hard.
These are awesome!! How many creepers does one batch make??
I'm glad you like them! It really depends on how you cut them. I would estimate between 16 and 22. Keep in mind they're a bit bigger than peeps, so you might not want to give away too many. Sugar rush!
I made these this weekend and they were a HUGE hit. My kids (8 & 10) "host" an egg decorating party each year so I made these for their guests. The marshmallow is very easy to make. Just make sure your temperature is right at 240°. The most time consuming part was, of course, the legs and the face, but the kids went absolutely crazy for them. Thanks for posting this great recipe.
I'm so glad you liked them! I'm so glad they worked out for you and I totally agree about the faces. I wonder if I could make a stencil and use some spray food coloring to do them in bulk? Still- a totally fun projects am I right!?
Hi, these are so perfect for the minecraft party my son is having this weekend, and SO cute. I have a question though. After i mixed in the hot liquid to the gelatin mixture and mixed on high, I figured i have the same mixer as you, so i let it go for almost 12 minutes, but the mixture came out very stringy and very hard to smooth out in the pan. Should i have mixed it for less time?
I'm so glad you tried it! My guess is that maybe your house is cooler than mine? It sounds like your mallow cooled while it was still whipping? I'm certainly no marshmallow expert, but I would try again and watch it while it mixes.
Ok, i think i did it! Mixed it for about 7 minutes and they came out perfect into the pan. So i guess the colder it is in the house the less time it needs mixing. It's about 72 degrees in the house. I'm not much of a baker, so it's new to me. i just knew that i had to try to make these for my sons party since he is crazy over minecraft! Thank you for the cool recipe!
Oh my goodness that's awesome!! I'm so glad it worked out for you. I'd love to see pictures of your party!! ♥
Just made these last night and they came out perfect! Didn't have heavy cream on hand, so I just melted a Baker's Square of Choc for the facial features. Thank you so much!
Ah! I'm so glad it worked for you! =D I can't wait to hear how they went over!
My son and I mad them this weekend. Super easy and cute! The only thing that I would suggest is if you are peep connoisseurs (as we are over here) I would cut the vanilla to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp and maybe add it sooner so it is more incorporated. I felt like some had a strong vanilla flavor and some didn't. For our faces we cut out a stencil and colored it in with black food coloring. Thanks for the great post!
This might be a silly question...but is it possible to use store bought marshmallow cream for these?
K,
Mallow Cream never sets. Its always sort of soft, which is the main difference between mallo cream and marshmallows. So unfortunately, no. I'd think if you tried you'd end up with a mess that you couldn't cut into bars at all. It would keep the consistency it has out of the jar. But I promise making the marshmallows is easy!
Hi Kayla,
Thanks for your reply~i figured that might be the case. Wish me luck, I'm gonna attempt to make these tonight for my son's 10th b-day tomorrow! Thank you so very much for sharing!!
Good luck! Email me with any questions and I'll do my best to help! I only made marshmallow the once, and it worked for me!
Thank you for this. I surprised my 12 year old with these in his lunch. He loved showing them off. I loved the ease in making the marshmallow. I've tried before and there were more steps, more complications. These were simple and yummy, even though I forgot the vanilla. I will be using this marshmallow recipe from now on.
Robin,
I am SO GLAD to hear that it worked out for you. I've never tried any marshmallow recipe but this one, although I was afraid to try at first. I'm so glad your son loved them!! ♥