They're the hottest chicks around.
In seductively synthetic colors like Day-Glo yellow, blue and pink, the sugar-coated, chick-like blobs known as Marshmallow Peeps have nested in Easter baskets for almost 60 years.
And for the past four years, the campy confections -- made by Bethlehem, Pa.-based candy manufacturer Just Born -- have been one of the top-selling nonchocolate Easter candies in the United States, according to company spokeswoman Rose Craig. To meet demand, Just Born expects to produce more than 600 million Peeps this season during the chick crush from mid-February through Easter, she says.
While Just Born also makes marshmallow bunnies, marshmallow eggs and jelly beans for Easter, the Peep reigns as the true holiday icon. The charmed chicks have hatched innovative Peep recipes, such as PeepS'mores, Peeps/Fruit Ka-Bobs and Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Peeps, and spread Peep culture through otherworldly Internet sites.
Indeed, Peeps have attained candy-cult status.
But the main purpose of the Peep is to be eaten. And the question remains: Is that such a good idea?
Peeps are relatively low in calories (160 calories per five Peeps) and are fat-free. But that doesn't exactly make them celery.
"All the calories are coming from sugar," says Colleen Pierre, a registered dietitian in Baltimore and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "And your body counts every one of them."
But the price of Peeps (about $1.19 for a 15-pack) encourages excess. And so does the packaging.
The uniform puffs of bright barnyard goo come connected in tempting five-Peep chains. To avoid Peep wound -- the white marshmallow gash that occurs when the chicks are pulled apart -- one is inclined to eat an entire row at once. Also, uneaten wounded Peeps harden quickly when exposed to air -- although some Peep freaks actually prefer them that way -- which spurs multiple chick chews.
Instead, nutritionists urge moderation when dealing with these cavity-inducing heralds of spring. They also caution against popping Peeps on an empty stomach.
"If you eat them as a dessert at the end of the meal, the whole meal is digested more slowly, instead of the Peeps rushing into your bloodstream," Pierre says. "You can see them running around: peep, peep, peep, peep."
She advises pairing Peeps with vitamin-rich food, such as sweet potatoes topped with melted Peeps.
