Thomas Keller loves Peeps!

Thomas Keller is certainly one of the top 5 most respected chefs in the world, so it wasn’t surprising that NPR visited him to talk about his favorite Easter recipes, as reported in Homemade Peeps, And More Easter Treats, A La Thomas Keller. Keller’s  new book, Bouchon Bakery,  is up for numerous awards, so a lot of the conversation had to do with baked goods such as Hot Cross Buns and Carrot Muffins, but we were intrigued by his discussion of Peeps (America’s most popular marshmallow treats). 

As Keller says, “They’re very cute,” he says, “and, you know, they remind us of when we were kids. I mean, we ate those all the time. And the boys would usually bite the heads off first.”  Of course, Keller’s version (which are eggs, not chicks) incorporate homemade marshmallow that is creamier than store-bought marshmallow. And each egg is hand-rolled.

As a bonus, in his discussion of Carrot Muffins he provides some excellent advice on how to tell if a carrot is fresh and sweet – use small carrots (not “horse carrots”) that are less than an inch in diameter, preferably with fresh tops that look fresh. Carrots should also be crisp, with vibrant flesh and skin color.

The article includes recipes for the muffins, which are stuffed with carrots, the marshmallow eggs, and the hot cross buns.

Photo by  Doriane Raiman for NPR