The Peeps People Have Spoken

I loved Barbara Hansen’s article on Peeps (“The Queen of Peeps Tells All!,” Oct. 31). I too am a huge fan of Peeps and have been since I was a child. Like Barbara, I have discovered the delight of opening a package of Peeps and letting them get slightly hard and chewy before eating them! One word of warning, though. Last Christmas there was a new gingerbread man-shaped Peep that the label described as “butter-cookie flavored.” They were horrible. I was so sad that they were yucky because they were so adorable. They shouldn’t try to flavor them. The crunchy sugar and plain marshmallow are enough!

JANET GUTIERREZ

Rancho Cucamonga

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You are not really the Queen of Peeps until you eat them my family’s favorite way: FROZEN! The texture is a little like those that you leave open to dry out. Yummy! And you can throw some boxes of them back behind other frozen foods and forget about them--what a pleasant surprise when you happen upon them weeks or months from now.

A. BRAVO

Rialto

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Welcome to the world of Peeps admirers. We’re always happy to welcome someone else who has seen the light. We’re all over the world. I save boxes for a year and then send them to a friend on Maui. By the way, the term adopted by many of us for the drying out of Peeps over time is mummification. The speed at which the Peep dries is its mummification factor. It’s not a measure that’s traceable to the National Bureau of Standards. Another treat may be enjoyed by nuking a Peep in the microwave. It doesn’t take more than 15 or 30 seconds, depending on oven power. Do be sure to watch as the Peep inflates and deflates repeatedly until the oven turns off. Then it shrivels to a nearly flat mass that is chewy or crisp depending upon how well it’s done. All that sugar is now as thin as a potato chip. What you’ve made is called Peep Jerky!

RIK NEUSTEIN

Via e-mail