Satisfy your sweet tooth with these delicious Peep Bars! Made with colorful marshmallow Peeps, these bars are a fun twist on traditional cake bars. Perfect for any Easter celebration or Spring gathering!
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Peep Marshmallows are a love or hate type of sweet treat. Most people would say they don’t like them, myself included. A few years back however, I found myself with several packages on hand and needed to brainstorm ways to use them up. From making an Easter Trifle, to using some in my Easter Bunny Bait recipe, I still had a few packages to use up. I decided to make these Peeps Cake Bars using boxed chocolate cake mix I had on hand, and since then, they have become a yearly staple during Easter!
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What are Peep Bars?
You may have heard of Peeps Cookie Bars and although those are delicious too, this is the cake version. Instead of a chocolate chip cookie dough base, you use chocolate cake mix to have an ooey gooey, chocolate cake bar that satisfies any sweet tooth craving. A chocolate cake base topped with a melted marshmallow topping that also gets sprinkled with M & M chocolate candies. Festive in color, moist, fluffy, and easy to make!
Ingredient Notes
Below is a brief overview of each ingredient needed to make Easter Peep Bars! Only 5 simple ingredients needed and about 30 minutes from start to finish! To see printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post or click the “jump to recipe” button at the top.
- Chocolate Cake Mix– any brand works, my favorite is to use a Devil’s food cake mix as it adds the most chocolate flavor throughout.
- Eggs– you’ll need 2 large eggs at room temperature.
- Oil– I use vegetable oil, however, canola oil works too. This combines with the eggs and cake mix to give the texture a brownie like texture versus classic cake.
- Peeps– this is the star of the Easter dessert. These are bunny shaped marshmallow candies that you can find near all the other Easter candies. Any colors work, use your favorite peeps including whichever flavors desired.
- M & M’s– these add a slight crunch, pop of color, and additional chocolate flavor to the topping. Look for pastel colors to fit the color theme of Easter.
Making Peep Cake Bars
Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to get started!
- Prepare Pan– you’ll want to line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil and grease. This helps make clean up a breeze and also allows the cake bars to be served easily.
- Make Cake Layer– in a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil. Stir until just combined. Note: the batter is really thick, that is okay and to be expected. Press this mixture evenly into your prepared baking dish.
- Bake– you’ll place pan in preheated oven, 350 degrees, and bake for about 12 minutes. While the cake base is baking, chop your Easter peeps into small pieces. PRO TIP: spray your knife with cooking spray to easily glide through the sticky marshmallows.
- Spread Topping– remove cake quickly from the oven and sprinkle the chopped marshmallow pieces evenly on top.
- Bake– place pan back into oven, but only for about 5-6 minutes, or until the marshmallows are just starting to toast and get ooey gooey. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the M & M candies on top.
- Cool and Slice– allow the Peep bars to cool completely before slicing with a knife into desired size pieces.
Variations to try
Once you’ve tried the written recipe, if you want to change them up even more, here are some great options:
- Use a different flavor cake mix– you can use white cake mix with strawberry peeps for a more refreshing cake bar, you can use spice cake and add toasted coconut to the marshmallow topping for a more classic Easter flavor, or add in crushed graham crackers to the marshmallow topping to make it an Easter S’mores dessert.
- For more chocolate, add ½ cup chocolate chips to the cake batter before spreading into prepared pan.
- Use different colored M&M candies and classic marshmallows to enjoy at any Holiday.
- Use cookie cutters to make fun, unique shaped bars to serve at parties, gatherings, and Easter.
Tips for Success
After making these bars several times, I have learned some great tips to avoid the occasional fail I had when I first made these. First, when toasting the marshmallows, make sure you are watching this step closely. The bars go from warming up to burned quite quickly. Just when you notice the marshmallows melting and getting slightly golden brown on top, pull them out. Second, make sure the cake bars are cooled before slicing into them. Use a sharp knife and clean it off in between each cut. Note: these marshmallow layer stays gooey and does not set up. That’s what makes them delicious even if not enjoyed fresh. Third, a little goes a long way. Due to the sugar coating on the marshmallows, these bars are quite sweet. You don’t need to cut large pieces. Small pieces offer more to share and won’t be too rich for everyone.
Storing Leftovers
These Peep Bars are best enjoyed within 3 days for ultimate freshness. Store in an airtight container at room temperature to keep the base moist and topping gooey. If you need to stack layers, use parchment paper in between. Unfortunately, it is not recommended to freeze these due to the marshmallow topping. If you do need to freeze, prepare the cake layer and freeze up to 3 months. Allow to fully thaw before making the marshmallow topping and continuing directions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Peeps?
They are sugar-coated marshmallow candies, most famously known as yellow chick-shaped treats, that are a popular Easter candy, but also come in various shapes and flavors for different holidays. First produced by Just Born Candy Company back in 1953, they quickly gained popularity.
What can I use in place of the Peeps if I can’t find any?
You can use mini marshmallows as a substitute. If making for a Holiday, you can color the mini marshmallows with food coloring or dye to achieve the festive colors. About 3 cups should be a good topping.
What can I add to the topping instead of M & M candies?
There are so many great options to choose from! Chocolate chips, chopped candy bars, jelly beans, toasted coconut, sprinkles, or mini chocolate eggs are all good options! Use your favorites!
Can I make these ahead of time if I am hosting a party?
Sure! These bars are best for 3 days, so if you are wanting prepare them ahead of time, I recommend staying within up to 2 days in advance to ensure optimal flavors and textures.
How can I package these for gifts?
We love gifting baked goods to my kids teachers and our neighbors. We place these in small gift boxes or plastic gift bags. If using plastic bags, I recommend using a larger size so the bag doesn’t stick to the topping. You can also place a toothpick in the center to keep the bag from sticking to the top.
More Easter Recipes to try
Funfetti M & M Easter Cookies– using a cake mix, M & M’s, and sprinkles of your choosing! The Easter Bunny is surely to hop on over to snack on these tasty treats!
Birds Nest Cookies– an easy to make, no-bake Easter dessert that everyone will love! Using only 4 ingredients, these chocolate treats the perfect way to celebrate Spring or the Easter season!
Peeps Rice Krispie Treats– these gooey marshmallow cereal bars are a fun and delicious variation of the classic recipe, no oven required!
Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies– easy to make chocolate chip cookie bars packed with mini-Cadbury eggs throughout. This Blondie recipe comes together quickly and is a yummy Easter dessert perfect for any craving!
Mini Easter Cheesecake Cups– cheesecake filling with graham cracker crust made conveniently in cupcake tins! Perfect for any occasion!
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Peep Bars Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 24 Peeps
- 2 cups M & M's *Easter colors if possible
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 baking pan with tin foil and lightly grease. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil. The mixture will be thick, that is okay.
- Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the greased/lined pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees, for 12 minutes.
- While cake is baking, chop Peeps into small pieces.
- Remove cake from oven after 12 minutes and quickly sprinkle the Peeps evenly over the cake.
- Place back into oven for about 5-6 minutes, or until the marshmallows are just starting to toast.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle M & M’s on top.
- Allow to cool completely. Using a sharp knife, cut into desired size pieces.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Becky Scott says
Would love to try this really soon!
Kristin says
Keep me posted if you try it, it is quite yummy and a favorite with the kids!!
Sammi says
So are these more of a cake like texture then, or a brownie? Not a big fan of cake but my hours can devour a pan of brownies like no ones business. Would it be similar if I replaced brownie mix of cake mix?
Kristin says
I would say these are closer to cake bars than brownie bars, you could definitely use brownie mix and just put the peeps on top of brownies as directed. Yum!! I am a brownie gal myself, although I do like cake, brownies win with me every time haha!! Enjoy!!