One of my biggest regrets about Snackology is that I didn’t have the newsletter back when Pepsi x Peeps was unleashed on the world. I would’ve loved to have reviewed that collaboration. Thankfully, we haven’t stopped getting crossovers between Peeps and other brands.
Yes, the iconic cupcake that you probably dreamed of finding in your lunchbox as a kid is rolling out a Peeps flavor just in time for spring.
“Two iconic treats come together for the first time in this deliciously nostalgic mashup,” the folks behind Peeps wrote in their announcement. “Hostess Peeps Cupcakes feature the Frosted Golden Cake fans know and love, filled with Marshmallow crème and topped with bright yellow icing and the signature Hostess squiggle. The result is a sweet, snackable nod to spring that brings the fun of Peeps beyond the Easter basket.”
I’m surprised it took until 2026 for these two brands to team up. Hostess Cupcakes and marshmallow Peeps are two of the most joyful treats out there. (I dare you to not have a smile on your face while you’re eating a Hostess Cupcake.) Let’s hop into this review ...
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The collaboration between Hostess and Peeps covers every element of Hostess Peeps Cupcakes. Before you even get to the cupcake itself, a parade of yellow Peeps logos greets you alongside the Hostess logos on the wrapper. Personally, I’m partial to the Peeps bunny.
The description of the Hostess Peeps Cupcake mentions the yellow icing and “signature Hostess squiggle,” but it failed to mention the sugar crystals sprinkled on the top of each cupcake. This feels like a simple thing, but it goes incredibly far in terms of replicating the experience of eating a Peep.
A Peep isn’t just a marshmallow. It’s a marshmallow covered in sugar. One of my biggest complaints about the chocolate-covered Peeps that the company officially sells is that they forgo that layer of sugar between the marshmallow and the chocolate. That’s just a chocolate-covered marshmallow! Not a chocolate-covered Peep.
The brains behind the Hostess/Peeps crossover did not make that mistake. As you bite into a Hostess Peeps Cupcake, those sugar crystals add to the satisfying crunch of the icing layer.
The rest of the Hostess Peeps Cupcake is just as satisfying. The golden cake is soft and squishes into the creme filling, which has just enough marshmallowy taste (and smell) to invoke the possibility that, yes, a Peep had been melted down and stuffed inside of these cupcakes.
Snack Score
Hostess Peeps Cupcakes
🍪🍪🍪🍪
(4 out of 5)
Hostess Peeps Cupcakes were provided to Snackology for this independent review.
Snackology is a publication of The Omnicosm.
Issue No. 177
Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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