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Spring\u2014specifically March\u2014is my favorite time of year. Yes, I love that it\u2019s finally time to see birds, squirrels, and the like creep back out into the world after a chilly winter hibernation. And sure, I love the color-coordinated rows of tulips blooming in the middle of Manhattan\u2019s Fifth Avenue (truly a sight to behold!). And the fact that I finally get to bare an ankle, even if it is ghostly pale? Thrilling. But if I\u2019m being truly honest, there\u2019s really one thing that symbolizes that warmer days are on the horizon: my local convenience store being stocked with candy-colored Peeps<\/a>.<\/p>\n Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the 1940s, Peeps were originally marshmallow confections hand-shaped into Easter mascots, then doused liberally in a dust bath of granulated sugar dyed in the most vivid hues of pink, yellow, purple, and blue never before seen in nature. Since then, the process has become fully automated thanks to machinery, and now it only takes six minutes flat for a quintet of spring Peeps\u2014shaped traditionally into thick-eared bunnies and sharp-beaked chickens\u2014to be born.<\/p>\n Peeps were always a staple at my house growing up in Dallas, Texas. But my candy-loving mom had one very strange Easter tradition that came along with dyeing eggs and gifts from the Easter Bunny\u2014our Peeps always came with a purposeful tear in the packaging. You see, my mother taught me young: Stale Peeps are the best Peeps of all.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what happens when you expose your Peeps to the open air for a day (or, ideally, five!) before digging in: The typically soft sugar outside hardens. Suddenly, your ooey-gooey marshmallow bunny that may leave your fingers sticky after grasping just a single one now has the presentation of a Cadbury egg\u2026 crispy sugar shell on the outside, still soft on the inside.<\/p>\n If you think what I\u2019m saying is weird, may I please present countless<\/a> Reddit<\/a> threads<\/a> from over the years dedicated to the subject. \u201cIdeally, they should sit for at least four days, but I can rarely hold out that long,\u201d one passionate Redditor wrote. And if the word \u201cstale\u201d is throwing you off, a different commenter has an idea: \u201cCalling them aged is much fancier than stale.\u201d Just like wine, these treats are much better aged. (Side note: Will be trying them frozen asap at the behest of many of these Peep-ful, who claim it\u2019s even better.)<\/p>\n As Vogue\u2019s wellness editor, I legally can\u2019t advise you to join the elite world of dry-aging your Peeps. But as a decades-long fan of the sweet, I know even the greatest naysayers will love the crispy-crunchy treat of a stale peep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n