As Easter approaches, we as a society must face the ever-present truth that hangs over our heads, a truth that must be voiced for the voiceless: Peeps are the best easter candy. 

Four staff members on The Sunflower have painstakingly suffered tummy aches and an overly sweet tooth to taste and rank eight different Peeps flavors. Some were so delectable that it was a severe sugar rush, while I’m surprised some other flavors made it off the drawing board. 

#8 Cotton candy

The judges decided cotton candy flavored Peeps would rank last in the line-up because they were too sweet. Eating the cotton candy flavored Peep was the equivalent of dumping a packet of artificial sweetener down your throat: no water and no reprieve. 

“My mom told me a story where she went to a summer camp and ate like half a pound of Skittles and went into a sugar shock,” Assistant Editor Mya Scott said. “And I feel like this is what I’m going through after eating that.”

The overall flavor was also just underwhelming. When people think of cotton candy, they think of a sweet pillow of spun sugar that fills the void of the desire to eat a cloud. This Peep was more like biting into a piece of insulation, peeled straight from the depths of drywall. 

Cotton candy was just depressing and a pressing reminder that just because it’s pretty, doesn’t mean it’s good. 

#7 Breyers cookies and cream

The judges held high hopes for the cookies and cream flavored Peep. Unfortunately, it ranked second worst due to the fact that it wasn’t a healthy balance of the two components. Instead of cookies and cream, it resembled cream and cream. It was the equivalent of biting into a solid block of leftover cream at the bottom of an Old Cowtown Museum churn. The specks of chocolate on the white surface were merely a facade and not a true depiction of the flavor within. 

The judges were severely disappointed, to say the least. 

“I love cookies and cream, and I am severely disappointed,” Reporter Kass Lewis said.

#6 Chocolate dipped

Chocolate-dipped Peeps were a mystery, at first. The candy just looks odd, with the bottom of the yellow Peep dipped into a puddle of chocolate, giving it the appearance of having been dragged through a muddy trough. 

Once you get over the look and take a bite, it is slightly reminiscent of a s’more. The chocolate mixed with the marshmallow releases nostalgia of ghost stories by the campfire, perched near a lake. But the more bites taken, the more the nostalgic feeling melts into a blurry mess of bad textures and suffocating sweetness. 

“I feel like it’d be better with dark chocolate, just because it was too sweet … I thought I would like the texture, but when I bit into it — it’s definitely interesting,” Podcast Producer Taliyah Winn said.

The judges ultimately ranked this Peep low due to its texture and sweetness level. It wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t the best, and we highly encourage the Peeps brand to take into consideration the changes Winn suggested. 

#5 Party cake

This little Peep went straight to the judges’ stomachs and was then forgotten there. The party cake Peep, despite its festive look, was unremarkable and swept up in the high amounts of sugar. 

It was purely too sweet, and in all honesty, it didn’t even taste much like a party cake. When biting into it, the taste of an average birthday cake flavored snack was anticipated, yet it was nothing near this. It tasted more like a cheap, stale piece of Australian fairy bread.

“It smells fake, tastes fake,” photographer Angellica Klingsick said. 

While slightly pleasant at first, it was merely too much and was thrown aside after the initial nibble. 

When the looks are better than the taste, there is surely a problem. 

#4 Sour watermelon

The sour watermelon Peep was probably the most contested pick of the judging. Half of the judges rated the flavor at a critical one out of five, while the other half deemed this Peep worthy of five stars. 

The debate lasted a long while and was ultimately placed in fourth, as three of the four judges agreed it was better than party cake. At least the flavor was memorable, unlike the former. 

The peep, a light green with a pink inside, was extremely pleasant to look at. The taste was, for some judges at least, nearly just as pleasant. The squishy inside held a slight tang to the normally sweet marshmallow, while the granules of sugar added a nice crunch.

“I like that it’s a divergence from the normal sweetness of every peep, and there’s a slight tang to it,” Scott said. 

The design of this Peep was also deemed the best of the bunch, along with its unique flavor. Peeps truly used artificial dyes to its advantage with this flavor, and it paid off in the end. 

It’s a refined taste, but to the judges, it was middle ground. 

#3 Dr. Pepper

Moving onto the podium, Dr. Pepper flavored Peeps takes the bronze. This Peep, while some judges were hesitant and even disliked the drink at its core, was tasty enough to secure third place. 

Compared to other pop-flavored food items, such as Coca-Cola Oreos, it truly encapsulates the essence of the beloved soda. The taste was rich in flavor and smooth and tasted nearly identical to a fresh bottle of Dr. Pepper. 

“So. Good,” Lewis said.

From now on, Peeps is the standard for drink-flavored snacks. 

#2 Original

There’s not much to say about this particular Peep. The original was the foundation, the bricks, the origin for the popular candy that now fills kids Easter baskets far and wide. It was the basis for all of the fun and unique flavors that now permeate the shelves of the nearest grocery store. 

The original is the original for a reason.

“It’s a Peep,” Scott said. “You can’t go wrong.”

 The classic, soft, chewy marshmallow mixed with the crunchy sugar is near perfection. It’s a beautiful bite and mouthful. It truly deserves the silver, but falls slightly short of the gold. 

The first time a person eats an original Peep for the first time is not a forgettable experience. It is truly a classic and is never the wrong choice when craving something sweet. 

#1 Rice Krispies Treats

The Peep that takes the gold and surpasses all other flavors is the Rice Krispies Treats flavored Peep. To be honest, it was an unexpected pick. All of the brighter and stronger flavors were in line for the top honor, like Dr. Pepper and sour watermelon, but in the end, the consistency and absolute magic Rice Krispies brought to the table was what pushed it ahead of everything else.

The pale little Peep, despite its more-or-less boring appearance, was absolutely delicious. It was nearly spot-on to eating a real Rice Krispies, minus the annoying bits of cereal that get stuck in the teeth. 

“It’s actually crazy how they made a marshmallow taste more like a marshmallow than they normally taste,” Scott said.  

It was smooth, it was an overall delight to eat and even more delightful to reach for a second one just to experience the joy all over again. 

Rice Krispies may not have been what was expected to be on top, but it truly has earned its title as the winner, the king, the titan of all Peeps.