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The best thing about Easter as a kid was the numerous packages of pastel sugar-coated marshmallow goodness that arrived in our baskets without fail. Peeps are an Easter tradition, so they obviously deserve a place on your table this year. You're already going to WOW the family with an Easter brunch ham recipe, so why not use up your bounty with a colorful Peeps dessert before whipping up some DIY Peeps decorations for Easter? These 15 Peeps recipes are chocolatey, gooey and crispy (there may even be a cocktail involved!), and they're absolutely *perfect* for your post-Easter dinner sweet tooth.
Peeps Skillet Dip: If you know someone who doesn't love Peeps, make this for them and they'll definitely be a convert. It's just about the most fun way to get everyone around the table together. (via Brit + Co)
Peeps S'more Cookie Bars: One of the many great things about Peeps is that they last forever. Come July when you're really jonesin' for a Peep or two, recover them from the depths of your cupboard and whip up these s'more bars. Everyone may think you're crazy, but you'll have the last very delicious laugh. (via Freckle and Fair)
Peeps Popcorn: The pastel hue of this popcorn just screams Easter. It may be a bit messy, but it's so worth it in the end — especially once the white chocolate drizzle sets, and you're ready to nosh. (via Grain Changer)
Peeps Sugar Cookies: Homemade sugar cookies can be a scary dessert to master. Since these are covered in colored sugar, they're pretty much foolproof. Everyone will be more than impressed with your baking skills. (via A Sue Chef)
Peeps Rice Krispies Eggs: Taking the time to mold your Rice Krispies in plastic eggs is WELL worth the extra time. When a recipe is this easy, there's no reason not to take the cute factor up a notch. (via Brit + Co)
Peeps Rice Krispies Treats: Pre-packaged Rice Krispies treats make quick work of these candy-coated pops. Slice your Peeps in half lengthwise so you can see them whether they're coming or going. (via Love from the Oven)
Marshmallow Peeps Rice Krispies: The trick to these Rice Krispies is adding the chunks of Peeps in last, so that the pieces keep their shape. One chewy gooey bite of these, and you'll be hooked. (via From Me to Vuu)
Peeps Sunflower Brownies: There's absolutely no way you could be unhappy looking at a Peeps sunflower brownie. You can arrange your yellow peeps as shown or upside down if you prefer. Varying the size of the chocolate chips in the middle gives the effect of real sunflower seeds. Adorable! (via The Semisweet Sisters)
Peeps Pizza: Attention, all marshmallow lovers! This dessert pizza has marshmallows in the pizza crust as well as a marshmallow frosting on top. Of course, it's decorated with marshmallow Peeps too. (via Baking Beauty)
Marshmallow Peeps Lemon Drops Martini: It may seem counterintuitive, but this drink with a Peep floating in it is for adults only. Peep-infused vodka is the star of this unique martini, and you'll definitely want to keep some on hand from now on. (via Sew You Can Cook)
Easter Peep-Za: If only all pizzas could have a sugar cookie crust and chocolate ganache sauce. A peanut topping adds a salty element to this otherwise very sweet pizza. Your Peeps will surely volunteer to grace the top of this dessert. (via The Cooking Channel)
Chocolate Dipped Peeps: Something as simple as dipping your Peeps in chocolate and adding sprinkles can be a really special touch that takes almost no time to do. Plus, they look like they have cute little polka-dot inner tubes on. (via Junblog)
3-Layer Angel Food Peeps Cake: If a light-as-air cake covered in buttercream is your thing, than you need to run to the kitchen to make this immediately. Just beware of the Peep bunnies that are standing guard — they're more vicious than they look. (via The Farmer's Daughter)
Peep Monster Cookies: These GIANT flourless cookies are packed with peanut butter and candy — pretty much what dreams are made of. Just when you think they couldn't get better. Stick two cookies together with warm Peeps in the middle, and all of your cookie dreams will come true. (via The Southern Fatty)
Easter Peeps Cookie Butter Cups: These Peeps may think they just got stuck in a mud puddle, but really it's chocolate and creamy cookie butter. They also don't know they're about to be devoured. Poor little guys. (via Knead to Cook)
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This post has been updated.
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More From Recipes
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures