Sometimes Foodie: Rice Krispy Peeps

Has it always been, "Rice Krispies Treats?" The dual pluralization feels wrong to me.
Actually, I don't think I've ever purchased the name-brand cereal or the official treats. I always used store branded cereal to make them at home, and since the no-frills boxes always call them, "Marshmallow Treats," or "Marshmallow Squares," I've always called them, "Rice Krispy Treats." I guess that's wrong?
Whatever you call them, I make them quite often. (I've mentioned this before, but I have a little cousin with a gluten and dairy allergy, and if I swap the butter out for an alternative, they make for an easy allergy-free snack!) So when I saw these Peeps, which are also gluten-free, I actually let myself get excited.
I picked these up at Walmart and since I hadn't blogged in ages and wasn't planning to get back into it right away, I ripped right into my package while I was still in the car. Quickly realizing I fell victim to the hype and marketing, I decided to make a post about it.

These are nice, but they're another "birthday cake," situation.
The marshmallow chicks are a pale yellow color, with slightly-off-target chocolate-colored eyes, and a buttery-colored sanding sugar coating. Taking a bite, the have a warm vanilla flavoring, reminiscent of yellow-colored vanilla ice cream, but they lack the texture and complexity of it's namesake.
Logically, Peeps are sugar-coated marshmallows. Marshmallow Treats are dry cereal, marshmallow, butter and (sometimes) vanilla extract. If I had taken a moment to really think about it, I would have realized that without a cereal component, these were just going to be vanilla marshmallows.

Conveniently, I had just made a batch of treats for Valentine's day (using Trader Joe's vegan butter) so I could do a one-to-one comparison. Absolutely no contest. The treats I made blew these Peeps out of the water.
Since I still had cereal on-hand, I thought it might be fun to make another set of treats with these Peeps in place of the marshmallow. So, I did.

I made a mini batch of treats using one row of chicks. Overall, it worked out really well, but I think the sugary coating made the final product more crunchy than usual. The mixture was soft when it was warm, but after it cooled down it was brittle and kind of broke up into bits instead of pulled apart like a normal marshmallow treat. It kind reminded me of Rice Krispies Treats Cereal.
If you really like warm vanilla sweets, then these Peeps are worth checking out, because it is different from their standard Vanilla offering, but if it's Treats you're seeking, you're better off making a batch of the real deal. I wouldn't buy this flavor again.