Fill the bottom of a small cookie sheet or tray with colored sugar and set aside.
Have a piping bag ready with a large round tip assembled and ready to go!
Make your fluffy aquafaba
Put the aquafaba in a mixing bowl with the cream of tartar and mix on high for 6 minutes until very fluffy.
Add some vanilla extract and whip for 3 more minutes until it is white again and it forms very stiff peaks. In a small saucepan, combine water and agar agar and bring to a boil.
Make your agar agar syrup
Boil the water and agar agar for 3 minutes stirring frequently.
Add sugar and boil for another 3 minutes stirring constantly over medium-low heat. (Be careful not to cook it too hot or you will burn or caramelize the sugar).
Mix everything together
Turn off the heat and add the hot sugar mixture into the beaten aquafaba.
Add this mixture slowly while beating aquafaba with a mixer set to low for about 30 seconds. This will turn the fluffy white mixture a little shiny.
Piping your peeps
Quickly transfer mixture to a piping bag with a large round tip.
Pipe out your peeps directly onto the colored sugar. (Do this as fast as possible since the marshmallow will set once it cools).
Sprinkle the tops and sides of your peeps with colored sugar.
Melt chocolate chips in a very small bowl in the microwave for 1 minute and use a toothpick to stir the chocolate and dot eyes onto your peeps.
You can eat them immediately or let them sit out in the air overnight to dry out a little more. (After 24 hours, store in the fridge).
Notes
Tips for making perfect vegan peeps every time
Whip the aquafaba for a full 9 minutes before adding the agar agar syrup.
Stir the agar agar mixtures constantly over medium-low heat, just hot enough to keep it slowly bubbling.
Cook the agar agar for a total of 6 minutes to make sure it's completely dissolved and melted.
Be sure to get all of the agar agar syrup into the aquafaba! Use a rubber spatula to scrape out the bottom of the saucepan to get it all.
Have your piping bag ready to go before adding the agar agar syrup to the aquafaba! It cools quickly and you have to work fast!
If it starts to harden in the mixing bowl, turn on your mixer for about 10 seconds to get it smooth again.
If you don't want to pipe the peeps, you can follow the directions for my vegan marshmallows and cut them out with cookie cutters.