Mix your melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. The mixture should look kinda wet and sandy — that's exactly what you want. Don't worry if it looks a little separated because the egg helps bring everything together in the next step.

Pour in your beaten egg and orange food coloring, then stir everything until you get that gorgeous spring color throughout. This is where I always taste a tiny bit (I can't help myself), and it's surprisingly good even uncooked. Make sure there's no streaky coloring — it should be pretty uniform.

Grab your crushed rice cereal and dump it in along with the baking powder and salt. Stir until every bit of cereal is coated with that buttery mixture. The texture should remind you of wet sand that's ready to be molded.

Fold in your marshmallows, chocolate chips, pistachios, and coconut gently so you don't crush the marshmallows too much. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the mix if you want to press it onto the tops later for decoration (not required, but kinda adorable). The mixture will feel thick and kinda sticky at this point.

Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper and press your mixture into it firmly using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Make it as even as possible because it helps the treats cut into uniform pieces. I always wet my hands a little so it doesn't stick everywhere.

Pop this into the fridge for at least 20 minutes — don't skip this step or your treats will fall apart when you cut them. While you're waiting, I usually prep my toppings or make some tea. After 20 minutes, remove it and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes so it cuts cleanly.

Cut into 12 equal squares using a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. If the knife sticks, just run it under warm water and dry it off. Store these Easter peeps treats recipe squares in an airtight container and watch them disappear faster than you'd expect.