Making Marshmallows

For the past 2 years I have made marshmallows around Christmas time. If you have ever had a homemade marshmallow, you know how superior they are to any jet puff you can find at the grocery store. Let me be clear, I’ll enjoy any marshmallow, any time, any where. Dey good. Chocolate with marshmallow is one of my favorite dessert combinations. But the first time I made homemade mallows…. PHEWWWWWWW I couldn’t believe how good it was!

They require a little bit of time and effort, but it is fun and the results are definitely worth it. Rolling the marshmallows in powdered sugar at the end would also be fun to do with little ones! These make really great little gifts- I usually wrap up 4 or 5 giant ones and give them to coworkers. You could even add a jar of cocoa mix and a cute little chocolate spoon and you would WIN at Christmas. If I ever got such a thing at a white elephant party you better believe I am not switching for ANYTHING else. And if someone stole it from me I might cry.

** FULL DISCLOSURE** I would in fact switch my delicious hot cocoa and homemade marshmallows for no less than 5 extra personal days at work.

I have tried a few different recipes, and each time they come out pretty much the same. Some techniques make the process easier though. This recipe here is a combination of the ingredients/processes from a few different sources. My favorite way to flavor them is with vanilla, but you can add whatever! I've made peppermint before and they were delicious. I imagine that orange flavored would be really good too... I might have to try that next year.

Ingredients:

1 cup corn syrup

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup cold water

3 packets of plain gelatin

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract (or other flavored extract. Flavor to taste... you need much less peppermint extract than vanilla extract, etc.)

a large quantity of confectioner's sugar

optional: food coloring

Directions:

1. Add salt, sugar, and corn syrup to a pot over medium heat. Mix and then put the lid on the pot for a few minutes (this allows the condensations to drip back down into the pot and clean hard sugar off the sides of the pot). Take the lid off and let cook until a temperature of 250-255 degrees F is reached.

2. In the meantime, put the gelatin and cold water in the bowl of your mixer and let all the water soak up. Attach whisk to your mixer. Grease a square dish (any size - larger will make thinner mallows, smaller will make massive mallows!) and cover all sides with confectioner's sugar.

3. Once temperature is reached, turn on your mixer on low and immediately add the hot sugar mixture. Once all the sugar mixture is added turn your mixer up to high and whisk until marshmallow is white and fluffy, and holds shape when you flip the whisk attachment upside down (6-7 minutes). It should still be pourable! It is possible to over-beat the marshmallows so be vigilant!

4. Once the correct consistency is reached, add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared dish and use a greased spatula to evenly spread. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and cover with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should be pushed down on top of the mixture, so that no air can touch it.

5. Wait at least 4 hours for it to set, overnight is best. Once set, the marshmallow will hold it's shape when you poke it.

6. Use a knife to loosen the edges from the dish and dump the marshmallow onto a cutting board that is lightly dusted with confectioner's sugar. Cut the marshmallow into your desired shape and size and roll each piece in confectioner's sugar until completely covered. Serve in a hot cup of cocoa or eat all by itself (my favorite mode of consumption).