Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows

Look!  I made marshmallows!  I bet for those of you who have done this before, you won’t think that’s such a big deal, right?  But for me, it was a big deal!   I. Made. Marshmallows!  In my own kitchen!  I was giddy!  It is so easy to do and they taste sooo good.  They seriously just melt in your mouth.

Monica, Ingrid, and I baked these “together” and I’m eager to see what they did with their marshmallows.  I made these just before Valentine’s Day and Sam asked me to make them pink.  To do that, I just added a little red food coloring until it was the shade he wanted.  I also thought it’d be pretty to add some pink decorating sugar to the cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture thinking that it might give the marshmallows a little sparkle.  Instead, it gave them a bit of a crunchy topping that reminded me of “Peeps.”  Now for a normal family, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but for my weird children, that turned them off completely.  Neither of them are big “Peep” fans and, after eating one marshmallow, decided they weren’t all that good after all.  Did I mention that they’re a little weird?

As for me, I seriously couldn’t get enough of these.  I even ate them for breakfast with a cup of coffee!  Not in the coffee, mind you, but still.  Talk about starting your day with a kick!  To keep from eating them all, I sent quite a few next door to Sam’s best friend’s family.  His buddy, who is always brutally honest with me when it comes to my baking/cooking, told me they were just “too sweet.”  Have I mentioned that I’m surrounded by weird kids?  At least my sweet Harper was interested in them during their photo shoot!  (see photo below)

Anyway, these were so very easy to make and I will definitely do it again one of these days.  I’ve been daydreaming about flavorings and coatings for next time, and I can’t wait to see what my blogging friends have done with this recipe.  Be sure to stop by Ingrid’s and Monica’s blogs to see how their marshmallows turned out.

Recipe:  Marshmallows

(an Alton Brown recipe)

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 c. ice cold water, divided

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

nonstick cooking spray

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with 1/2 c. of the cold water.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 c. water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt.  Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.   Uncover and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.  Continue to cook until mixture reaches 240 degrees, approximately 7-8 minutes.  Once the mixture reaches the correct temperature, immediately remove it from the heat.

Now turn the mixer on low speed with the whisk attachment in place.  While running the mixer, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture.  Once all the syrup has been added, increase the mixer speed to high.  Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12-15 minutes.  Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.

While the mixture is whipping, prepare the pan.  Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Lightly spray a 9×13″ metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Add the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture to lightly cover bottom and sides of pan.  Reserve the rest for later.

When ready, pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan, using a spatula that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Spread evenly.  Dust the top with enough of the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture to lightly coat.  Reserve the rest for later.  Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture.  Once cut, lightly dust all sides of the marshmallows with the remaining mixture.  Can store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

(If you’re interested in AB’s directions for mini-marshmallows, check out the Food Network website link above.)