Any which way that you present a marshmallow to me, I will eat it. I love them big, small, melted, torched, as a cream, in a frosting- you name it! I’ve been that way since I was a kid.
My grandmother used to buy bags of the mini marshmallows and stick them in the freezer. I would always sneak in there and get a handful or two at a time and munch on them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ate an entire half bag of them. Probably enough times to be ashamed if I told you. 😉
Even after my love for marshmallows as a child, you’d be surprised that I never have once tried to make them as an adult……until now. I had absolutely no idea how easy they were. And the taste? Wow! Store bought has nothing on the homemade taste. Soft and creamy, there is just nothing like them. I first got the inspiration after watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa. Anyone else watch that? I’m a fan.
You’ll have to excuse my pictures. Still learning the lighting tricks. Anywho, most of the recipes that I’ve seen call for you to cut them into big cubes, but I cut mine into smaller cubes to mimic the mini marshmallows. It was a good and bad thing. Even though they were small, I ate more to make it for it!
I actually had everything that I needed to make these in my pantry already, minus the light corn syrup. The only other ingredient that some might not have is the unflavored gelatin. It’s fairly inexpensive and usually comes in packs of 4 and you just need 3 and 1/2 envelopes for this recipe.
My first impression of this process? Very sticky and messy! But not so much that I would never make them again. After boiling the sugar and corn syrup (etc) you have to transfer the mixture to your pan and that’s when it gets sticky. These fluffy sweet clouds are worth the trouble. You’ll be glad to know that it’s very easy to clean though! I was surprised how easily the sugary mess dissolved and cleaned up. Besides that, I can’t see why I haven’t made them before. What a great present these would make around the holidays. You could make up a big batch and wrap them in pretty cellophane. Cheap and easy!
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
Marshmallows are readily available at the grocery store, but the ones you create at home are more tasty and surprisingly easier than you think.
Ingredients
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup cold water, divided
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Method
- Oil the bottom and sides of a 9x13 dish and then dust with powdered sugar.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 c. cold water and let stand to soften.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 c. cold water, and salt over low heat stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Then increase the heat to moderate and boil without stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees. This will take about 12 minutes.
- Remove the pan from heat and pour of the gelatin mixture, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved.
- With standing or hand mixer, beat on high until white and thick and nearly tripled in volume. 6 minutes if using a stand mixer, 10 minutes if using a hand mixer.
- In a separate bowl with clean beats, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Mix the egg whites and vanilla to the sugar/gelatin mixture until just combined.
- Pour mixture into baking pan. Sift 1/4 c. powdered sugar over the top.
- Chill for at least 3 hours, until firm.
- Run a knife along the edges and cut into desired size. Roll each cube into powdered sugar to keep them from being sticky.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
I didn't have a candy thermometer so I just boiled the mixture for exactly 12 minutes and it worked like a charm. If you have one it will be more precise, but don't fret if not.
I used a pair of scissors to cut my cubes at the end. I sprayed them with non-stick spray first. Depending on how small you want them, it takes some time cutting them up so this really helped since they are so sticky.
Once you roll them into the powdered sugar, you'll want to kinda shake the excess off. We found that leaving too much on them made them taste like a big bunch of powdered sugar.
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