Homemade Marshmallows

My mom and my sister bought me a KitchenAid Mixer for Christmas, and I was racking my head to figure out what should be the first thing I make in it. I mean, to christen my KitchenAid I couldn’t just make chocolate chip cookies right?! Well, I finally figured it out, MARSHMALLOWS! 

This recipe is modified from: Alton Brown, Ina Garten, and Smitten Kitchen. The base recipe, I actually relied on the Ina Garten recipe, but Alton Brown and Smitten Kitchen gave me some tips along the way. Once the marshmallows were done, I spiced them up a little with some chocolate and candy canes trying to recreate the Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Peeps (^_^).

What You’ll Need:

• 3 Packages of Gelatin
• 1 Cup of water
• 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
• 1 TSP Salt
• 1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Cooking Spray
• Andes Chocolate (optional)
• Bittersweet Chocolate (optional)
• Candy Canes (optional)

Step 2: Bloom the Gelatin

Pour half a cup of cold water in your mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Leave this to the side while you complete step 2. 

Step 2: Heat Up the Sugar

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan combine half a cup of water, the corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then raise the heat and cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees, between eight to twelve minutes. A candy thermometer works best, but you can get by with a regular handheld thermometer, just be SUPER careful not to burn yourself. The sugar mixture will be HOT HOT HOT!! Don’t forget to stir!

Step 3: Mix the Sugar and Gelatin

Turn your mixer on low and slowly pour in the sugar mixture. Once the gelatin has dissolves, turn the mixer up higher and whip until it is very thick, white, and tripled in size. This can take anywhere from eight to fifteen minutes depending on how high you have your mixer up. The bowl will be lukewarm by the time the mixture has reached the desired consistency. Take care not to burn yourself by touching the bowl or getting splashed if you’re using a handheld mixer, it will also take you five to ten minutes longer to reach the desired volume and consistency. Once your mixture has thickened, add in the vanilla and mix for one more minute. 

Warning: Be careful with the mixture; the bowl and mixture will be hot. 

Step 4: Prepare the Pan

You can do this step while you’re waiting for the sugar to dissolve in step 2 or while the mixture is mixing in step 3 or you can wait. Lightly spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. I usually take a paper towel and run it around the inside of the pan to get a more even coat. Sift the powdered sugar on all the inside sides of the pan. 

Step 5: Pour the Marshmallow Mixture and Wait

Pour the Marshmallow Mixture into the prepared pan. Use a spatula to make the top even. Sift powdered sugar on the top and let sit uncovered overnight. Once you’re done waiting, turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and slice to desired size. You may want to dust the marshmallow’s cut sides with powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking.

Tip:  Spray a spatula with cooking spray to to help keep a bunch of the mixture from sticking to the spatula. You can even spray your hands if you want to use your hands to even it out a little.

Tip: I use a pizza wheel that is lightly sprayed with cooking spray to cut my marshmallows.

Step 6 (optional): Dress Up the Marshmallows

This is where you can get creative!!! I dressed up my marshmallows two different ways. One I just melted Andes chocolate and dipped half of the marshmallow into the melted chocolate. The second, I melted bittersweet chocolate, dipped half of the marshmallow into the chocolate, and sprinkled with candy cane dust/flakes. Enjoy!!!