I remember the first time I ever made marshmallows. I thought my stand mixer was going to burn out, and then when I was cutting out the marshmallow chunks I thought I was going to have to have the house completely hosed down to get rid of all the powdered sugar that flew around. I have since upgraded my stand mixer to one with a larger capacity and motor, and I’ve learned to tame the powdered sugar. Now making marshmallows is a relatively pleasant experience.
I recently made chocolate marshmallows, which are quite tasty! They make nice gifts, especially if you pack them up with some hot cocoa mix and a cute mug. They are also great for s’mores. Homemade marshmallows just taste better than regular ones, and they are not that difficult to make as long as you have a heavy-duty stand mixer and a candy thermometer!
Here’s the recipe I use:
HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS from Martha Stewart
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (about 3 envelopes)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
- OPTIONAL: 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
1. Prepare a pan, either 8×12″ or 9×13″, depending on how tall you want your marshmallows, by greasing the bottom and sides and dusting the whole shebang with powdered sugar. Set aside.
2. Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of your electric stand mixer. Make sure the whisk attachment is on there. Let the gelatin bloom by leaving it to sit about 15 minutes (Martha says 30, but who wants to wait half an hour?).
3. In the meantime, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, plus 1/2 cup of water in a heavy saucepan, medium size. Turn the heat to low and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Keeping a candy thermometer handy, raise the heat to high. Cook the syrup WITHOUT stirring until the mixture reaches the firm-ball stage, or 244 degrees on the candy thermometer. It will be all bubbly and fun. Once you read 244 degrees, immediately remove the pan from the heat.
5. Turn the stand mixer on low and slowly drizzle the syrup into the softened gelatin. After the syrup has been incorporated, add the cocoa if desired. Once it’s mixed in, kick the speed up to high, increasing one speed at a time. Let the stand mixer do its job for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is really thick and white (or chocolate brown, if you added the cocoa) and nearly tripled in volume. Add the vanilla and beat in.
6. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan. This is pretty darn messy and STICKY. Stay strong! I try to pour it into the pan as evenly as possible. Martha says to dust the top with powdered sugar then wet your hands and pat to smooth, but I just struggle with a rubber spatula instead. Anyway, once it is relatively even, dust the top with powdered sugar and allow to stand overnight, uncovered. It’ll look like a big, fluffy pillow, and I am always tempted to just rest my head on it for a little while …
7. The next morning, put on an apron or dirty clothes, because you’re going to have powdered sugar all over yourself. Dust a cutting board with powdered sugar and turn the marshmallow out onto the board. You can be cute and use little cookie cutters to make fun shapes, or you can just cut squares. Martha says to use a dry hot knife. I use a metal bench scraper, and it works quite well. Dredge the cut sides with powdered sugar so they don’t stick to everything in sight.
8. Store in an airtight container!
If you’d rather buy homemade marshmallows, here are a few reviews we’ve done of homemade marshmallows you can buy:
could you cover them in coco powder instead? or maby a mix of coco powder and powder sugar would work better? i suppose you probably could.
January 7th, 2007 at 9:09 amHomemade Marshmallows…
Probably want a stand mixer for this one. Looks tasty, especially the suggestion of chocolate marshmallows….
January 7th, 2007 at 12:28 pmHave you ever found a recipe for marshmallows that actually contains the Marsh Mallow herb?
January 7th, 2007 at 7:24 pmI found a recipe at this site for using actual marshmallow herb. Hope this helps http://www.marshmallowchefsticks.com/marshmallowchefstickrecipes.htm#Recipe7
February 1st, 2007 at 8:13 pmI also wanted to add http://www.mannamallows.com to the list of homemade marshmallows. They are yummy.
Hello!
My name is Michelle Silva, and I am an Associate Producer for ABC’s Wife Swap. For our 4th season, we are looking to feature a family that LOVES candy! We are searching for family-run candy shops, chocolatiers, confectioners, etc. Even if your family doesn’t work in the candy industry, we would still love to hear from you if you adore candy!
This opportunity is very real, and this email is NOT spam. I came across your blog by doing a general search and thought you might be able to assist us. We are not looking for a specific type of family—every family is different and has a story. Personality is a must! Our show is fun for the whole family and an overall unique experience!
Any person who refers a featured family receives a $1,000 referral award.
In order to apply for the show, families must have two parents and at least one child between the ages of 6-18 still living at home. If your family doesn’t fit our profile, feel free to recommend friends and family.
Families selected to appear on the show receive $20,000 from ABC Television.
Wife Swap is the series where two moms switch houses for six days and live in the shoes of the other woman. It’s a great experience for any open-minded family! Please visit our website for more information: http://abc.go.com/primetime/wifeswap/index.html
If you or anyone you know have questions or are interested in applying, please email me at michelle.silva@wifeswapcasting.com or call me directly at (646) 747-7946. We are always looking for great families with extreme personalities throughout the season, so please feel free to contact me in the future, as well. I look forward to hearing from you soon! Thanks for your time.
-Michelle
November 27th, 2007 at 1:57 pm