Homemade Marshmallows

A few years ago, I made meringues for the first time. They were one of those things that I had wanted to make forever, but I was so intimidated that I never tried. Then I did try, and they were ridiculously easy, and I was like, Why the heck haven’t I been making these forever??

This exact same thing just happened again this week when I made homemade marshmallows.

Seriously. I made marshmallows! It was so fun, and such a cool process. David came over while the sugar mixture was cooking, and said, “When do you put the white stuff in?” I told him that mixture would become white, and he was way skeptical. {I definitely got the “Uh… ok, Mom… ya big dummy” look.} Then I had him come over and look after it had been mixing for a while, and **POOF!** mind blown.

They are definitely the stickiest food item I have ever encountered in my life {do not ever attempt to touch them with anything that has not been liberally sprayed with nonstick spray — I think that the gooey, before-hardening mixture could be used as bathtub caulk in a pinch}, but they were super fun to make. 

And they are absolutely delicious. Fluffy, yummy and sweet. I made them into squares {Again blowing the minds of David and Connor}, but you could pipe them out into strips and cut them to make normal-looking marshmallows or cut them with cookie cutters to make fun shapes. 

And they would make gorgeous gifts during the holidays. Plus, think of how fancy-pants your friends and neighbors will think you are, giving them homemade marshmallows!

Do you have a recipe that you were scared to try and then realized that it’s actually quite easy?

Homemade Marshmallows

Alton Brown

Fluffy and sweet homemade marshmallows -- they're easier to make that you'd think!

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Ingredients

  

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Instructions

 

• 1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
• 2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F {the soft ball stage}, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
• 3. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 10-12. Add vanilla and whip for one additional minute.
• 4. While the mixture is whipping, combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
• 5. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula that has been sprayed with nonstick spray to spread the top as evenly as possible. {If you're having trouble getting it even, you can spray your hands with nonstick spray and pat it down that way.} Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• 6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza cutter that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
• Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback