Homemade Marshmallows: 3 Ways for the Holidays

There are some kitchen accomplishments that seem easy, but wind up stealing your soul, your dignity and half of your paycheck in the making. You never know it until it's too late. I often feel like these describe the majority of my endeavors. Other times you get lucky, and something really simple - like, crazy simple - winds up yielding something that impresses the pants off of folk. I tend to think that homemade marshmallows are one of those things.

For one, the ingredients are very basic, and very affordable. You don't really need any fancy kitchen equipment to make it - a glass baking dish, a saucepan and a stand mixer (or a hand mixer in a pinch) will just about cover it. It does require the patience to wait overnight for the finished product, but MARSHMALLOWS. Guys!

The recipe I chose can be found here. I like this recipe because it does not use high fructose corn syrup, and it doesn't require anything stressful like a candy thermometer. For my basic vanilla marshmallow I followed this recipe to a T, making very slight alterations for my peppermint and cinnamon holiday style mallows.

• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (2 pouches)
• 8 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• powdered sugar for dusting

For Peppermint Marshmallows: replace vanilla with 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract (red food coloring for decoration, optional)

For Cinnamon Marshmallows: replace vanilla with 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon extract (cinnamon for decoration, optional

Note: If you want to make peppermint marshmallows, be mindful of the extract you buy. Mint extract is not the same thing as peppermint and will yield a very different result. If mint extract is all the store has, consider adding a little green food coloring and stirring in some mini chocolate chips at the end of the process when the marshmallow creme has cooled - and voila, mint chocolate chip marshmallows!

Combine two packets of unflavored gelatin with 8 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl, and set aside. While this sits, stir together 2 cups of sugar with a half cup of water in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium.

Once the sugar dissolves, add in the gelatin and water mixture and stir well to break up any lumps. Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. DO NOT walk away from the stove with this combination going - once it begins to boil, it may froth up and overflow if you let it go too long.

Pour into the mixing bowl you intend to use, and add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then add your extract (see above for extract combinations to make your desired flavor).  Stir well to combine, and let the mixture sit until it cools slightly.

Turn on the mixer, and watch the magic happen. I say that a stand mixer works best because you want to let it go for at least 10 minutes, until the volume has nearly tripled and the mixture is glossy, white and holds its shape after the mixer passes through.

Transfer to a glass casserole pan to let it set. You can really use any size of pan here, it will just vary the thickness of the marshmallow. To prevent sticking, you can either line the pan with parchment paper, or you can spray it with cooking spray then dust the pan with powdered sugar.

If you opted for the peppermint version (and really, who wouldn't), make it fun by adding some color. A few drops of red food coloring on top, and a butter knife dragged in swirls across the top of the pan, will add a gorgeous candy cane effect.

Now, the hard part. We wait. I have found letting it sit overnight best, so that the gelatin has time to firm up. Cover and let sit at room temperature.

In the morning, thoroughly dust a cutting board with powdered sugar (it's sort of like sticky bread dough, guys). Use a rubber spatula to loosen the edges and the bottom of the solid marshmallow block. Don't worry if it sticks a little - it should be very springy and resilient at this point. Once it's loosened, ease it out of the pan onto the cutting board. 

Cut into strips, then into squares. You can either do large squares or small, depending on what you'd like to use them for. I like to make a combination of both.

Next, you want to gently roll each marshmallow in powdered sugar. This will seal up those sticky edges, and will keep them from sticking together when you store them. For my cinnamon marshmallows, I added a few shakes of cinnamon to the powdered sugar, and lightly shook a little over the top of my finished mallows.

And there you have it! Easy, breezy (and inexpensive) vanilla, peppermint and cinnamon marshmallows.

Now you can make some ridiculously awesome hot chocolate for yourself, to congratulate yourself for your hand work. Then you can get a packet of hot cocoa mix, purchase a sweet thrifted mug or one of these dirt cheap IKEA mugs, and package them up with some of your homemade mallows for a ridiculously adorable and inexpensive homemade gift for someone you love.

Or, if it's more your style, why not make a gourmet s'mores package? Peppermint marshmallows, some quality chocolate and some graham crackers are impossible to resist. Toast some marshmallows over a backyard fire, your indoor fireplace, or make a festive version of these s'mores bars.

Really, the possibilities are endless. This marshmallow recipe is really a blank canvas. What variations can you think of?

Now go forth and make boozy hot chocolate for your adult holiday party!


xo,

Kirsten