Two Spoonfuls: Marshmallows

Have you ever thought of making your own marshmallows? (Add them to the list of things that intimidate me, but now I know how easy it is!) Jenn and I decided that this week we're going to make the same food using different recipes.

My recipe came from a cookbook called: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. It's full of very decadent recipes for all sorts of desserts. The marshmallows were my second recipe attempt from this book.

Homemade marshmallows are mainly made of sugar & corn syrup, but you also need a little water, some gelatin, vanilla and salt. The candy thermometer is a must! I've had it on my shopping list for a long time but finally got one for my marshmallow experience. (I got mine at Target for about $10.)

All you do is add water to the gelatin and let it set.
Heat some water, sugar, corn syrup and salt until the sugar dissloves, then let it slowly boil until it reaches 240 degrees F. Pretty easy, no?


Next you add the hot liquid sugars to your mixer bowl with the gelatin in the bottom. Turn it on and let it go for 15 minutes. It's amazing how much it changes. It sort of smells at first, but soon turns white and fluffy. Really fluffy...and really sticky. I tried very hard not to mess with it too much once it was done. Boy is that stuff sticky.

Scoop it into a pan, spread it out, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar & let it sit. I've found all sorts of recipes online and they all say different things about how long to let your marshmallows set. My recipe said 8-12 hours, I waited about 10. I followed Jenn's tip and cut them with a smooth knife, not serrated. It worked fine, and a longer blade was best. I rolled them in powdered sugar and that was it.

This recipe was super easy, and very tasty too. They are surprisingly light and not as sticky as I expected. I made an extra effort to coat all sides with powdered sugar when I cut them, I think that helped.

They look great in a cup of cocoa, don't you think? I get my cocoa at Trader Joe's, it's Fair Trade and good too.

Wasn't it lucky that Nick and I had a Seattle trip planned? Jenn and I were able to conduct a very scientific taste comparison test. haha (They tasted the same.)

Next time I want to try adding some flavor, or maybe make them pink!

Now, let's drop in at Jenn's kitchen & see how her sticky experience went.

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If you'd like to try making your own homemade marshmallows, check out some of these cool recipes:

• Alton Brown's Marshmallow Recipe
• Corn Syrup-Free Marshmallows
• Spicy Hot Cinnamon Marshmallows
• Homemade Flavored Marshmallows (with photos)
  
• A Kid-friendly recipe using flavored Jell-O instead of gelatin

Enjoy!