Making marshmallows has been on my to do list since I first saw them in a Martha Stewart magazine several years ago. I never paid too much attention to the recipe, just noticing it was on the long side, which to me means it takes a lot of time and energy. Then last week a friend posted a recipe on her Facebook page and commented that she would have made marshmallows a long time ago if she’d known how easy they are. Well, that was it for me! Marshmallows jumped to the top of the list (mostly because I had all the ingredients on hand, but still).
These marshmallows take about 2-3 hours to make and then sit overnight, but they only require about 10-20 minutes of your attention. This recipe is for “plain” vanilla marshmallows, but they are easily adaptable. Go crazy with those extracts! Coconut, peppermint (with crushed candy canes on top!), orange, almond would all be fun to use. Add in a little food coloring and you have a very unique treat. I will warn you, though, that once you have these I don’t think you’ll ever be able to go back to the store bought kind!
Homemade Marshmallows
Homemade marshmallows are fun and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Confectioner's Sugar
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (or any other flavor) extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin into the water, and let soak for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and confectioner’s sugar. Set aside.
- Add the granulated sugar to the gelatin and heat over medium low heat until the gelatin and the sugar dissolve completely, stirring occasionally.
- Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking dish.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch/sugar mixture into the baking dish, tilting it this way and that to cover the bottom and sides. Set the rest of the mixture aside.
- In a standing mixer, mix together gelatin mixture, corn syrup, salt and vanilla on high speed for 15 minutes, until peaks form.
- Spread the marshmallow mixture into your prepared pan (a spatula works well for this) Smooth the top as best as you can.
- Let the mixture sit for 2 hours.
- Sprinkle the remaining cornstarch/sugar mixture onto a large baking sheet.
- Using a wet knife, slide the knife around the edges to loosen, then cut into quarters.
- Put the marshmallow quarters, top side down, onto the baking sheet.
- Flip quarter over to make sure both sides are covered well.
- Cut each quarter into nine pieces, rolling in cornstarch/sugar mixture, making sure to cover all sides as you go so they aren't sticky.
- Place the marshmallows on a cake rack and cover with a towels to dry overnight (the surface of the marshmallows will be slightly dry at that time).
- You may want a towel under the cake rack to catch any of the cornstarch/sugar mixture.
- Store the marshmallows in an airtight container for up to a month.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 1g