I usually don’t post on the weekends, and generally reserve those days to develop new recipes, articles and stories for the blog…but since it is Easter weekend and everyone seems to be buying up tons of candy, I thought I would share a homemade marshmallow recipe we made today for the kids. I made a triple batch and piped some out into peeps….see my little chicks and bunnies…
Good quality candy has gotten so expensive these days, and most chocolate manufacturers have recently switched to using all oil in their chocolate…OH, the horror!! Most recently Hershey’s chocolate company caved in also due to the high costs of cocoa butter…So, if you want to know that your kids are eating something that is not filled with preservatives or trans fats, these little treats are an easy and fun project to make…especially if you are trying to keep little hands busy. We had lots of fun making them, so I hope you have a chance to try the recipe…
Homemade Marshmallows
5 oz egg whites (about 4 whites) plus pinch salt if they are fresh whites
1/2 cup water
1 -1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla
12 sheets gelatin (bronze label) **or 5 packets of Knox gelatin (1.25 oz) diluted in 5 oz hot water
NOTE: **For chocolate marshmallow add 2-3 Tablespoons sifted cocoa powder to the marshmallow once it has completely cooled before pouring into your prepared pan
First, if using gelatin sheets, soak them in very cold water until pliable. If you are using gelatin powder, make sure to heat up the water right before you are ready to add it into the marshmallow. Once the water is hot, add in the gelatin slowly and stir in a little at a time to dissolve it completely. Once it has dissolved, pass it all through a sieve into another container, because no matter how careful you are, you may still get some lumps. Granulated gelatin like Knox is dissolved a little differently than sheet gelatin, and this extra step will catch and potential problems that may ruin your marshmallows.
Add the water, sugar and corn syrup together in a pot to boil until the softball stage (240°F) on a candy thermometer. When the sugar is almost done, start whipping the whites with the pinch of salt until very soft peaks have formed. When the sugar is cooked, turn the mixer on the highest speed and pour the syrup slowly into the fluffy whites. Be careful not to pour the sugar on the beaters or you will burn yourself…pour close to the inside edge of the bowl without having the syrup touch the bowl…otherwise all the syrup will be stuck on the bowl and not end up in the whites. At this point add the vanilla, and wring out the water from the gelatin sheets and add them while the mixture is still hot, and they will melt in the whites…no need to melt them separately unless you prefer to do it that way. If you are using gelatin powder, add the bloomed gelatin to the hot egg white mixture or you can melt this in warmed water right before adding. Let the mixture whip on high speed until it is completely cool. Line a half sheet pan with some parchment paper and use a paper towel with a little oil and wipe the paper to give it a slight residue so that your little chicks won’t be hard to remove later. If you put too much oil, they will be difficult to pipe on the paper. Have a piping bag ready with a medium sized round tip, and scoop out the mixture into the bag then pipe out your shapes. We made little chicks, bunnies and centipedes and used mini chocolate chips for their eyes. It may take a little practice to make the shapes, so you may just want to pipe out little marshmallow mounds if the shapes are too difficult for you. When you are finished, coat again with a layer of sugar and let them cure over night uncovered.
If you choose to make a tray of marshmallow and would rather not pipe them out, you can do that too. Prepare a square pan by slightly greasing the pan and wiping out any extra oil. Add a piece of parchment to the bottom of this pan and grease this again so that the marshmallow will be easy to remove. Once the marshmallow has cooled, pour into the pan and allow it to ‘cure’ on an even surface at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight. Use an oiled knife or pizza cutter to cut into desired shapes for s’mores or marshmallows for hot chocolate. Roll in the dusting mixture and store at room temperature.
Dusting Mixture
1 cup cornstarch
4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Sift ingredients together and roll marshmallows in the mixture. For chocolate marshmallows, add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the 1 cup of cornstarch.
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