Heya Sugar friends!
I’ve got another installment of the I’m too lazy busy to make complicated goodies this year blog series!
I have always wanted to try homemade marshmallows but just never got around to it. The other night I just had a notion to give it a try. (You know, when I really should have been doing laundry. Inspiration hits at the oddest times, doesn’t it?) My younger son loves marshmallows, and I wanted to see if homemade were as good or better than store bought.
Recipes with cooked sugar can be intimidating for lots of folks, but I am here to tell you this was really easy and fun to do. Did not take a lot of time either. I am not a cook by any stretch of the imagination, so if I could do it without having to call 911, you can too!
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 envelopes plain gelatin powder
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- assorted colored sugars and sprinkles
- Line a pan with foil and grease it liberally with butter. I used a 9 inch square pan to get tall marshmallows I could cut into cubes.
- In a mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the cold water and set it aside.
- In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and the rest of the water. Bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally. Bring to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer or to soft ball stage.
- Remove from the heat and gradually add to the gelatin with mixer on low speed with whisk attachment. Turn up to high speed and beat until it is thick and fluffy and doubled in volume. It will look similar to marshmallow cream you get in the jar, but a but thinner. This takes about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix in well.
- Spread into foiled pan with a buttered spatula. Cover with foil and let sit overnight.
- Lift the foil out of the pan and peel away from the marshmallow. It will come away easily as the marshmallow should be very firm at this point.
- Cut into squares with a non serrated knife greased with butter. Clean the knife under water, wipe dry, and re-butter before each cut, in order to get clean pretty edges on the marshmallow cubes.
- Roll them in sprinkles or colored sugars. If you do not want to add sprinkles, just roll them in powdered sugar and shake off the excess.
The 2 inch deep cake pan after marshmallow was spread in.
The next day the foil came away easily from the sides of the marshmallow as you can see here. Then I just proceeded to cut it into cubes and garnish them.
EASY
These would be so cute on your holiday dessert table. Or even as a nice homemade gift. (You would have to make them close to gift giving day because I am not sure how long they last with no preservatives in them.)
Or how about dipping them in mint chocolate to make hot cocoa stir sticks:
And just for fun……….
I had a little bit of the mixture left over when I filled the square cake pan, so I put that in another pan. It made a shallow sheet of marshmallows, which I experimented with cutting with cookie cutters.
It worked great!
I just greased the cutter well with butter and cut them out. Worked like a charm!
How cute are these wintry trees?
And they tasted great too! The texture was perfect. Every bit as good as the ones from the bag, if not better. So if you guys have been wanting to try this, I encourage you to do so. Let me know how they turn out for you.
I gotta run now, that dang laundry is still sitting there.
Or maybe I need to make some Christmas cookies right now………
Happy Holidays!
Sharon
Thanks for the lovely tutorial… I will be using this for my daughters birthday next month
Hi Sharon: I also made marshmallows for the first time ever recently. I LOVE THEM! I’ve tried regular pure vanilla ones, and I’ve used Grand Marnier. I’ve tinted them turquoise with the vanilla ones, and orange for the Grand Marnier ones, and they were and are delicious. I’ve experimented, and they can be frozen (well protected) and they thaw with no problem. I’ve also left them for a few weeks in Tupperware or a cookie tin, and they are fine, as long as the air doesn’t get to them too much and dry them out. Happy Baking and decorating! Denise
Great ideas!
Thanks for this great tutorial! I’ve always wanted to make homemade marshmallows and now I think I will 🙂 Happy Holidays!
Been looking for years for a marshmallow recipe that does not contain gelatin. Any help?
Try the same recipe with Agar Agar, it is a perfect gluten free substitute for gelatin and works the same.
What a lovely change from the usual Christmas candies and these can surely be adapted for so many different occasions with just a change of colored sprinkles or cutter. Thanks, as always, for sharing your talent with us, Sharon, and let me take this opportunity to wish you and one and all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Sharon- these look ab fab!! I am going to have to give them a try.
love the decorated trees. I will give this a try for the Christmas season. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe. I had always meaning to do the same. I think I’ll give it a try. However, like you, i work and the time is the problem, I’m also making gingerbread houses this year.
Thank You dear Sharon, and Merry Christmas !!!!
Gosh Sharon you have more energy than anyone I know 🙂 another great tutorial..I will be trying these out this holiday season :)Thanks for all your sharing, I always enjoy reading your comments…they make me giggle everytime!
Sharon these look terrific! Definitely want to try this recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. I agree I wish laundry would do itself. Have a great Holiday
These are adorable. My kids love marshmallows so I must try. Do you think they could be frozen and then dipped in chocolate? (trying to think of a way to incorporate chocolate without them melting.)
This is awesome!!!! I do will have to forgoe some part of the housework. Pool me. lol I am going to give this a try.
Pretty course I prefer my mallows like my oreos…dipped!
LOL
Do you happen to know how much gelatin is in 2 packages? I buy it in buck not individual sizes. Thanks in advance
Hi
This is Ritu from India. I live in a small town in jalandhar and we dont get corn syrup here. Is there any alternative for it or any substitute for it.
THanks
You can use honey Ritu!
thanks for the tutorial,will give this a try
I too, love your tutorials! You are such an encourager and the pictures and clear directions really give me the inspiration to try these awesome concoctions! Everyone should know how to make marshmallow!! Thanks and Merry Christmas!
I’ve been doing these for years to use in French hot chocolate at my Christmas party. Like Sharon, I cut them out with little cutters (usually snowflake), dust them with PS and present on a pretty Christmas plate. Inevitably someone says “Wow — what are these?”. They’re always a big hit.
This is NO good! I adore marshmallows and now that I know they are so easy I’m in trouble. BIG time!
LOVE this!! I was always afraid of making my own marshmallows! Definitely worth a try now! Thank you for posting this, you make it look so easy!
Angela
Thanks for your tutorials I’ll try my hands on them bcos I love marshmallow a lot
These mashmallows look delicious. How do I make the sprinkles stick to them?
ok
my goodness! those marshmallows are gorgeous! 😀
thank you so much for all your tutorials I will do the santa for gifts