Swirled Marshmallows

The other day I was talking with my daughter about s’mores (she’d wanted to make them out of marshmallow peeps), when I mentioned that we could make our own marshmallows at home. She was immediately interested– it had never occurred to her that they could be made at home! Accordingly, the day before Easter we got out the gelatin and sugar and set to work.

The process was unsurprisingly sticky, made slightly more complicated by the fact that we made two different colors and tried (tried!) to swirl them together, but they turned out well– sweet, fluffy, and perfectly delicious when floated in a cup of hot chocolate. In my opinion, homemade marshmallows far surpass storebought– they’re fluffier and less dry/sticky in the mouth, and taste “fresher” than marshmallows that have been sitting in a bag for weeks.

Swirled Marshmallows (adapted slightly from Two Sisters Crafting)

• 3 .75 oz. envelopes Unflavored Knox Gelatin
•  1/2 cup ice cold water
•  1 tablespoon vanilla
•  2 cups sugar
•  2/3 cup Light Corn Syrup
•  1/4 cup Water
•  Dash Salt
• Additional flavored extract (optional)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsp. cornstarch

 

• Prepare your pan by spraying it with cooking spray, lining with plastic wrap, and spraying again. Set aside.
• Combine 1/2 cup cold water and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Sprinkle gelatin over the surface and let sit while you make your sugar syrup.
• Stir together sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Boil until it hits 240 degrees F (it’ll happen pretty soon after it boils, so watch out), then slowly drizzle into the stand mixer bowl while stirring on low speed.
• Once all the syrup is in, add a dash of salt and whip on high for about 10 minutes, until the mixer bowl is no longer warm to the touch.

• Dollop half of the marshmallow mixture into your prepared pan.
• Add food coloring (and optional additional flavoring) to the remaining marshmallow mixture in the stand mixer and whip to combine. Dollop the rest into the pan.
• Using a knife, swirl the two colors of marshmallow together.
• With oiled hands, smooth mixture into pan. Spray another piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and press onto the surface of the marshmallow.

• Let sit overnight to firm up.
• The next day, combine powdered sugar and cornstarch. Peel back the plastic wrap and sift some of the mixture over the top.
• Turn the sheet of marshmallow out onto a cutting board dusted with more sugar/cornstarch.
• Use an oiled knife to cut marshmallows into desired shapes. Toss finished marshmallows with more sugar/cornstarch.
• Store airtight at room temperature.

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