Talking with Keri Aschoff at our gift wrapping outreach yesterday, I was pleased to hear that her husband, Tim, is an avid cook. Being the lover of culinary arts that I am, we struck up a conversation, and I brought up that I make my own marshmallows. Strange but true, I do make these, and they are 1000 times better than anything you can buy in a bag. And they are embarrassingly easy to make! All you really need is a good stand mixer, and you’re halfway to marshmallow goodness!
Homemade Marshmallows
This recipe is taken from my grandmother’s recipes, received from the candy maker at Schneider’s Sweet Shop. Not sure it they still use this recipe or not, but I imagine it’s likely 75 years old!
2 cups sugar
10 tbsp water
2 tbsp unflavored gelatin
10 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
corn starch & powdered sugar
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, mix gelatin and 10 tbsp water to soak. Meanwhile, mix sugar and the other 10 tbsp water in a medium saucepan and bring to boil, over low heat, stirring constantly. Cook to 220 degrees. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Attach wisk attachment to mixer and turn the mixer on high and slowly pour hot syrup into the gelatin. Let this mixture whip for 45 minutes until thick and creamy. While it beats, coat (and I mean COAT) a 9 x 13 pan with corn starch (Alton Brown uses an equal mix of corn starch and powdered sugar, either one works). Pour the mix out into prepared pan and even out. Let cool completely (AB recommends 4 hours).
Turn them out, cut them with a pizza cutter and enjoy! You can also pipe these out into various shapes or pipe a long line and cut them into little marshmallows.
These are great for hot chocolate, but they don’t roast well. The ones in the bag are a lot better for roasting!
