Sunday, December 5, 2010

Marshmallows and Ornaments


Making marshmallows...so easy and so fun.  There's something a little magical seeing the liquid ingredients you pour into your mixer turn into this snowy white fluff.



If not a little sticky.


I used Alton Brown's recipe,  here it is for ya...

 Ingredients
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

For miniature marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper, spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray and dust with the confectioners' sugar mixture.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe the mixture onto the prepared sheet pans lengthwise, leaving about 1-inch between each strip. Sprinkle the tops with enough of the remaining cornstarch and sugar mixture to lightly cover. Let the strips set for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces using a pizza wheel or scissors dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

We also whipped up a batch of ornaments I just recently read about from some facebook friends.  


 According to the recipe you use one cup of applesauce and 12 ounces of cinnamon and mix it together to make a really stiff dough.  I ended up having to add maybe about another 1/2 cup of applesauce because my dough was just too dry and crumbly.  After you get it mixed up, roll it out and cut it into shapes.  I'm told it takes about 3 days for them to dry, and you flip them over once a day.  (these definitely aren't for eating)


I'll probably poke some holes in them before they get completely dry to put ribbon in for hanging up.  They smell just wonderful!  And so do my hands :D 

24 comments:

Lara said...

I tried some homemade marshmallows recently that really gave me the hankering to try and make some myself. I'm bookmarking this to try!

The JR said...

I imagine they taste so much better than the store bought.

Val said...

I love love love homemade marshmallows. YUM

teresa said...

it's so fun to do these kinds of things homemade! i love the marshmallows!

Mary Bergfeld said...

I've never made marshmallows, but yours look delicious and you've made it sound like fun. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

The Blonde Duck said...

I bet these are extraordinary compared to store bought.

Anonymous said...

I've never attempted homemade marshmallows before but it does look easy and fun. I could use a nice big mug of hot chocolate with some of your marshmallows right now!

Karen said...

I made some marshmallows last year and they were great with hot chocolate. I might have to make some again :)

Amy at TheSceneFromMe said...

Now that is alot of marshmallows! Do you think one can make an eggnog flavored marshmallow?

Krista said...

I still haven't made my own marshmallows...although I always think that I'll try. This post may have just inspired me...again.

Love the ornaments too!

Happy Holidays!

Diana's Cocina said...

Love the marshmallows! It's always fun to do these kinds of things homemadeand with the kiddos!

Monet said...

My sweet husband adores marshmallows...what a fun afternoon project this would be. I know we would enjoy making and eating them! Thank you so much for sharing! I hope you have a peace-filled day.

theUngourmet said...

I'm so glad you found a good recipe. Yum! My kids would love to give me a hand in the kitchen with these!

UrMomCooks said...

Wow - always wanted to try Alton's marshmallows and Christmas is the perfect time! So many things those little babies will sweeten up! Cute ornaments too! Looks like a kid-tastic weekend!

Unknown said...

I've always wanted to try homemade marshmallows. For some reason they frighten me.

Joanne said...

Wow. I have been absolutely dying to make homemade marshmallows and these look fantastic! I never knew they were so easy!

Evolving Mommy Catherine said...

Marshmallows? Your a;ways making such fun things in your kitchen.

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

I have never wanted to make homemade marshmellows, until I saw this beautiful photo. So gorgeous.

Fondly,
Glenda

Chris said...

These look great but did you HAVE to show us your hands after you sneezed in the third photo? ;) :) ;)

(What? you know that was funny!)

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yay, for marshmallows! You made 'em for the cocoa gift jars? Need my address? Ha-ha!
~ingrid

Kim said...

I really want to make these! These are a treat that my son can actually eat and I think he would be real excited to try them in different colors and flavors. I'll have to bookmark these and being the search for gelatin (can never find it here for some reason).

Deborah said...

I made my first homemade marshmallows not too long ago, and I'm a total fan! And I made ornaments many years ago with just cinnamon and elmer's glue. I can't remember the ratio, but I still use them adn they smell divine!

Leslie said...

I soooo need to get on the ball and make some homemade marshmallows! yum

Monica H said...

ooh, this is a great marshmallow recipe. The texture is what I really like.