*edited to add additional flavor ideas*
So I decided that all my recipes this month will be cookies and candy because I certainly don’t get enough of those at the holidays. No sir. This week my friend Meghan came over to hang out and she showed me how to make marshmallows. She’s been insisting for years now that it’s super easy, and I thought she was nuts. I mean, you need a candy thermometer. That’s crazy. But…as much as it pains me to admit it…Meghan was right. It’s actually ridiculously easy to make marshmallows. I think I might be making them a LOT this month to give as gifts.
Homemade Marshmallows
you need:
2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract OR 4 tablespoons baking cocoa mixed with 4 tablespoons boiling water
powdered sugar
Combine gelatin and cold water in a mixing bowl. Let it stand for 30 minutes.
Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup of water in a pan; place over low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.
Clip on candy thermometer and raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244° F (118° C), then remove the pan from heat.
We SHOULD have had the mixer going on low speed when we added the hot syrup to the gelatin, but we forgot. It turned out OK, but it’s better to have the mixer going when you pour in the syrup.
Turn the mixer up to high speed and let it go for about 15ish minutes, or until the mixture has turned white and tripled in volume.
White and fluffy and yummy!
Reduce mixing speed and add in flavoring IF you want your marshmallows to be all one color. Here I’m adding the vanilla for plain marshmallows. OR…
Meghan mixed in the baking cocoa by hand for the chocolate marshmallows, and it was gorgeous and swirly.
Pour your marshmallow mixture into a pan. We lined foil pans with wax paper and then covered the bottom with powdered sugar. We also saw a suggestion to grease the pan and then add powdered sugar. I would probably do that next time, because the marshmallows stuck to the sides of the paper (but came off the bottom just fine).
The hard part! You have to let the marshmallows sit out, uncovered, for 24ish hours so they can dry out. This is like torture.
When it comes time to cut the marshmallows, they SHOULD just slide out of the pan. But mine stuck to the sides of the paper (like I mentioned above) so I just cut them in the pan. I dusted the top of the marshmallows with powdered sugar. Then I rubbed powdered sugar on my pizza cutter, cutting board and hands. Basically, anything that a marshmallow will touch should have powdered sugar because they are STICKY.
I’m still finding powdered sugar.
If they are REALLY sticky you can roll them in powdered sugar.
I am drooling just looking at this picture! I didn’t roll the chocolate marshmallows in powdered sugar because I didn’t want to cover their pretty stripes.
Mike dunked his marshmallows in hot chocolate.
They are SO GOOD (and yes, that is a Paul McCartney T-Shirt). Mike has since made s’mores with them…drooooool.
*ADDED*
I made Marshmallows for a holiday cookie exchange. I used the chocolate and vanilla recipes above, but with a twist.
S’more Marshmallows
I rolled the chocolate marshmallows in crushed graham crackers.
Candy Cane Marshmallows
I made the vanilla marshmallows, but with two changes. In a separate bowl, I mixed 4 tablespoons powdered sugar with 4 tablespoons boiling water. I then added red food coloring (I used beverage food coloring) until my sugar mixture was very red. Then, I hand-mixed it into my marshmallows so they would have red swirls in them. The white marshmallows dilute the red a bit, so they came out pinker than I expected. After I let my marshmallows sit overnight, I cut them and rolled each cut marshmallow in crushed candy canes.
I know a lot of people make marshmallows, I would LOVE to hear about different flavor ideas!
- 2½ tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup cold water
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (for plain flavor) OR 4 tablespoons baking cocoa mixed with 4 tablespoons boiling water (for chocolate flavor)
- powdered sugar
- Combine gelatin and ½ cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let it stand 30 minutes.
- Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and ½ cup of water in a pan; place over low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.
- Clip on candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244° F (118° C). Immediately remove pan from heat.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the gelatin.
- Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes.
- Add flavors, beat or hand-mix to incorporate.
- Generously dust an 8x12 inch glass baking pan with confectioners' sugar.
- Pour marshmallow mixture into pan.
- Let stand over night uncovered, to dry out.
Buccinator says:
I made the exact same marshmallows and have already given them out as Christmas gifts, but I dipped one side in chocolate and then into crushed candy canes. SO pretty and amazingly delicious. And you know, you kinda die if you put one in a cup of hot cocoa!
wan-nabe says:
homemade marshmallows are THE BEST. and people are always so impressed with them…and i giggle because it really is so easy to do.
for the holidays, i suggest peppermint, with a swirl of red food coloring throughout. and then drizzle or dunk halfway in chocolate. droooooool.
Daisy says:
Love making marshmallows. A friend suggested to me that you slice them with fishing line- hold it tight and slice down, quickly. Easier to get through the batch without lots of stickiness.
Meghan says:
Wow. I am insanely pale. I need to spend some more time outside, apparently.
My favorite flavors (that I’ve made so far):
Peanut Butter & Honey (warm up pb & honey in a bowl and mix in, just like the chocolate)
Toasted Coconut (toast coconut in a pan until it’s nicely brown and use it to finish plain marshmallows instead of powdered sugar)
I had so much fun! Can’t wait to do it again! xo
Lissa says:
Don’t feel bad, Meghan….in every picture I have of me with “normal” people……I look suspisciously like a ghost due to my extreme paleness. (Ok, and I never have any idea how SHORT I am until I see pics) I have one pic of me posing for the requisite holiday pic with extended family where a beam of light is coming in from the window behind us and hitting ONLY me. It is really really creepy….like I’m an angel or something. I feel you!
Annie says:
Those look fantastic! For some reason homemade marshmallows sound intimidating to me, but I should give them a try!
Annie says:
Do you know how long homemade marshmallows stay good for?
Heather says:
That’s a good question! I’m not sure. I need to google it.
Ashley M says:
They are good for about a week in a closed container.
Ashley M says:
The cocoa ones look so good! The first batch of marshmallows I made were made with Blueberry Beer.
Laura says:
Hmm you list adding salt in the instructions for step 2 but dont list an amount in the ingredients? How much salt??
Heather says:
Whoops, no salt.
Jennie says:
ummm yezplease. what’s a girl gotta do to get on the homemade marshies Christmas gift list? Cuz I’ll do it.
tonya cinnamon says:
I love this….mmmmmmmmmmm marshmallows.. Im going to try this this week !:)
Emily says:
PEPPERMINT EXTRACT!
Or make adult marshmallows, with bourbon, schnapps, or brandy! =)
Dayna Nickle says:
The cocoa ones look so good! The first batch of marshmallows I made were made with Blueberry Beer, thanks for the recipie.
Glenda says:
they look yummy!
i made your cinnamon pull apart bread and it was a hit!!! thanks for sharing your yummy recipes!
Kristen says:
when we made these in class, we did raspberry, strawberry, coffee (not all together, of course) I think you can do just about any flavor. I did regular vanilla, but I bumped it up using vanilla bean and vanilla sugar. They were really good though.
Stacy says:
Wow…I didn’t even know homemade marshmallows were possible!
Yum!!
alimartell says:
I have had Meghan’s marshmallows and they are divine. I think I’ll stick to having her make them for me. Hee!
Shan says:
Those look divine!
gayatri.life.unordinary says:
seems simple enough..or you make it look easy! Love that you’re using Kroger brand products.
gugs says:
I made these last night – so good! I took some to work and everyone enjoyed them. I wanted to practice making them before xmas because I and a friend are making food gift baskets for coworkers. I dont have the fanciest mix master in the world but it worked a treat.
gugs says:
FYI I made them with fish-based gelatin instead of beef/pork extract one and it turned out fine.
lauren says:
you lost me when you used a mixer…I am not from the “baking” experts..but looks yummy.
Expat Mom says:
I love homemade marshmallows. I highly recommend spray oil for greasing your paper, quick and easy! We also make thinner marshmallows and cut them out with mini cookie cutters, which is time consuming, but fun and then you get to eat all the scraps.
Nancy [Spinning My Plates] says:
I’ve made these the past few years. I’ve never tried adding chocolate, though. I may brave that this year. I usually dip the corner of mine in melted chocolate and then roll it in crushed candy canes or crushed candy (Heath bars and butterfingers are awesome for this).
Kim says:
So glad you’ve jumped on the homemade marshmallow wagon with me
I love to add a little flavoring when I do the gelatin. Jeremy loves when I make mint marshmallows and then dip them in chocolate. SOOOO good.
Kristina says:
The recipe I use (almost identical to yours) says they are good for 3 weeks if kept in an airtight container. Mine have never lasted even a week so I haven’t tested this! It’s a great treat to make because the recipe makes about 100 1-inch marshmallows. I was able to make gift bags for everyone I needed to by just making 2 batches. Easy!