Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows are one of my family's favorite candy treats.

They taste far better than anything you can buy in the store and go great with coffee or in hot chocolate or just as a treat.

The kids love to decorate theirs with various food colors and multi-colored sprinkles.

Marshmallow Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 oz unflavored gelatine
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cups corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Line a 9 inch baking pan with plastic wrap and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Leave it to one side while you work on your homemade marshmallows.



2. Add 1/2 cup of cold water to a mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over the top. Allow it to soak for around 10 minutes.



3. In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup of water. Heat over a high heat until the mixture is boiling rapidly. Allow it to boil for a minute.



4. Pour the boiling syrup into the gelatine, add the salt and whisk rapidly. You should find that an electric whisk is best for this step as you'll need to whisk for around 12 minutes on high speed.



5. After the first 12 minutes, add the vanilla extract and then whisk it into the marshmallow mixture well.



6. Use a spatula to scrape the marshmallow into the baking pan. Spread it across the pan evenly and then place another piece of plastic wrap over the top of the marshmallow.



7. Leave the pan aside to cool until the marshmallow is set. A few hours is usually fine, although overnight is better.



8. Once it's cooled, cut the marshmallow into squares and roll each piece lightly in confectioner's sugar.

Homemade Coconut Marshmallows

You'll love the delicious contrast of crunchy coconut and soft marshmallow with this coconut marshmallow recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons unflavored gelatine
• 1 tablespoon coconut extract
• 2 egg whites

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 325F (160C). Spread the coconut across the base of a small baking pan and toast it in the oven until it turns golden brown. This step should only take around 9 or 10 minutes, but it's important to stir the coconut every 2 minutes or so to be sure it toasts evenly.



2. When it's a lovely golden brown color, remove it from the oven and leave it aside to cool.



3. Prepare a 9 inch (22cm) baking pan by lining it with aluminium foil and then spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle about 1 cup of the toasted coconut across the bottom of the pan evenly.



4. In a saucepan, mix the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup of water. Cook the ingredients over a medium heat, stirring consistently until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring and allow the mixture to boil rapidly.



5. Place another 3/4 cup of water, coconut extract and gelatin in a small saucepan. Stir the ingredients a little and then allow them to sit for around 5 minutes over a very low heat. While the gelatine is softening, put the egg whites in a bowl and beat them until they form firm peaks.



6. Remove the gelatine mixture from the heat and pour it into the sugar syrup. Mix together well and then pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites in a very thin stream. You should be sure you have your hand mixer on a very low speed while you mix together these ingredients.



7. When all the sugar syrup is poured into the egg whites, increase the speed on the mixer to medium and beat the marshmallow until it becomes thick. This can take anywhere between five and eight minutes, so be patient.



8. Use a spatula to scrape the marshmallow out of the bowl and into the baking pan you prepared earlier. Smooth out the top with your spatula and then sprinkle another 1 cup of toasted coconut over the top evenly.



9. You should still have one cup of toasted coconut remaining. This will be used to coat the sides of your marshmallow after you've cut it into square later, so leave this aside for now.



10. Leave your homemade marshmallow to set overnight. When it's set, use the edges of the foil to lift the marshmallow out of the pan. Tip it upside down onto a bench and then cut into squares.



11. Roll the cut pieces in the rest of the coconut and serve immediately.

Homemade Marshmallow Variations

My daughter loves to color her marshmallows, so I prepare three separate baking pans and then separate the above homemade marshmallow recipe into three after it's been whisked.

Add a few drops of red, green or blue food coloring to each individual batch. When they've set, cut them into squares and roll three sides lightly in confectioner's sugar. Sprinkle the tops with multi-colored confectionary sprinkles. Kids love these colorful marshmallow candy treats.

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