MARSHMALLOW MADNESS!
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Oh, marshmallows. In true "Brittany" fashion, I wasn't even on the lookout for making marshmallows. I saw a couple videos and how light and airy and delicious these looked and I couldn't help myself. I started following a marshmallow group on Facebook and reading the posts and recipes and flavor variations and I was HOOKED! Needless to say, marshmallows have been such a fun adventure. They truly aren't that difficult and they are fun to eat. I never had a homemade marshmallow and let me tell you: if you think you don't like marshmallows, you're probably wrong. These are NOTHING like store bought marshmallows and are great additions to coffee, ice cream, etc. Join me as I tell you all I know about marshmallows (not nearly all there is) and show you how you can play with your recipe variations.
My first venture in to marshmallows was a recipe from Domestic Gothess. It's these mocha marshmallows, which I will detail out. From there, I was hooked. Coffee and chocolate are amazing and in this pillowy goodness, I couldn't resist. I adapted this recipe to a basic formula which I used when trying out other flavor profiles and it has worked for me so far! Below let me detail out this recipe that got me head over heels and show you the breakdown of this formula.
Everything I mention in this post can be found in my Marshmallow Essentials Amazon.
[You WILL ABSOLUTELY need a candy thermometer. I have one linked above in that list. Please be advised this recipe calls for heating sugar syrup. This is always a bit dangerous. Never leave this unattended and pay special attention to what you're doing. I remember at age 16 when I went to heat a sugar and egg mixture for icing and I almost burnt the house down. YOU MUST BABYSIT THIS and use a larger saucepan than you think you need.]
Makes and 8x8 pan, I prefer the one in my storefront with sharp edges for aesthetics!
FORMULA:
320 ml coffee (cooled, we will split this up)
24 grams gelatin (if using packets, about 3 of them, ALWAYS weigh. I buy the Knox large gelatin container seen in my storefront.)
440 grams caster sugar (I prefer to make my sugar in to caster sugar, this isn't necessary, but I find it helps the texture. To do this, just take the 440 grams and add it to a ninja or bullet-like blender and blend for a few seconds)
160 ml high quality maple syrup
1/2 cup dark chocolate melts (I prefer Ghiradelli)
FOR CUTTING/COATING:
About 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar, sifted.
DIRECTIONS:
Before you begin, have everything laid out and measured out. Once the sugar is on the stove, these things need to be available without much thought.
I spray my pan with Pam Baking Perfect Release Spray. If you want, you may use plastic wrap or parchment to line the pan, but make sure to coat it with a spray (preferably PAM Perfect Release or canola spray.)
You will want to ensure the bowl of your stand mixer is wiped down well and the mixer is fitted with a balloon whisk.
For the gelatin bloom, make sure the coffee is cooled. Pour 120 mL of the coffee in to the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle the 24 grams of gelatin over the coffee and leave it alone.
Place the caster sugar, maple syrup and remaining 200 mL coffee in a very large saucepan. You may think it's oversized, it isn't. Sugar syrup rises and falls and you DO NOT want this to bubble over.
Place the saucepan over medium/high heat with the thermometer leaning inside or clipped to the side (whichever one you have).
Gently stir to combine and dissolve most of the sugar.
Let the mixture cook. It will take about 10-15 minutes to come to the correct temperature (265 degrees F). Periodically give it a stir.
While that is cooking, take the chocolate melts and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until melted (about 1 minute). Stir and leave to the side.
Once the thermometer reads 265 degrees F, remove the thermometer carefully and start the mixer on the LOWEST setting.
Remove the saucepan from the stove and VERY carefully pour the sugar syrup in to the bowl of your stand mixer. DO NOT pour on the whisk, or straight down the side. Aim to pour this very slowly in the gap between the whisk on low speed and the side of your bowl.
Once all the sugar syrup is in the bowl of your mixer, gently increase the speed until you're at HIGH. Be careful not to increase to fast and fling the mixture everywhere - it's HOT!!!
Run your mixer on HIGH for about 8 minutes. Sometimes mine takes the full time or a little more and sometimes it takes less. Just watch the sides of the bowl. When the marshmallow mix starts to pull away and look like ropes of taffy being pulled, decrease the mixer to LOW speed.
Pour in 1/2 of the melted chocolate and mix on LOW for 5-10 seconds. You do not want it to incorporate fully, but you want the chocolate to ribbon. Stop the mixer and remove the whisk. You'll have to bang the whisk several times to get some of the mixture off of it.
Spray a spatula with some nonstick spray and pour out the mixture in to the greased 8x8 pan, scraping the sides with your greased spatula. Gently wiggle the pan to level the mixture.
Pour the remaining chocolate melts over the top in a zig zag pattern and go back through with a knife, creating a pattern on the top.
LIGHTLY spray the top with the PAM and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap, pressing gently to even the top out.
Let sit for at least 5 hours, until firm enough to cut. So you won't be tempted, I recommend leaving overnight.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You now have marshmallows, but the fun isn't over. Cutting marshmallows is a task all on it's own. To do this, I actually use a tall metal cake scraper. I find it's better to cut with than a knife, but if you don't have one, a very large and sharp kitchen knife will do the trick.
To begin, I would cover your counter with plastic wrap for easy cleanup. Dust with some powdered sugar. Turn out the pan on to the dusted and covered counter space. Dust the marshmallows with some powdered sugar and spray your knife or metal scraper with some baking spray.
Cut the marshmallows in to 1.5-2" sections. When using a scraper, I like to divide the large piece in two with one cut, then divide the halves in to 3 sections with two more cuts on each side. I repeat the other direction. This gives me ROUGHLY 36 marshmallows that are roughly 1.5"x1.5"x2".
You may need to re-grease every few cuts. Do NOT drag the knife or scraper. You want to cut directly down and slide the tool out. No cutting from the one side and dragging the blade. This will not go well.
Once you have them cut, sift the powdered sugar on to the pile and dust the marshmallows. Turn them on to each side and make sure they're all throughly coated. Place in an airtight container and ENJOY!
YOU NEED MORE?!
I know, you're now obsessed and NEED to know what you can do to experiment on your own!
Well, Look no further than here. From this recipe, I did try many others. To me, this formula that I broke down to, is the best one by far. For starters, I do not like that many of the recipes call for corn syrup. While this is the easiest and cheapest route - it isn't in my nature to put out a subpar product. I really hate corn syrup and avoid it where I can. I opted to continue to use maple syrup OR another equivalent from Amoretti, Monin, etc, that are linked in my Amazon Storefront.
Additionally, the ratios and ways you can create from this basic breakdown are endless. Marshmallows, however, are FICKLE. I recommend joining the Marshmallow Making Madness group on Facebook. There are a lot of posts daily on tips and tricks of what does and doesn't work in the gelatin bloom, mix ins, etc. Start there and use it as a resource because it's a great one. Here is my basic formula for you to edit and create the marshmallows of your dreams, just scroll below the pictures of some of my own variations.
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Makes and 8x8 pan.
FORMULA:
For the gelatin bloom:
120 mL liquid (I've used tea, juice, etc)
24 grams gelatin
For the sugar syrup:
440 grams caster sugar
160 mL syrup (I have used many of the Amoretti syrups that are great for this, green apple is SO good)
200 mL liquid (again, it can be water, juice, tea, etc)
Makes and 8x13 pan.
FORMULA:
For the gelatin bloom:
180 mL liquid (I've used tea, juice, etc)
36 grams gelatin
For the sugar syrup:
660 grams caster sugar
240 mL syrup (I have used many of the Amoretti syrups that are great for this, green apple is SO good)
300 mL liquid (again, it can be water, juice, tea, etc)
Follow all the same directions that I used above. Just make sure whatever you are using for your bloom is COOLED. If you make tea, make sure it's not hot.
If you make any variation, be sure to let me know! I would love to hear what you create and tag me on Instagram @Cakeandcrescent