Homemade Marshmallows

 I've always wanted to try making homemade marshmallows. I'd heard rumors that they taste better than their store bought counterparts and since this is the case with many things, I figured it had to be true. After browsing around pinterest for a few minutes I found a found a recipe that I had nearly all the ingredients for that seemed easy enough to accomplish. 

As per usual with things I find on pinterest I altered the original recipe slightly to make it my own. Here is what you will need to make your very own batch of homemade marshmallows:

2.5 Tablespoons of unflavored gelatin

 1/2 cup of cold water

1.5 cups of sugar

1 cup of light corn syrup

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup of water

1.5 tablesoons of vanilla extract (the original recipe said to do 2 but I think the flavor was a bit strong so I'd recommend a little less)

Cooking spray & powdered sugar

 Begin by combining the 2.5 tablespoons of gelatin with 1/2 cup of cold water and set aside. The recipe I followed said to let it sit for 30 minutes, I'm impatient so mine only set for around 20-25 minutes but it didn't seem to affect to marshmallows all that much. 

 Next in a small saucepan combine the sugar, light corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Cook on a low temperature until the sugar dissolves into the liquids, stirring frequently.

Once the sugar has dissolved crank up the heat till the mixture reaches a boil. No need to stir. Use a candy thermometer and removed the mixture when it reaches 244 degrees. The recipe says this take about 12 minutes, but again my mixture reached the appropriate temperature really quickly (about 7-8 minutes). 

Once the mixture reaches the right temperature, and your orginial mixture of water and gelatin has set for 30 minutes, combine the two with a hand held mixer on it's lowest speed. Once the two are combined increase the mixer's speed to high for approximately 15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and coats the mixers. At this point mix in your vanilla extract.

Spray a pan with cooking spray and dust it with powdered sugar, then pour in your marshmallow mixture. Dust the top of the mixture with more powdered sugar and refrigerate for at least three hours (the original recipe said that it's alright to leave the marshmallow mixture in overnight if you'd like). 

 After three hours I removed my marshmallows from the fridge. To remove them from the pan I dusted a cutting board with powdered sugar, run a knife all around the pan and turn the pan upside down. (we had to loosen up one side with a spoon but after that the marshmallow came right out.

Cut your marshmallows up however you like. We cut ours down to a pretty small size ( just smaller than the large size store-bought variety) so they'd be the prefect size for hot cocoa or smores. 

Store in the fridge in an airtight container. The original recipe says they will keep for weeks :)

I was surprised at how easy marshmallows are to make, the process is a long one but it's super simple. I was also really happy with the end result. These marshmallows are nothing like the store-bought marshmallows I'm used to. The texture is much more gelatin like, but the flavor is so much better. I definitely recommend giving this recipe a try. You can really impress your friends around the holidays with these homemade beauties or your can just make a lot for yourself to enjoy, either way works!

Would you consider making homemade marshmallows?

-Reagan