Homemade Marshmallows

[energy]

I am becoming a huge fan of tasty well made marshmallows...no more bag marshmallows for me. Currently my favorite marshmallow candy is See's chocolate covered marshmallow with carmel. I have been thinking about making homemade marshmallow, and my friend adivsed me against it..to much of a hassel, and she told me I would never get my saucepan clean after making the candy in it. Has anyone else had these experinces?? Any advice.. is it worth it or should I should I ban the effort?

[TrishUntrapped]

I made marshmallows!!!!

This is the recipe I used: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/0...

The only difference is I used a combination of cornstarch and confectioner's sugar for coating.

My husband's office had a fondue party and I volunteered to make marshmallows. First time ever and so easy. I want to do it again with fruit like strawberries, or passion fruit. This recipe makes so many that I took the leftovers and dipped them in chocolate and nuts or ginger... and brought them to my office. Next time, I'd also like to use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

Really good!

Photos:

1. Cooked marshmallow mixture, setting up.
2. Pizza wheel dipped in cornstarch/four.
3. Cut into strips.
4. Then squares.
5. Rolled in cornstarch/sugar.
6. Platter for hubby's fondue party.
7. Extras covered in melted chocolate.
8. Crystallized ginger.
9. Marshmallow platter for my office.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Those look great! Love the idea with the chocolate and ginger!

[TrishUntrapped]

Thanks! The ginger lovers in my office liked them a lot. Next time, I'll have to put a layer of caramel on top, covered with chocolate a la See's.

And the marshmallows were FANTASTIC with the chocolate fondue. Dunked in a luxurious chocolate/cream combo and then rolled in chopped walnuts, they tasted like a hot fudge sundae on a skewer.

[melval]

Totally, totally worth it. We make peppermint marshmallows every Christmas now and our family and friends expect them. We found a recipe that doesn't require a candy thermometer - you just boil the water/sugar/corn syrup for a minute (unfortunately, I can't find the recipe online). But, one pan, and the bowl you mix in are the only things that get sticky, soak them in warm water and the stickiness will dissolve right off.

One tip: spray your pan with oil as well as your spatula, etc. It will make clean up easier :)

P.S. The See's chocolate covered marshmallows with caramel are my FAVORITE :)

[Bsktlover]

I just made homemade marshmallows for the first time this evening and I found the pans very easy to clean so far. The one for whipping and for cooking the corn syrup/water/sugar mixture are the ones I've washed so far and they were really easy to clean in hot soapy water. The other pans are Longaberger bakeware, which is similar to Corningware, and they are lined with first vegetable oil, then parchment paper. After they sit and dry for 3-4 hours, I will cut them up. My recipe doesn't have any egg whites in it, and I wonder about the shelf life of these marshmallows...does anyone know?

[rockycat]

Hot water dissolves the mess like nothing. The stuff looks and acts like spackle until it sets but it's easy to do and _really_easy to clean up as long as you have hot water.

[calliope_nh]

Cooking For Engeneers marshmallow tests
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/re...

[rtms]

homemade marshmallows are worth the trouble. you'll probably enjoy the challenge of getting flavourful, fluffy treats.

soaking the pan will help the cleanup...afterall, it's only sugar :)

[jlunar]

I've made three batches in the last two weeks as part of another recipe, but unlike Querencia's, the recipe I had used egg whites. I got a lot of sugar on the sides of the mixing bowl and the whisk. I'm not sure if that is "right" but it didn't seem to affect the end-result too much. I just dumped some hot water in there for a bit and it was an easy clean up afterward. It'll dissolve. It's sugar!

Now, I followed the recipe exactly (Keller + candy isn't something to mess with!) and I got a really soft and not-too-sweet marshmallow. I did find that 2 of 3 batches were really wet, but my last (and most successful batch) was moist, but not overly so.

Here's Keller's recipe and my notes: http://www.foodpr0n.com/2012/10/28/ma...

[Chocolatechipkt]

I've done it too. It's messy but not the end of the world, and my pans are fine.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Oh, and you'll wonder (even more?) how stores charge so much for homemade/handmade marshmallows. W-S has these mini ones at 9 oz for $16.95: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/prod...

[silvergirl]

I have done it. Your friend is a party pooper. It is fun and the results are wonderful. I suggest you not share with her.

[Querencia]

I've posted this before but it's kind of interesting. Sixty/ sixty-five years ago when I was an American kid living in South America my mother used to make marshmallows all the time because they weren't available there. This was her recipe. "Boil 4 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water to the long thread stage. Soak 4 tablespoons plain gelatin in 1 cup water for 10 minutes while syrup is cooking. Pour hot syrup over gelatin and beat until cool (the mixture gets white and creamy as you beat). Wipe a 9 x 13 pan with a damp cloth and sprinkle with toasted finely grated coconut. Pour in the candy and sprinkle more coconut on top of it. Let set at room temperature for 24 hours. Cut into squares with scissors dipped in hot water. Roll each marshmallow in more toasted coconut. (This recipe worked in spite of fairly primitive cooking conditions. We had no candy thermometer but bought an electric hand mixer from another American family returning to the States---before that we took turns with a hand-driven egg-beater. Local sugar was gray and had bits of rope in it but seemed to work OK for this recipe and Knox Gelatin was brought to us by a friend who worked on a cruise ship so was passing through every couple of months. Cooks in the hinterlands make do.) BTW Energy tell your friend that sugar soaks out of a pan---cleaning is no problem.

[Zusie]

Did she use a hand mixer? I'm asking because I don't own a stand mixer and would love to make marshmallows, and I'm guessing stand mixers weren't that prevalent in South American households 60 years ago.

[ecclescake]

I don't know about Querencia's mother but I have made marshmallows with a handheld electric eggbeater before and it works fine.

[Skippy1414]

I've successfully made marshmallows with a hand mixer (not the particular recipe above, but similar). You just have to be ready for each step and move quickly. It worked for me each time except once when I dragged my feet a little and ended up with strands of hardened caramel all around the beaters of the mixer. I'm sure using a stand mixer is easier (sigh...) but overall it's really not that hard and a lot of fun.

[Querencia]

She did it by hand until a friend who was going back to the States sold her a Mixmaster.

[chefathome]

A touch messy but not nearly as messy as making a lot of things! I, too, am a homemade marshmallow fanatic and love to make them.

[adi]

Hi- I have made marshmallows the last couple years at Christmas and while they are slightly messy the results are excellent! Homemade marshmallows are so far superior to store bought that the clean-up is worth it.. i use an enameled cast iron pot if that is helpful adi

[travelerjjm]

I have repeatedly watched Alton Brown's show on making my own marshmallows and think it would be quite reasonable to clean up. It is far different from making more traditional candy, IMHO.