Marshmallows

After seeing the marshmallows on Pinch My Salt (http://pinchmysalt.com/) I knew they would be the perfect treat for my lunch with Jo. I had never attempted to make marshmallows in my life and honestly I never liked them much. They always tasted processed, artificial, and yet you always seem to stick you hand in the bag when it was passed around.

I was excited about creating these fluffy little treats and wrote down the list of ingredients. I was perhaps a little to excited as I didn't write all of the ingredients down and found myself without corn syrup, which incidental is an essential part of this recipe! I was abit disappointed that I didn't double check the list before going to the store but I wondered if I could make my own corn syrup? And come to find out you can! Would I do it again? Heck no! But it is a handy thing to know just in case you find yourself without it. This recipe was found on http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Corn-Syrup-Substitute-Simple-Syrup-74080

There are many different Marshmallow recipes out there but I used the one that Pinch My Salt had used from NPR. At first I thought mine may have been sickly sweet due to the whole make your own corn syrup but once they set they were delicious! If you get a chance to view Pinch My Salt photos of her Marshmallows, you will notice hers are more light and fluffy and mine are more dense almost like the inside of the marshmallow. I would make these again for sure, they are simple, and great for parties or potlucks at work.

Special Equipment

Kitchen Aid Mixer is a must!

Ingredients

2 ½ tablespoons unflavored gelatin (3-4 packets)
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons water (divided)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 drops almond extract, to taste (optional)
3-5 drops candy flavoring oil, to taste ( optional such as oil of lemon, lime peppermint or crème de menthe)
2-4 drops liquid food color, as desired (optional)
¾ cup powdered sugar for dusting marshmallows.

Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with wax paper, allowing the paper to overhang the ends by about 1 inch. Evenly coat the paper with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the ½ cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once or twice, until the gelatin softens, about 6 minutes.

In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the granulated sugar, corn syrup, honey, salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons warm water until well blended. When the sugar dissolves, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring. Boil for 20 seconds. Stir in the gelatin mixture, vanilla and almond extract (if using), and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the gelatin completely dissolves.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the flavoring oil and/or food color, if desired. Using a mixer (with a whisk-shaped attachment, if available) and gradually raising the mixer speed from low to high, beat until the mixture is stiffened, lightened and very fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Coat a rubber spatula with nonstick spray, and use it to scrape out the marshmallow mixture into the baking dish, spreading it evenly to the edges. Let the mixture cool and firm up, at least 6 hours and preferably 24 hours. (The mixture will become firmer and easier to handle if left for the full 24 hours.)

To cut the marshmallows: Sift about one third of the powdered sugar onto a cutting board. Lift the marshmallow slab out of the baking dish. Invert the slab onto the powdered sugar and peel off the other sheet of wax paper. Sift about a third of the remaining powdered sugar over the top of the slab. Using lightly greased kitchen shears or a lightly greased, large sharp knife, cut the slab crosswise into 12ths and lengthwise into 8ths to form 1-inch marshmallow cubes.

*Cooking Tip* I used a pizza cutter that I had sprayed and it worked great!

The marshmallows will keep, stored loosely packed in an airtight container (with wax paper between the layers) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let come to room temperature before serving.