Perfect Homemade Marshmallows

• servings: 64 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 6 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

400 g white sugar

½ tsp white vinegar

100 g agave or honey or corn syrup

120 mL water

120 mL water (½ cup, to bloom the gelatin)

18 g gelatin powder (6 tsp / about 2.5 packets of Knox gelatin)

1 pinch kosher salt / sea salt (I prefer to use about ¼ tsp to balance the sweetness)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

120 g cornstarch (sifted, about ½ cup)

60 g confectioner’s sugar (sifted, about ½ cup)

Directions

Blooming the gelatin

Place the water in the mixer bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and stir to saturate the gelatin in the water. Set it aside for at least 10 minutes while you get the syrup and the pan ready.

Prepping the pan

Using butter or shortening, grease a 9 x 9 inch pan with a thin layer. This is my preferred method.

You can also use solid coconut oil. Do not use liquid oil (like vegetable oil), as it wouldn’t spread on the surface evenly. You can also line the pan with good quality parchment paper, but be careful when you peel it off at the end. Another option is to dust the pan with the cornstarch dusting powder, but this can result in some sticky spots.

Making the sugar syrup

Place the sugar and water in a pot. Add the vinegar and agave or honey (or substitute). Stir very gently until the sugar is moistened and mixed with the water.

Heat over medium / medium high heat until the sugar syrup starts to simmer. Gently swirl the pan to evenly distribute the heat, and to help dissolve the sugar.

When the syrup comes to a boil, cover the saucepan with a lid and lower the heat to medium / medium low to simmer the syrup. Let the syrup simmer for about 2 minutes, without lifting the lid off the saucepan.

After 2 minutes, remove the lid and check to make sure there are no sugar crystals on the side of the saucepan. If there are still crystals on the sides, then cover the saucepan for a further minute to allow the condensation to wash down the sugar crystals into the syrup.

Clip the sugar thermometer to the side of the saucepan to monitor the temperature, or if you have an instant read thermometer, check the sugar syrup temperature every few minutes.

Continue to cook the sugar syrup on medium / medium high heat until it reaches the correct temperature. Gently and frequently swirl the pan to ensure the syrup is cooking evenly.

Heating syrup to the right temperature

The sugar syrup must be heated to between 240 - 245°F.

For most climates, around 242 - 243°F works great. If you live in a cold, dry climate, heat the syrup to 240°F. If you live in a hot, humid climate, heat the sugar syrup to 245°F. Check recipe notes for more information.

If you don't have a sugar thermometer, please check the sugar stage every 5 minutes with the cold water test until it reaches the firm-ball stage. (Please read the notes in the post to learn how to do this.)

When the sugar syrup reaches the right temperature, remove it from the heat and let the bubbles subside for a few seconds.

Making the marshmallow mix

Place the bowl with the bloomed gelatin in the mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk the gelatin on medium speed for a few seconds to break it up. Add the salt to the gelatin as well.

While the mixer is running on medium / medium low speed, carefully stream in the sugar syrup. Do not dump it all at once.

Do not pour the syrup directly on the whisk to avoid splash back, and instead pour it along the wall of the bowl. Pour in all of the sugar syrup and the heat should dissolve all of the gelatin.

Increase the speed to high (9 or 10), and whisk the mixture for at least 5 - 6 minutes. The base should increase about 3 times in size and become white, fluffy, and smooth. It should look like a very fine, glossy, thick meringue.

Add the vanilla and whisk for a further 1 - 2 minutes until the vanilla mixes through the entire mixture.

The total whisking time can be between 5 - 8 minutes.

Since it’s easier to spread the marshmallow mixture while it’s warm, stop whisking the marshmallow mix while the bowl is still warm to the touch.

Using a clean spatula, fold the mixture if there’s any vanilla stuck to the sides.

Spread and set the marshmallow

Scrape all of the mixture into the 9 x 9 inch pan, and spread it evenly inside the pan using an offset spatula. Scrape in any mixture that is stuck to the spatula and bowl before it sets.

The marshmallow mixture will thicken and get sticky as it cools down. Cover the spatula with a thin layer of butter / shortening to make it easier to spread the sticky marshmallow if needed.

Sift the dusting powder (confectioner’s sugar + cornstarch mix) over the top of the marshmallow liberally to completely cover the surface.

Set the marshmallow aside to let it set / cure for at least 6 hours at room temperature. Do not put the marshmallow mix in the fridge. Once the marshmallow mixture has cooled to room temperature, you can loosely cover it with plastic wrap as well.

Cut the marshmallows

Turn the set marshmallow block out onto a work and cutting surface that’s dusted with dusting powder. The marshmallow block should easily release from the pan when it’s gently pulled away from the pan with your fingers.

Cut the block into 8 x 8 small squares. You can cut the marshmallows into any shape or sixe you like, but I like cutting them into smaller 1 x 1 inch portions.

To get clean, neat cuts, lightly grease the blade of your straight blade knife or even scissors. Scrape off any marshmallow residue that sticks to the blade frequently and re-apply the grease to keep it from sticking to the marshmallow.

Toss the cut marshmallows in the dusting powder and store in an air-tight container with some extra dusting powder.

Dusting powder

Mix the confectioner's sugar and cornstarch together until well combined. Set aside until needed. You can also use only cornstarch, if you don’t want to add sugar.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 marshmallow
• Calories: 39 kcal
• Total Carbohydrate: 10 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g