Once you taste these homemade marshmallows, you'll never go back to the store-bought variety. These are pillowy soft and taste predominantly of vanilla, so use a good quality vanilla when making this recipe. It's almost magical to watch as the mixture goes from the syrup stage to the big bowl of white fluff. When my daughters were young, they used to watch in awe at the transformation of the ingredients. The marshmallows are incredibly delicious when torched for the topping of my Thanksgiving mashed sweet potatoes. I call for Lyle's Golden Syrup to replace some of the corn syrup, because it has a delicious caramel-like flavor which it imparts to the marshmallow. The syrup can be ordered online, but I have been seeing it in some grocery stores. For this recipe, you'll need a kitchen scale since the measurements are given by weight, not volume. If you don't already have one, a scale is a good investment.
DIY Marshmallows
Makes one 10 x 10-inch slab, 64 marshmallows
- Neutral oil for preparing pan
- 3 (1/4-ounce) packets of unflavored gelatin
- 8 ounces cold water, divided
- 10 ounces Lyle's Golden Syrup
- 4 ounces light corn syrup
- 10 ounces granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces confectioners' sugar
- 1 ounce cornstarch
1. Oil the bottom and sides of a 10 x 10-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides and oil the paper.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over 4 ounces of the cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Allow it to bloom for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the golden syrup, corn syrup, granulated sugar, salt and the remaining 4 ounces of cold water in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Clip a candy thermometer onto the pan, bring to a boil and boil hard, without stirring, for about 6 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 240 degrees F. Pour the syrup into a heatproof 1-quart glass measuring cup.
4. On low speed slowly pour the syrup into the gelatin. Mix at medium-high speed until the mixture begins to fluff up. Increase the speed to high and whip for about 8 minutes, or until the volume of the marshallows stops increasing. Add the vanilla and whip for one minute. Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan. Spread evenly with a small offset metal spatula.
5. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until the top of the marshmallow slab is dry, and no longer tacky to the touch.
6. Sift together the confectioners' sugar and the cornstarch, whisk to combine and sprinkle the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. Invert the slab onto the baking sheet. Let dry for 4 hours
7. Cut the slab into quarters with a pizza cutter and dredge the cut sides with the sugar mixture. Cut each quarter into 16 equal pieces with a pair of scissors (the best tool for the job). Dredge the cut sides of each piece of marshmallow in the sugar mixture, transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and let the marshmallows dry for an hour.
STORAGE: Place the marshmallows in an airtight container in layers, separated by wax paper, for up to 2 weeks.
