“I had a dream last night, I was eating a ten pound marshmallow. I woke up this morning and the pillow was gone.” Tommy Cooper
Forget those dried out powdery imposers at the supermarkets. This is sweet, pillowy goodness.
Peppermint Marshmallows.
adapted from Gourmet magazine
~ 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water (about 115˚F)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes
- Oil bottom and sides of a 9-inch-by 9-inch metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.
- In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to soften.
- In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar corn syrup, hot water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240˚F., about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
- With standing or a hand-held mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer.
- In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined; add crushed peppermint and mix briefly, until combined.
- Pour mixture into baking pan. You can choose to sprinkle on toppings or put in a swirl of color like I did. Sift confectioners’ sugar evenly over the top.
- Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day.
- Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up 1 corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and let drop onto the cutting board. With a large knife cut marshmallows into cubes.
- Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar into a large bowl and add marshmallows, tossing evenly to coat.
Tip #1: I actually don’t recommend using a knife but instead a pair of scissors. The scissors make a clean cut through the marshmallows without hurting the shape of the marshmallow.
Tip #2: Remember to seal these in an air tight container or they will dry out and become hard and chewy.
Tip #3: After combining everything into the final bowl, do not let the bowl rest more than 10 minutes or else the marshmallows will set in the bowl. If this happens, just pop the bowl into the oven for about 1 minute and stir.
Tip #4: Dress these up in holiday cheer with chocolate and peppermint bits!
