Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 1)

[fodgycakes]

Success! I went with the tapioca starch just to try it out. The marshmallows taste great and I'll report back about how well the marshmallows stay dry with the tapioca starch, since it seems the reason potato starch is better is because corn starch tends to absorb moisture.

[chefmoni]

I love this thread.. I'm going to have to give marshmallow making a try. I vaguely remember attempting to make marshmallows when I was seven or eight and failing miserably, now is the time to redeem myself.

I don't have potato starch and I know it's been mentioned that corn starch does not work as well as a coating.. I also have tapioca starch, do you think that would be any better?

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try sifting equal parts cornstarch with powdered sugar...should do the trick!

[McAuliflower]

regarding starch for coating: rice flour works really well to.

regarding brown sugar: I used brown sugar in my banana rum version. Works well. having researched how to make butterscotch flavor, I think the use of brown sugar in these marshmallows was one of the main contributors to this flavor development.

[prasantrin]

If I don't have a stand mixer, and have a very bad hand mixer, would I be able to make marshmallows in a food processor?

I can probably guess the answer, but one can dream...

[Kerry Beal]

If I don't have a stand mixer, and have a very bad hand mixer, would I be able to make marshmallows in a food processor? 

I can probably guess the answer, but one can dream...

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I think I can safely say - no. Unless you have one of those whips that goes in a cuisinart.

[gfron1]

I make mine with an old klunky 3 speed hand mixer, so give it a try.

[Abra]

After refusing for a couple of years to even look at this thread, I finally read it all at one go on a stay-home-being-sick afternoon. Whew. It's always fun to join in when the beta testing is done and the great tips have been developed.

Would someone please address the fruit puree consistency issue? I see that some people have whizzed fresh or frozen fruit, while others are using commercial purees. It seems to me that the water content is going to vary considerably - does one adjust the added water based on the thickness of the puree? For example, I have a ton of blackberries. But if I puree them, blackberries being mainly seeds, won't I just end up with a thickish juice, not remotely plausible as a puree?

Edited August 21, 2006 by Abra (log)

[Kerry Beal]

After refusing for a couple of years to even look at this thread, I finally read it all at one go on a stay-home-being-sick afternoon.  Whew.  It's always fun to join in when the beta testing is done and the great tips have been developed.

Would someone please address the fruit puree consistency issue?  I see that some people have whizzed fresh or frozen fruit, while others are using commercial purees.  It seems to me that the water content is going to vary considerably - does one adjust the added water based on the thickness of the puree?  For example, I have a ton of blackberries.  But if I puree them, blackberries being mainly seeds, won't I just end up with a thickish juice, not remotely plausible as a puree?

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I find most of the commercial purees are about the same consistancy as taking fresh fruit, cooking a few minutes to soften then pushing through a food mill to remove any seeds.

I think that would work nicely with your blackberries.

[alanamoana]

Abra, I second what Kerry said. I didn't use fresh fruit, but I used two different consistencies of purees: strawberry (thick) and passion fruit (thin) and didn't have any problems using Neil's basic recipe. The only difference being the passion fruit didn't get as fluffy as the other marshmallows I made. They weren't by any means dense. They (passion fruit) even "aged" well, in that I made a batch as an experiment and kept them in a container on the counter for at least two weeks, probably three, and they were as good as the first day.

You definitely need to try them with your blackberries! If you're concerned at all, you can always replace some of the fruit with a bit of water, but I wouldn't want to water down the flavor.

[Abra]

Duh, I think get it now. The water content is a function of the temperature, so by the time it gets to soft ball, no matter how much water there was in the puree to start with, it's all going to end up equal. The only difference would be the time it takes to get up to temp, right?

Thanks for the advice to heat the berries before straining, I was just going to puree them in the food processor.

[nightscotsman]

Duh, I think get it now.  The water content is a function of the temperature, so by the time it gets to soft ball, no matter how much water there was in the puree to start with, it's all going to end up equal.  The only difference would be the time it takes to get up to temp, right?

Well, not exactly. The puree doesn't cook with the sugar and corn syrup, so variations in the water content will make some difference. I've also found that fresh puree is very similar in water content to the standarized frozen purees. Most fruit purees vary in their percentage of dry content by only a few percentage points anyway - not really enough to make a big difference in marshmallow consistency. Except for maybe the extremes like bananas at 25% solids and lemon juice at about 6%, you can count on an average of around 13% solids.

Thanks for the advice to heat the berries before straining, I was just going to puree them in the food processor.

I don't think there's any need to cook them before pureeing. In fact, cooking may actually dull the flavor a bit.

[Kerry Beal]

I don't think there's any need to cook them before pureeing. In fact, cooking may actually dull the flavor a bit.

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Not really suggesting cooking long enough to change the flavour, just long enough to make it easier to puree.

[Abra]

Oops, my bad on not reading the recipe carefully before posting. If the puree doesn't cook, everything i said is just hogwash. Thanks, nightscotsman.

[McAuliflower]

Not really suggesting cooking long enough to change the flavour, just long enough to make it easier to puree.

Freezing fresh fruit first will cause it to basically puree itself as it thaws.

[Lindacakes]

A couple of points to add to the marshmallow compendium:

I made the vanilla version for a camping trip. These are roastable, but not quite like the store-bought variety. A stale marshmallow holds up to the torture of the flames better.

However, if one cuts the marshmallows in sizeable chunks, and inserts two slim sticks into the marshmallow at intervals, then one can hold the marshmallow over the flames until it is heated to the point, nearly, of melting.

The resultant molten marshmallow goo is enough to cause one to howl at the moon.

You cannot, however, hold that silken square in the heat long enough, really, to form the special brown crust connoisseurs prefer.

The leftover marshmallows were then lovingly rolled in melted semisweet Sharfenberger. Some got devoured immediately after their bath, others were left until the chocolate hardened.

Please note, if you arrive anywhere with a tray of these chocolate-covered marshmallows in tow, anyone will follow you home.

[Mariam]

Hi everybody I have been reading and re-reading this string for the past week and eventually plucked up the courage to make my first ever batch of Strawberry Marshamallows, like others I thought it would be a real chore and as a complete novice to any type of confectionary making I was amazed at how easy the recipe really is.

I just wanted to thank you all for the wealth of info posted here, can you believe it nearly 2 years worth! and ofcourse to nightscotsman for the fantastic recipe.

I'm hoping to try Vanilla MMs this weekend and still want to dip some of my Strawberry ones in Chocolate .. mmm mmm .. I'm fasting at the mo so all this talk about food is making my tummy rumble

[OutlawxVega]

i have made marshmallow in 2 ways, 1 as a fluff like method and another in a more solid form

[Desiderio]

I just made the raspberry ones from Nightscotsman's recipe, they look promising ,I will post the pics tomorro after I take them out of the pan ,umm the fun part.

[Tweety69bird]

I just made the raspberry ones from  Nightscotsman's recipe, they look promising ,I will post the pics tomorro after I take them out of the pan ,umm the fun part.

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I made raspberry ones yesterday from Neil's recipe too!! I'll post pictures tonight once I remove them too, and we can compare!

[Tweety69bird]

Here are my raspberry marshmallows that I made on Monday and cut up last night. They are more dense than the plain ones I made a few weeks ago, but I like them. The flavour is nice, a bit mild to me, but those who have tasted them say the flavour is fine. They really are pink, but I didn't add in any colouring, I wanted them au naturel. I think chocolate marshmallows are next.

[Desiderio]

And these are the raspberry I made yesterday, the flavor isnt a strong as I wished , maybe next time ill reduce the puree or put more .These are actually my first marshmallow ever, never made them before , so not too bad the recipe is very nice and easy to follow .

Edited October 11, 2006 by Desiderio (log)

[Tweety69bird]

And these are the raspberry I made yesterday, the flavor isnt a strong as I wished , maybe next time ill reduce the puree or put more .These are actually my first marshmallow ever, never made them before , so not too bad the recipe is very nice and easy to follow .

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Desiderio, your marshmallows look like they cut a bit smoother than mine. I think the next time I make these I probably would want to add in some more flavour too.

[McAuliflower]

the backstory inspiration is kind of silly and complicated... but finally made beet marshmallows



I used beet powder in the gelatin blooming step along with allspice powder and orange.
Used some maple syrup in the corn syrup measurement (as I ran out!) and tossed some more beet powder in the dusting step. Also used persimmon sugar in the dusting mixture, though I can't really taste it.

The taste of these is surprisingly captivating. I even hooked a couple non-beet eaters with them.

Oh, and toasted beet marshmallows?
... :drool:

written out procedure up on the ole food blog.

 

 

 

[Moderator note: This topic continues here, Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 2)]

Edited August 3, 2014 by Mjx
Host note added. (log)