Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 1)

[JustKay]

Bicycle Lee - I made Neil's marshmallow yesterday, using 30gm of pure agar-agar powder.

I must have the marsmallow jinx or something coz it didn't turn out right!

I don't know what went wrong. I heated the sugar mixture up to 240F. And then whisked it but it never turn fluffy. I beat for a total of 25 mins before giving up. It remained syrupy.

After 18hrs, it still does not set. Does not even look like marsmallow creme this time.

I am going to find HALAL gelatine and try to make it, and then if it turns out ok, I will try again using agar-agar powder as well as the Konyaku jelly powder.

Sorry that wasn't of much help.

[Bicycle Lee]

Are you kidding me? That IS of great help...This agar is tricky stuff and you were putting your walnuts on the line trying it out. Like I said in my PM, I am having trouble with agar across the board...NO ONE seems to know how much to use because every recipe I've tried needed more. I dunno...

I'll try the gelatin sheets....boo...

[stscam]

I've made them successfully with cocoa. I used 1/2 cup of cocoa, 3/4 cup water and a teaspoon of vanilla in place of the puree and water in the recipe.

Neil,

I've tried this twice and all I end up with is goop. Too much liquid? Not enough gelatin? What are your thoughts?

Cheers,

[JanKK]

I've made them successfully with cocoa. I used 1/2 cup of cocoa, 3/4 cup water and a teaspoon of vanilla in place of the puree and water in the recipe.

Neil,

I've tried this twice and all I end up with is goop. Too much liquid? Not enough gelatin? What are your thoughts?

Cheers,

I made these this week and they turned out perfectly!

How much water did you use total? I admit I had to read the recipe and variation directions over a few times - and this is what I came up with (and I figure I must have done it correctly, cuz they turned out ;)

The strawberry recipe calls for 1/2 cup strawberry puree and 1 1/4 cups water total - 1/2 cup with the puree and 3/4 cup with the sugar. For the chocolate, it should be 1/2 cup cocoa and 1 1/2 cups water total- 3/4 cup with the cocoa and 3/4 cup with the sugar.

[nightscotsman]

I've made them successfully with cocoa. I used 1/2 cup of cocoa, 3/4 cup water and a teaspoon of vanilla in place of the puree and water in the recipe.

Neil,

I've tried this twice and all I end up with is goop. Too much liquid? Not enough gelatin? What are your thoughts?

Cheers,

I made these this week and they turned out perfectly!

How much water did you use total? I admit I had to read the recipe and variation directions over a few times - and this is what I came up with (and I figure I must have done it correctly, cuz they turned out ;)

The strawberry recipe calls for 1/2 cup strawberry puree and 1 1/4 cups water total - 1/2 cup with the puree and 3/4 cup with the sugar. For the chocolate, it should be 1/2 cup cocoa and 1 1/2 cups water total- 3/4 cup with the cocoa and 3/4 cup with the sugar.

Yep, that's correct. Sorry the directions were confusing. I'll try to edit the recipe so it's more clear.

[stscam]

VEGAN/KOSHER MARSHMALLOWS

One of my customers gave me a bag of Emes Vegetarian Gelatine to try to make marshmallows with. I found a receipe here that seemed to work very well (in fact, it set up much faster than with the sheet gelatine I usually use). I don't know much about the Emes, but the woman who gave it to me said it was Kosher.

Cheers,

[stscam]

I have been thinking and thinking about my Kosher marshmallows and I think Kojel simply won't work because (1) it is a fast acting gelling agent  and (2) once set it you can't do anything to it anymore - it can't be set, melted and re-set like agar or gelatine.

Kew,

I was given some Emes Kosher Jel to try for marshmallows. As you can see from my last post, it worked very well. Like regular gelatine, it soaks in cold water for a bit to soften. In fact, we're switching to Emes for all our marshmallows because the texture is better and they're easier to handle. There are a couple of places you can order them on the web. Dunno if they'll ship overseas, but it's worth a try. Use the plain, not the flavored.

Cheers,

[JustKay]

Kew,

I was given some Emes Kosher Jel to try for marshmallows. As you can see from my last post, it worked very well. Like regular gelatine, it soaks in cold water for a bit to soften. In fact, we're switching to Emes for all our marshmallows because the texture is better and they're easier to handle. There are a couple of places you can order them on the web. Dunno if they'll ship overseas, but it's worth a try. Use the plain, not the flavored.

Cheers,

stscam,

Thanks for the heads-up.

For time being, I've found gelatine powder from Australia that's Halal certified at one of the local hypermarkets.

But, it's good to know something else that will work.

Thanks again! (And would you be so kind so as to share your marshmallow recipe? )

[mktye]

I also want to add my thanks to nightscotsman for posting that recipe. The whole process seemed so easy that I was worried it would not work. I was thinking: "surely there must be some trick." But, no. I made the recipe exactly as written with no problems whatsoever.

I am also looking forward to trying other flavors. But I'll have to make half-batches, since Mr. mktye does not like marshmallows and I cannot eat a whole batch by myself. Of course, I could share them with hillvalley if she did not have such an aversion to crossing the Potomac...

[stscam]

We tried making banana marshmallows. I do not recommend banana. The texture was so wierd that my first reaction was to spit the cube out. But the flavor lingered and made me queasy. Perhaps this was because we used very ripe bananas. Perhaps if we had used greenish bananas the formula would have worked. But I'll never know. I have no plans to try this flavor again.

Another thing we've been doing is piping choclolate marshmallow into a silcone toy bear mold. We're using chocolate chips for the eyes. We powder them with a cocoa mixture. Customers love them. We had a little trouble with the "eyes" migrating under the pressure of the piping. One bear ended up with eyes in his ears, looking for all the world like a fuzzy frog. One turned out to be a cyclops with a tasty belly button. The first batch we did was vanilla, and the bears closely resembled the Ewoks in Star Wars.

Fun with marshmallows!

Steve Smith

[hillvalley]

Glad you liked them, hill . They really are super easy to make and keep forever. If you give the recipe a try yourself and use another flavor, be sure to let us know how they came out. I've been thinking about experimenting with pumpkin myself.

Unfortunately I don't have a hand or stand mixer. There is just no more room in the kitchen for any more appliances! Someday, though. I think raspberry would be good too.

I have found the strawberry flavor more pronounced after a few days compared to when they were 24 hrs. old. Is this just my pathetic taste buds?

mktye, for your marshmallows (and bread, but that's another thread) I would even cross over the Potomac into your foreign territory

stscam, I can't believe how cheap you sell your marshmallows for! Here in DC you could get at least twice that. The smores sound wonderful. Does the chocolate mask the flavor of the marshmallow? Have you tried them with the cinammon sugar covered grahms?

[alacarte]

Is there a way to make homemade marshmallows without using corn syrup?

For example, would a simple syrup (using sugar) work well or backfire?

[Joni]

I made passionfruit ones for valentine's day and gave them to friends...one friend said she "hit" hers for about 3 weeks and ate them...said the flavor was very intensed and even more wonderful later...at first, I was horrified and had told my other friends to eat them right away ...did not realize that they keep for so long!

Do you think you can use the Torani syrups for flavorings..i.e. blueberry, etc?

[nightscotsman]

Is there a way to make homemade marshmallows without using corn syrup?

For example, would a simple syrup (using sugar) work well or backfire?

I think you could probably use all sugar, though the mouth-feel might not be as creamy and they would be a bit sweeter (corn syrup has a lower sweetening power than sucrose). You could also use glucose if that is easier for you to find.

Do you think you can use the Torani syrups for flavorings..i.e. blueberry, etc?

Possibly, but Torani syrups contain a lot of sugar which you would have to rebalance the recipe for. I think you would get much better quality from unsweetened ingredients like fruit purees, spices, cocoa and such.

[KatieM]

Neil, I made three batches of your marshmallows this weekend - vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. I'm working on making a Neopolitan Marshmallow Tray as a nice add-on for my special occasion cake business. This is one thing that could actually be profitable, since the ingredients are not very expensive. Of course, I may call them "Neil Robertson Marshmallows", or "Nightscotsman Marshmallows" which would give them a fun sort of intrigue, and also give you credit.

The strawberry marshmallows were DIVINE, and the vanilla ones turned out great as well. The chocolate ones didn't have quite the same volume, and the cocoa didn't dissolve all the way, so I'm going to have to experiment with that one. Since the gelatin needs to bloom in cold liquid, I'm thinking I might dissolve the cocoa in boiling water and then cool before using. When I did them this weekend, I just sort of combined the cocoa and water in the mixer bowl. Duh, no wonder it didn't dissove completely. Any suggestions for getting more volume out of the chocolate ones?

Is anyone else reminded of Count Chocula cereal when they eat the chocolate ones? Obviously, these marshmallows are not hard little pellets, but big soft, creamy ones, but still. Makes me wonder why my mother fed me candy for breakfast as a child!

These marshmallows are awesome! I'm finding myself inventing reasons to make them now, since they are so easy! My roommate and I are having a party this coming weekend, so we've decided to somehow incorporate s'mores into the theme (also, fun with torches!).

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for making lemon marshmallows? I think the acidity of lemon juice might mess with the gelling power of the gelatin, but maybe I'm wrong. Obviously, lemon curd is out, because of the fat. I'm thinking of using lemon zest and lemon extract, but if anyone has made them, let me know.

Thanks for sharing your recipe, Neil!

Katie

Edited to add that I am definitely going to try pumpkin marshmallows for Thanksgiving. I'll probably reduce the pumpkin puree to intensify the flavor (I know, I'll be adding water back, but I still think it would help). I'll probably add pumpkin pie spices to the marsmallows themselves AND to the dusting powder, like I added cocoa powder to the dusting mixture for the chocolate ones.

Edited July 26, 2004 by KatieM (log)

[alacarte]

Is there a way to make homemade marshmallows without using corn syrup?

For example, would a simple syrup (using sugar) work well or backfire?

I think you could probably use all sugar, though the mouth-feel might not be as creamy and they would be a bit sweeter (corn syrup has a lower sweetening power than sucrose). You could also use glucose if that is easier for you to find.

Thanks, nightscotsman!

[nightscotsman]

Neil, I made three batches of your marshmallows this weekend - vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. I'm working on making a Neopolitan Marshmallow Tray as a nice add-on for my special occasion cake business. This is one thing that could actually be profitable, since the ingredients are not very expensive.

Yep, that's where pastry chefs make their money - selling air and water.

The strawberry marshmallows were DIVINE, and the vanilla ones turned out great as well. The chocolate ones didn't have quite the same volume, and the cocoa didn't dissolve all the way, so I'm going to have to experiment with that one. Since the gelatin needs to bloom in cold liquid, I'm thinking I might dissolve the cocoa in boiling water and then cool before using. When I did them this weekend, I just sort of combined the cocoa and water in the mixer bowl. Duh, no wonder it didn't dissove completely. Any suggestions for getting more volume out of the chocolate ones?

I'm very happy you like them and the recipe works for you. If you would like more volume from the chocolate ones, you might try using less cocoa. They won't be as strongly flavored, but the mixture should foam better. You're right about dissolving the cocoa in hot water and letting it cool. That's actually what I did and I should have mentioned it in the recipe.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for making lemon marshmallows? I think the acidity of lemon juice might mess with the jelling power of the gelatin, but maybe I'm wrong. Obviously, lemon curd is out, because of the fat. I'm thinking of using lemon zest and lemon extract, but if anyone has made them, let me know.

The acid in lemon juice shouldn't affect the gelatine at all. It's only an enzyme in some fresh tropical fruits that you have to watch out for. So using lemon juice and zest (or lemon oil) should work fine. Orange might be another nice flavor to try, maybe with a bit of orange flower water and vanilla.

[Joni]

Katie...if you have access to any Perfect Puree...try making them with this. I used the passionfruit to make marshmallows and it is absolutly delicious. I get it from a wholesaler who sells to restaurants, etc. Only problem is that you have to buy a case (6 jars)..but they are frozen and you can use in other recipes, etc.

[Marmish]

I saw this thread when it started, and so far have resisted the temptation to make marshmallows. But, this is the week.

Stupid question. What size pan should I use? A "sheet pan" to me means something bigger than what one has in a home kitchen.

Edited to add that I intend to use Nightscotsman's recipe from recipegullet.

Edited July 26, 2004 by Marmish (log)

[nightscotsman]

Any half-sheet sized pan will work for the full recipe. I have a non-standard 13x17 pan from Wilton that I like to use, because it has perfectly square corners and non-sloping sides. You many not even fill the sheet, which is fine. Just spread them out as thick as you like and turn up the end of the foil lining to keep it in place.

[Marmish]

Any half-sheet sized pan will work for the full recipe. I have a non-standard 13x17 pan from Wilton that I like to use, because it has perfectly square corners and non-sloping sides. You many not even fill the sheet, which is fine. Just spread them out as thick as you like and turn up the end of the foil lining to keep it in place.

Thanks. I look forward to making these.

[foodie3]

strawberry marshmallows are delightful - light, fluffy, terriffic flavour, thanks nightscotsman!

[jgarner53]

OK, perhaps this is a dumb question, but do you all just eat the marshmallows? I guess I grew up in a marshmallow-deprived household, since they frequently turned into hard, chewy pellets in the cupboard, or were occasionally used in hot cocoa or s'mores. So I don't think of marshmallows when I think of candy, or dessert.

Then, of course, there are Peeps. And my dad was the only one in the family who ate those.

[KatieM]

Orange might be another nice flavor to try, maybe with a bit of orange flower water and vanilla.

Mmm. . . that sounds excellent! Kind of like a creamsicle flavor? Thanks for the tips on lemon. That will be my next project. I think that instead of reducing the amount of cocoa in the mixture for my chocolate ones, I'll just let them set up in a smaller pan. All I really need is for them to be the same height when cut and sitting next to the strawberry or vanilla ones on a tray. It won't make as many, but that's OK.

Katie...if you have access to any Perfect Puree...try making them with this. I used the passionfruit to make marshmallows and it is absolutly delicious. I get it from a wholesaler who sells to restaurants, etc. Only problem is that you have to buy a case (6 jars)..but they are frozen and you can use in other recipes, etc.

Thanks for the tip, Joni! I usually make big stockpiles of good puree in the traditional flavors (strawberry, raspberry, apricot, etc) for use in buttercreams and such, but for flavors like passionfruit, I'll definitely have to check that out.

Nice picture, Foodie3! I like the triangle shape. I may have to try that one myself!

OK, perhaps this is a dumb question, but do you all just eat the marshmallows? I guess I grew up in a marshmallow-deprived household, since they frequently turned into hard, chewy pellets in the cupboard, or were occasionally used in hot cocoa or s'mores. So I don't think of marshmallows when I think of candy, or dessert.

You mean you never ate some plain marshmallows straight from the bag while making s'mores? I agree that the ones that are leftover got nasty and stale pretty fast, but the ones from a fresh bag were pretty good. Also, didn't you ever play the game where you see how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth and say "chubby bunny"? Or what about at Easter? No chocolate covered marshmallow eggs? Seriously, though - try making the strawberry ones. They're like little fluffy soft mouthfuls of strawberry heaven!

[Toliver]

Also, didn't you ever play the game where you see how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth and say "chubby bunny"?

Not to go off-topic, but do NOT play "chubby bunny", ever. Children have died playing this "game". The marshmallows in the back of the mouth soften due to body heat and slide down into the throat, blocking the air passage. And because the marshmallows end up soft and gooey, it's difficult to clear them from the air passage. The kids end up choking to death on the marshmallows.

Don't you people watch Oprah?

Sorry for such a downer post, but that game needs to be banned.