Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 1)

[jgarner53]

Not to go off-topic, but do NOT play "chubby bunny", ever. Children have died playing this "game".

Good thing that's the only dumb, dangerous thing kids do.

Can't remember playing (or dying from) "chubby bunny," but the lack of memory could just be me repressing the horror. I think I've eaten a few marshmallows straight outta the bag, but usually the only time I ever ate them by themselves was if they were toasted, campfire style.

Maybe it's just because store-bought shmallows were so nasty and flavorless? Perhaps if I make Neil's strawberry ones, I'll be converted to a shmallow-holic, eat them constantly, and wind up on skid row, with sticky bits of marshmallow around my mouth. "It was the strawberry ones," passers-by would hear me mumble.

[foodie3]

i'd like to reduce the amount of corn syrup in the recipe, how much of it can be "safely" replaced by sugar without changing the taste and texture?

i have found confusing info on the web re substituting sugar for corn syrup - some suggest using same amount of sugar plus a little water, others suggest less sugar because corn syrup is less sweet. what are yor thoughts?

[AlainV]

Nightscotsman,

I would like to try your strawberry marshmallows but I can't find corn syrup or powdered gelatin here in Belgium.

So I will use glucose instead of corn syrup and gelatin leaves.

My questions are :

- do I substitute corn syrup by the same volume of glucose, or a little less ?

- is it ok to soak first the gelatin leaves in cold water and then mix them with the starwberry puree. Or will this excess water dilute the puree too much ?

Hope to get your answers very soon because I am dying to make these

[nightscotsman]

- do I substitute corn syrup by the same volume of glucose, or a little less ?

- is it ok to soak first the gelatin leaves in cold water and then mix them with the starwberry puree. Or will this excess water dilute the puree too much ?

I would use the same amount of glucose. There is a little more water in the corn syrup, but at this volume it shouldn't make much of a difference.

It is essential to soak leaf gelatine in water before using. here's what I would do: soak the gelatine with the initial 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. When it softens, heat the gelatine in the microwave just until it melts. Pour it into the mixer bowl with the strawberry puree and procede with recipe. This way the larger pieces of gelatine will more easily incorporate into the hot syrup.

[AlainV]

Thanks for the tips, Nightscotsman. Very fast.

I will try the adapted recipe tonight

[confiseur]

Thank you for the recipe nightscotsman. I used glucose instead of corn syrup, it worked perfectly,lots of happy people!........

If you have any other simple-but-good recipes or even complicated and good! I would be delighted to try them out.

With thanks

[AlainV]

Well, for me, it didn't work at all

The mixture was not fluffy and stiff after 10 minutes with my mixer at full speed. Instead it was liquid so it never sets in the pan. After 12 hours waiting, everything went in the bin.

I suppose it is a gelatin problem, although I used 1 ounce (28 gr) gelatin in sheets, as recommended.

Maybe the european gelatin is "weaker" than the american one ? What do you think

By the way, I will try again, this time with more gelatin (half a recipe, so if it fails again, less ingredients wasted).

[nightscotsman]

confiseur - glad the recipe worked for you and you like the 'mallows.

AlainV - Sorry it didn't work for you . Assuming you cooked the syrup to the correct temperature, it sounds like it's the gelatine that's the problem. I know there are different strenghs of of leaf gelatine, but I've only used one kind, so I'm not sure how to advise you. Can anybody else give some pointers on determining jelling strength and substitution guidelines?

[AlainV]

My mistake

I checked the recipe and found that I made a mistake when converting °F to °C.

So the gelatin was ok but my syrup was not hot enough.

I tried a second batch and this time it turned right like expected : fluffy and stiff !

The mixture is in the pan and ready to be cut tomorrow.

I can't wait to taste it

[jgarner53]

OK, I'm a convert. I don't know that I'll sit eating marshmallows until the cows come home, but these are so yummy! Can someone explain to me how they can get so creamy?

One thing that the recipe did not mention (but that seemed common sense to me) was straining the strawberry puree.

The other thing I need to know is how NOT to go on about how easy these are to make when people marvel. How do I develop that air of mystery, like I'm some kind of culinary magician that I can make marshmallows? I tend to discount my skills when people compliment me on food. "Oh, it really isn't hard at all. Anybody could have done it." Do I just say, "Thank you," and shut the hell up?

[nightscotsman]

Another convert to the cult - hee hee!

Can't really say why they end up tasting so creamy, but I suspect is has to do with the high quantity of corn syrup/glucose.

I actually prefer the strawberry puree unstrained. Seedless would certainly be more refined, but the seeds are small and innoffensive, and they served as a reminder to people that they are naturally flavored. Berries with larger seeds like raspberries I would certainly strain.

[Toliver]

Has anyone tried S'Mores with the strawberry marshmallows? I'm thinking it'd be pretty good...

[momlovestocook]

I don't know why I'm thinking about Christmas in August but I may make these as presents for the daughters teachers along with some homemade cocoa mix and a nice mug. Some green and red marshmallows cut in christmas shapes would be very festive and unique. I always make different things for our church bake sale a couple of weeks before Christmas so I may use this idea there as well(the older ladies always look at me strangely when I bring my goodies in LOL but they do sell)

How are these marshmallows for toasting over an open fire? We usually go to a friends house for a weekly campfire until it gets to cold. May have to surprise them with a batch of these.

Sandra

[foodie3]

nightscotsman, my first attempt at substituting sugar (increased by 65gr) for some of the corn syrup (decreased by 1/2 cup) was successfull, so far i detect no difference in either taste or mouthfeel. i may try another 1/4 cup reduction and lemon flavoring.

love, love those soft marshmallows!

[JustKay]

nightscotsman ..... I finally did it! I didn't have to resort to using agar-agar powder. The bakery supplies shop I go to now imports Halal fish-bone gelatine from Pakistan.

And I think people in the UK can also find this fish-bone gelatin. The usage is the same as your regular gelatin because I used your exact same measurements. I followed your recipe to the T and the marshmallows are really really soft and yummy .... although a tad too sweet for my taste but the kids have no complaints.

I also substituted liquid glucose for corn syrup - same amount. (Could this be why it's so sweet?)

The only thing I did not right was to 'lightly grease' the pan. So, when I turned it over, it stuck to the foil! What a job it was to pry it off the foil without messing up too badly.

I see some instructions with other recipes to sprinkle the pan liberally with potato starch and sugar ... maybe I'll try this next time?

I also could not cut it right. I didn't want to use a wet knife. But then, I tried using the pizza cutter and it worked like a charm. I dipped the wheel in the potato starch and sugar mixture and tapped off excess amount and then cut the marshmallow block.

I can't wait to try the other variations. Yumm yumm!!!! Thank you soooooo much for sharing the recipe. I think this will sell well with my customers as Halal marshmallows are virtually non-existant here. And now I can also make other stuff like Rocky Road Brownie, etc ....

Thanks!!!!

Edited August 6, 2004 by kew (log)

[Tepee]

I can't wait to try the other variations. Yumm yumm!!!!

I can certainly vouch for that! Guess which lucky gal got to sample it?

[AlainV]

Dear nightscotsman,

I am converted to the marshmallow cult too

The strawberry marshmallows are fabulous !

I just have a question about the vanilla ones. I wanted to make plain marshmallows coated with chocolate glaze (see my other post on the chocolate glaze subject). I did use your recipe for vanilla marshmallows and omit the vanilla. Because the total liquid was less than strawberry marshmallows, I ended with a much more "chewy" mixture. Not the right one as it was impossible to put it in the pan.

I then tried again, this time with the same liquid content (I substituted strawberry puree with water) and it was a success : the same texture as the strawberry marshmallows.

So my question is : why this difference in liquid content between the 2 recipes ?

Curious to have the answer !

[JustKay]

Dear nightscotsman,

I am converted to the marshmallow cult too

The strawberry marshmallows are fabulous !

I just have a question about the vanilla ones. I wanted to make plain marshmallows coated with chocolate glaze (see my other post on the chocolate glaze subject). I did use your recipe for vanilla marshmallows and omit the vanilla. Because the total liquid was less than strawberry marshmallows, I ended with a much more "chewy" mixture. Not the right one as it was impossible to put it in the pan.

I then tried again, this time with the same liquid content (I substituted strawberry puree with water) and it was a success : the same texture as the strawberry marshmallows.

So my question is : why this difference in liquid content between the 2 recipes ?

Curious to have the answer !

Variation - Vanilla Marshmallows:

Replace strawberry puree and initial 1/2 cup of water in mixing bowl with 3/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the seeds scraped from 2 vanilla beans.

That was quoted from the end of nightscotsman's recipe

[JanKK]

I also could not cut it right. I didn't want to use a wet knife. But then, I tried using the pizza cutter and it worked like a charm. I dipped the wheel in the potato starch and sugar mixture and tapped off excess amount and then cut the marshmallow block.

Now why didn't I think of that?? I use the damn pizza cutter for everything! ;)

Thanks for a marvelous suggestion!

[jgarner53]

The pizza cutter was my first instinct, too, though I sprayed mine with cooking spray, and it worked just as well.

[foodie3]

had no problems cutting at all - after a 24 hr rest i used a chef's knife dipped in starch/sugar mixture.

[Joni]

How long do these marshmallows last (I know someone told me when I gave her some she had them for 3 weeks...but I don't trust her judgment!).....I am making them as "favors" for a party on Sunday....can I make them tonight (Thursday), then cut and bag them on Friday for Sunday ?

[jgarner53]

I'd say easily. I made mine a week ago, and they're still good. A little "tighter" on the surface, maybe, but definitely still soft, puffy, and yummy!

[Joni]

thanks...will take care of one thing tonight at least!

[Lloydchoc]

We have been developing a vegan marshmallow to sell at Farmer's Markets with a mixed success. Sometimes they come out great, and sometimes they don't. We found that Emes Kosher gelatin almost behaves like regular gelatin, but you have to use about 20% more to get the same texture. We found a place called Barry Farms on the internet that sells it in 8 oz packages.

The problem is the texture and the stickyness. Any plain marshmallow that we just add a flavor to such as vanilla, lemon or cinnamon, we don't have a problem (most of the time). When we use a fruit puree then the texture changes--it gets a little denser. The big problem is with the chocolate. If we use a low-fat cocoa powder (i.e. cheap), then the texture is a little denser, but the flavor is not great. If we use a high-fat cocoa powder, then it is dense and gummy (but it tastes great). I tried adding the cocoa powder to boiling water cooling and then adding the gelatin and also adding the cocoa powder at the end--it seems to be less dense when it is added at the end, but you can feel the grit of the cocoa powder.

Also, after they have been in a bag for a while, they tend to stick together. I use a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar for dusting. I notice that the recipe on this site calls for potato starch instead of cornstarch. Will that make a difference?

Thanks for any suggestions that anyone may have.