springy, fluffy marshmallows
It all went south when I couldn’t resist the urge to scrape down the paddle and bowl (anyone else an obsessive bowl scraper? I cringe when things go to waste). The paddle was gunked to the bowl and the scraper was glued to the paddle and then — and it is my duty to implore you not to do this at home — you think, “well, I’ll just wipe off the paddle with my index finger” and then your index finger gets knit to the scraper and then you think “well, let me use my other finger to wipe this one off” and all of a sudden, you’ve got strands of marshmallow strung from each finger to the bowl, the mixer, the paddle, the scraper, each corner of the pan, your shirt, the floor and then your husband comes home just as you’re pleading “help! I’m all knotted up!” and he instead gets the camera.
Needless to say, it’s taken me some time to tackle marshmallows again. It wasn’t just the mess, however — though, admittedly, it was mostly the mess deterring me, despite the fact that it all dissolves easily and residue-free when rinsed with warm soapy water — it was the fact that the marshmallows ended up a little denser than that Jet-Puffed ones we’re all used to. And nobody likes a dense, chewy marshmallow. Especially after all of that aforementioned drama.
But then I had to go make homemade graham crackers a couple weeks ago and you can’t make graham crackers without making s’mores (you just cant; it’s a summer sacrilege) and there was I was, overdue to face down my marshmallow demons. First order: A new recipe. I looked at what everyone else out there is making, and the recipes were largely the same until I found this ancient one (like, 11 years old, omg) on Epicurious that had the curious addition of egg whites (which is honestly something, prior to making marshmallows the first time, I’d always assumed every marshmallow recipe contained, given their flavor parallels to meringue) and the promise of extra lift and fluffiness within. Second order: Preparing for a mess. Except this time — and I’m not sure if it was the extra fluffy and more movable marshmallow “batter” or just my experience warning me to not touch it but it ended up being oh-so-less dramatic. Well, the cooking part at least: I woke up today with dried marshmallow in my hair; I’d say last night’s s’mores on the grill were a success.
Springy, Fluffy Marshmallows
Adapted from Gourmet, December 1998
These homemade marshmallows are not only easy to make, they set as perfectly as promised: puffed and lightweight, bouncing off one another as I tossed them in the container. Even better, they toasted like a campfire charm speared on the end of a skewer, and s’mooshed between two graham crackers with a square of chocolate.
Makes about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows
About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)
Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular 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 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold 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 electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)
In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.
Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.
Do ahead: Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.
These remind me of the ones that Mindy Segal puts in her amazing mugs of hot chocolate at her perfectly named restaurant “Hot Chocolate”. If you have any leftovers, I bet they would be great chopped up into brownies.
I swear, you keep posting things that I want to make! And then within the week I’ve run off to the grocery store to accomplish the new task. And then I force my friends to come over so that I can FEED them the food.
And really?
That works out splendidly.
Long story short: Thank you.
Ooh these look great! And so easy! I’ve been looking all over for a good recipe, since we don’t get good marshmallows here in India. I’ve been craving s’mores all day, and am going to have to make these :)
that’s funny, i always assumed all marshmallow recipes contained egg whites too..but i guess not all do. i really want to attempt these one day, i’ve heard that a good homemade marshmallow is like light years better than the packaged stuff. i’m sure i’ll end up in an even stickier situation than you did the first time….
So much more charming than the store bought marshmallows.
I forgot to add, do these work out better than Dorie’s recipe, do you know? I’ve heard a lot about that one, so I’m wondering. Which would be the best one for a first-timer to try?
What was the last recipe you used? I’ve been avoiding egg white based marshmallow recipes due to an egg allergy and have always wanted to try the Cooking for Engineers recipe which doesn’t have them, and he didn’t mention problems when scraping down the bowl.
Also, how difficult would this be just using a whisk? I don’t exactly own much by the way of kitchen appliances.
Those marshmallows look FANTASTIC and now your homemade graham crackers don’t have to be lonely anymore ;-) So glad your cooking experience was more successful this time!
these just hit the top of my to do list today, if i can find a backyard firepit to toast them on. i smell a party.
I enjoy eating marsh mallows but do not know that there is a wealth of knowledge behind these yummies!
With Summer in full swing, there is no way I can pass up a chance to make homemade s’mores. Thanks for the great recipe!
Great narrative of the stickyness. Someday I hope to find a recipe without gelatin that comes out as beautifully!
Did you know that you can take that same marshmallow and pour it into a piping bag instead of a pan, and pipe figures with it? Then coat them in colored sugar. Or you can spread the marshmallow out in a slightly thinner layer, let it set, and cut it with cookie cutters? Then dip the shapes in chocolate, yum. And don’t waste the scraps if you do that, just toss them up with some mixed nuts and then douse the whole thing with chocolate for some homemade rocky road.
I’m so glad you are on the marshmallow bandwagon, I can’t wait to see what else you do with them!
I’m embarrassed to even ask this question, but… do these melt as well for rice krispie treats? or if you were to use them, would you just skip the hardening step, add melted butter and rice krispies and call it a day? Yes, yes, I know that you have a fancy-schmancy and incredibly delicious-looking peanut butter chocolate krispy recipe, but I’m sitting here in expat land, trying to explain to my perplexed non-American partner why good ol’ rice krispie treats are just so darned awesome and why marshmallows here just aren’t RIGHT, and there you go, putting up a marshmallow recipe! So… will it work? Do I have 4th of July plans?
When I make marshmallows I use a half cornstarch half powdered sugar mix to keep them from being too sweet. And changing the vanilla to mint and adding mini chocolate chips to the top when still gooey so they stick isn’t too bad a thing either…And scissors work great for cutting too.
oh i am such an obsessive bowl scraper!!! these look like a ton of fun!! i want to make these and the grahams!!!
I’m printing out this recipe for our trip to the lake over the 4th of July! Nothing like smores over a fire at the lake. Thanks for always making me look like a professional chef to my friends and family!
Looks very successful to me! I’m just not sure I could put in all that effort – when they come nicely in a bag already!
I’m almost embarrassed to say that the first thing i thought when i read this was, “you can make your own marshmellows?” needless to say, these look very cool and im glad you decided to give marshmellow making another try!
homemade marshmallows are the best!!!! especially toasted over the fire. i’m entertaining some nieces and nephews this weekend and will have to make these for the campfire—along with the grahams of course!
You’re a killer, Deb. We’re going camping sometime soon and this will be GREAT.
I also love making marshmallows, but I can offer a little bit of advice on the sticky situation. You can use water lightly on your hands, knife, scraper, or what have you and the marshmallow wont stick to it. So lets say you want to scrape the stuff off of the spatula into the final container, just wet your fingers slightly and you can brush it off into the container easily. Warm water works best. But don’t go and put a whole bunch of water on anything or it’ll ruin your texture.
And you CAN scrap the bowl, it just takes a lot of practice and a long bladed spatula.
I LOVE working with chocolate and sugar.
As SOON as I have a kitchenaid in my possession, I am so making these.
What incredible s’mores…I hope whoever you shared them with was sufficiently impressed.
Homemade s’mores!? I need some of those!
It looks sooo good!!!
thank you!! I have been hoping to try making some marshmallows after I’d made those fantastic graham crackers of yours and now I can – can’t wait!!
It’s like you read my mind! I’ve been scoping out marshmallow recipes for a couple of weeks. This is the one…
That middle picture set with the mixer is so monochromatic and sharp… that would make a fun print!
I would never imagine that making your own marshmallows could be so relatively simple. Now I MUST make the graham crackers and marshmallows… what’s next, homemade Hershey’s bars???
My husband has a thing for making marshmallows. Home-made is def so much better than store-bought. They were easy to make *but* so hard to photograph…
i was just about to make some hot chocolate! genius!
What a grand idea! Nothing could be simpler, tastier, or more economical than marshmallows….perfect sunday brunch:)
Thanks for sharing your recipe :)
My inheritance from my grandmother (she was 96 when she died last year) was a cook book my mother had scribbled in when she was a child. One of the main reasons I wanted it was because it had a recipe for marshmallows – until I saw that I was unaware it was even possible to make them.
Thanks for reminding me.
I can’t wait to make these with the kids. School’s out for the summer, so what better way to get them all sticky and “knotted up”? Probably should make the graham crackers too.
I made these with my daughter for a girl scout project. It was fun and they taste so good. We set them out to “dry” over night on our counter and awoke to powdered sugar paw prints all over the house! The cat who never ever gets on the counters decided to take a stroll.
My mom used to make marshmallows every once in a while … I’ve never dared!! Of course now I’ve got more experience and the right equipment so maybe I’ll give them a shot. Thanks!
Callie — I was just thinking about that this morning! I bet it would work. When toasted, they worked exactly like the store-bought ones so why not if melted with butter and Krispies… gah, sounds so good. If you do it, please let us know how it goes.
Kawa — Actually, the Cooking for Engineers/Thomas Keller one. However, don’t count it out because it wasn’t my favorite. I’ve realized in hindsight that I was still using a two-bit good-for-nothing candy/deep fry thermometer (hadn’t yet realized what it called 375 was probably 475, and would easily explain why my marshmallows tasted too dense). That said, the egg whites add an unmistakable lift, and this will still be my go-to for now on.
Coating the spatula(or whatever you’re using to scrape the bowl) lightly with either vegetable oil or cooking spray will solve the stickiness problem.
I’ve been off-and-on about making marshmallows ever since I saw Ina do it like, eons ago. Here’s the thing–I don’t really like marshmallows. I figure if I make them myself they’ve gotta be better, but I don’t know if I can handle that sort of disappointment. Really, the only place I like marshmallows is in ice cream, and making my own just to fold them into ice cream? Well, that’s a whole level of crazy that even I may not be up to. Perhaps as a Christmas giveaway…
I’ve been wanting to make my own marshmallows. I’ll definitely have to try this recipe :) We’ll see if I can resist making a mess of it, though…
Hi Deb! Fabulous Pictures. I would love to try them. Is there any way to substitute the gelatin? Like with agar-agar or Pektin? Please let me know.
My first experience with jarred marshmallow fluff (to make whoopie pies) would’ve made a good YouTube video. Ew, it’s on my hands. Ew, it’s on the spatula handle. Can’t put the spatula down, except to flick it roughly into the sink. Faucet handle too far away for elbow. Great, now it’s all over that, too. Dirtied 4 paper towels on the roll trying to get one of them – any of them – to rip at the perforations.
Finally, I came across the tip to use spray oil on everything that will be touching the stuff, from measuring spoons to spatulas. (And, yeah, I sprayed it on my hands, too. Marshmallow trauma should not be taken lightly.) This is cool, though. I wonder if tall cookie cutters will work … (oiled, of course) …
Question? Did you (or can you) beat the egg whites while the sugar mixture is cooking so they would be ready to fold into the beaten syrup/gelatine mixture as soon as it was ready to do so? Or do the whites deflate too much on standing?
I am a total scraper as well! I hate watching cooking shows when they pour stuff out of a bowl and then just put the bowl down and move on to the next step. I consider it a failure if there is still discernible batter (or whatever) in the bowl. I think I may have to learn not to scrape with this one.
Great idea now that we are in s’more season! First the graham crackers and now the marshmallows. I expect to see chocolate bars any minute now. Truly perfect photographs!
Love to make marshmallows. I have done these on a couple of occasions with some lovely edits…
almond extract
shredded coconut so that it won’t stick.
I used these on top of the wedding cake i made and they were so great. I also bought some dehydrated strawberries, powdered them, and made strawberry marshmallows!
I am going have to try the receipe as marshmallows are lovely!
Thank you! I’m making the graham crackers for an upcoming camping trip and can’t wait to make these to accompany them….you rock Deb!
Ive only made marshmallows once and I ended up in quite a bit of mess but the end was result was great, I made mint flavoured marshmallows then half dipped them in melted chocolate. I used the recipe from the “Baked” book and they dont have egg whites in, so next time I make them ill try these see what difference they make
There’s NOTHING better than homemade marshmallows! YUM!
I’ll have to give these another try. The first time I made marshmallows not only did I end up with a similar mess, but they were dense and chewy. I wasn’t a fan…but I’m pretty sure I messed something up when it came to temperature, etc.
Your pictures are perfect. I love pristine and white they look. Your mixer matches well with the marshmallow process.
I will be making these very soon. BOOKMARKED!
Heh, great story. I’ve been wanting to make marshmallows for a while, I’ll be sure to remember not to wipe it off with my finger.
Deb, your marshmellow predicament sounds exactly like the one in the Cat In the Hat Comes Back! Too bad you didn’t have Thing One and Thing Two to help you.
I made 3 batches of marshmallows between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year – my family (extended) couldn’t get enough of them!! I used a recipe from Alton Brown and they turned out great. This fall I’m going to try dipping some in chocolate and maybe make a mint flavored batch. Mine did turn out to be firmer than the jet puffed kind, so I’ll have to try your egg white recipe! Thank you!
These look wonderful… watching them roast over an open flame has sold me on the fact that I have to try them!
I’ve never made marshmallow before but these are so cute and look like so much fun to make! I wonder, is there any way to keep the marshmallow at the soft “fluff” stage? (For “fluffernutter” sandwiches, of course!)
I made marshmallows at Christmas to give my little cousins as gifts in hot cocoa kits. Our local grocery ran out of unflavored gelatin, so I ended up using cherry Jello and following Martha Stewart’s non-egg white recipe – they were so tasty and hot pink – the kids loved them.
What about marshmallows w/o animal bones/leftovers? Is anyone else concerned about eating gelatin?
Nothing beats homemade marshmallows, but I cannot even imagine homemade smores! I’d love to try these with your graham cracker recipe.
I’m an obsessive bowl-scraper too. :) This reminds me of making salt-water taffy when I was a teen. The first batch was awesome, but when I went to make it again the taffy wouldn’t harden and I ended up with a layer of sugary glue coating my hands. It was the strangest, claustrophobic feeling.
I made Martha Stewart’s marshmallow recipe years ago, and homemade marshmallows really are beautiful. The April issue of Gourmet magazine had a marshmallow recipe, by the way–made with a delicious aperitif, Lillet Blanc, instead of water. I bought the Lillet Blanc but got more interested in drinking it than in making marshmallows, probably because every time I pull out a candy thermometer, I end up having to throw away a pot.
can you come up with a gelatin free version for us veggies?
bones and teeth are off the menu for me :)
Shame cos I used to love toasted marshmallows when I was little…
Just wait until your little one watches you make them….it’ll be worth any potential mess & your child will think you are the MOST amazing thing…… Enjoy!
These look heavenly! Now if only I didn’t have finals this week to worry about…
Oh good lord… This is the last thing I need to make right now but homemade marshmallows are calling my name. I adore crispy, burnt mallows straight or in s’mores. I don’t have a thermometer or electric mixer of any kind… For those of us in NYC that aren’t so lucky to have an equipped kitchen, have you tried any bakery-homemade marshmallows that match the yumminess of this recipe?
Really? They toasted over the fire??? You have no idea how happy that makes me!!!
Here in the middle of nowhere where I live, we can’t get marshmallows. And most of the joy of marshmallows (besides eating them by the dozen) is toasting them. And all I’ve ever heard about homemade marshmallows is that they taste great but don’t try to toast them. Silly me, I don’t know why I never actually TRIED it before… :-)
I made marshmellows from a Barefoot Contessa recipe. My oh my, they were so good!
Ah, melted marshmallows, brown crispy spots. So glad you found the perfect recipe for us. My boys are playing with fire right now (grilling too) and no marshmallows. I see another fire coming soon.
Oh, I have made these…for Christmas one year. It was like a science fair project! LOL! They turned out beautifully and I was so proud, I told everyone I gave them to that , yes, they were homemade!
They we also succesful…toasted on the stovetop at 3AM. Thanks for bringing them over!!
Xoxo,
Jocelyn!
these look great! i’m considering making a s’mores kit care package to send to a friend. do you think the marshmallows and graham crackers will hold up OK being mailed via USPS?
mmm! we make marshmallows every christmas
We made smores today. We made smores without these marshmallows. I will never do that again. These look divine.
I have an egg-less marshmallow recipe that isn’t dense. Actually, it comes out with a silky, fluffy mouthfeel like freshly risen bread dough (and that’s why I loved them so much.)
The thought of egg white in my marshmallows kind of creeps me out. If the recipe I had wasn’t so simple, I’d think about it, though.
Vegetarian marshmallow requests — Wow, that’s a lot of comments about animal parts. Clearly, I am not vegetarian. And have not made marshmallows that don’t contain gelatin. However, a Google search suggests that there are a lot of recipes out there. Again, I haven’t tested them but if someone out there does and wants to give feedback on one, it will be appreciated.
Egg white comments — Remember, you don’t have to use real, actual egg whites, but can also use egg white powder.
Faith — I bet if you cooked the syrup to a slightly lower temperature, the marshmallows wouldn’t set up as much. Or, you might try one less packet of gelatin. Either might be worth trying, or if you Google around, you might find recipes out there for homemade marshmallow “fluff”.
Thanks for the fine tutorial on making marshmallows. Just what I’ve wanted for some time. There’s a lovely Kentucky confection called a Modjeska which consists of a marshmallow enrobed in soft caramel. http://www.bauerscandy.com I’ve made a pretty good approximation using commercial marshmallows; however Bauer’s does make their marshmallows from scratch. I’m going to give it a try whenever we get some dry, not-too-hot weather in NJ.
I made marshmallows for neighborhood kids last Christmas … freshly cut marshmallows are sticky and can be stuck on the end of a skewer and dipped in nonpareils or drizzled with dark chocolate. Packaged in a cellophane bag tied with a bow they become hot chocolate stir sticks. Add a cellophane bag of home made hot chocolate mix and voila! Great treat for kids after an afternoon in the snow.
I’m obviously not a good vegetarian, because I gave up on the gelatin thing ages ago, though I might try an experiment with pectin.
Normally I skip the homemade marshmallows and make the marshmallow sauce in the Perfect Scoop. I love it for my ice cream pies.
Love homemade marshmallows. I’ve been making the ones that Molly Wizenberg published in Bon Appetit a little while ago. My daughter, J, insisted that we make marshmallows for her teachers and for the whole family last year for holiday gifts. We sent them to family in NY, packaged beautifully with her special blend of hot cocoa. Unfortunately, one of the hot cocoa cello bags burst and all of the other bags were coated in cocoa powder. Still, the marshamallows were wonderful with hot cocoa – especially the ones that we flavored with a touch of peppermint extract. I think we’ll try the your s’more idea next!
yum! i’ve wanted to make vegan marshmallows for ages but i’m terrified of the mess i’ll create. or that i’ll totally ruin them :( but practice makes perfect, right? glad you got less tangled this time. they turned out beautifully!
I love the campfire photo. And just in time for summer.
I LOVE making homemade marshmallows! I make them every December and dip them in chocolate and give them away. People are always impressed that I made homemade marshmallows, which makes me giggle since they are about the easiest candy I make.
I will give your recipe a try this Fall when I get back into candy-making mode. Thanks for sharing!
I tried the “Dead easy coleslaw” last week and it was the perfect thing to go on my pulled pork sandwiches.
Yummy homemade marshmallows! I have seen a lot of people make them but never tried. I’m so scared that I will end up with a gooey mess everywhere. Great pictures too!
hahahaha! thanks for sharing your experience with homemade marshmallows. I haven’t tried making homemade marshmallows because of the mess and well to be honest if I didn’t read this entry I would have scrapped the whisk and the bowl too! Thanks for the warning! I’ll think about it if I’m up to the challenge of making my own marshmallows
I want to make these!! The minute that finals are over, I am going to bake up a storm.
Also, I was wondering, is it absolutely necessary that I have a candy thermometer for this?
Any ideas for making these without corn syrup? I live over seas and just can’t find it here – would honey work?
I put my marshmallows in the freezer although they themselves do not freeze.
Just make sure they are well coated with icing sugar.
Love your recipes!
I have got to have a go at these!
I bought some unflavored gelatin this weekend for the purpose of making marshmallows but didn’t have a recipe that I was going to follow and lo and behold, look what you posted! It has been one of those recipes I had been waiting to try until I got a kitchen aid and the wedding shower took care of that! I might be crazy but I was thinking about creating a ’smore package for out of town guests for the wedding and this might be the trick to getting me to do it!
I’ve been thinking of making these for years. My son started a new school today, so maybe these could be his lunchbox reward…
This is probably a dufus question, but I’m wondering about the timing on the egg whites–I only have one bowl and one beater for my KitchenAid and no hand beater, so I’m wondering if I could pre-beat the egg whites and refrigerate them in a separate bowl and then fold them into the sugar mixture later. I guess I could hand-whip them, but, um, I would probably need to start with weight training first.
This recipe from Gourmet is the only one I have ever used for my marshmallows. I think it has excellent results. I have people requesting marshmallows all the time (they are so impressed, but have no idea how easy they actually are to make).
Alecia — I understand that something called “golden syrup” is very close to light corn syrup, if you can find that instead.
Annie — I would say that a candy thermometer is very important for this. Unless you think you can eyeball (or test otherwise for) the “soft ball” stage. It’s a good $12 investment!
Thanks so much for this recipe — can’t wait to try it. The first and last time I made marshmallows they kept soaking up the powdered sugar and were always gooey on the sides. I made them last Christmas with my nieces for a “hot chocolate and movie” night and they tasted great for the party, but by the next day had mushed into a gooey mess in the container. This recipe is just in time for ‘Smores this summer but I’m going to give it a try on my own first. I absolutely love your recipes and . . . well, you. Lots of prayers are being said for the new little one. Blessings on your day.
Dare I show these to my children? Hmmmmmm. Maybe I’ll let my teenagers try them. My 14-year old makes killer almond roca and is the cookie baker at our house.
I was hoping for a photo of you covered in marshmallow strings!
One of my favorite memories with my kids is from a couple of years ago when they were about 10 an 12. We’d spent x-mas in New York and the kids loved the homemade marshmallows we had there but we parents were too cheap to fork over $8 to $12 to bring a few home. I found a recipe on Epicurious and shall we say hilarity ensued. It was mess, licking the beaters made the kids a mess, I have great pictures of everyone covered in mess, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. By the way, the marshmallows were fantastic. We flavored some with almond extract and others with peppermint. They were great in hot cocoa. And that mess, well there’s no oil so it all cleaned up in no time with a bit of warm water. All in all, this is a highly recommended project.
Ooooooh. I love marshmallows a ridiculous amount. Making homemade ones is a long-term goal of mine…putting it off because I’m afraid I’ll eat them for every meal until they’re gone.
hmm… have you tried making chocolate marshmallows (not dipped, but flavored)? i’ve done marshmallows you way before.. and they are great! but i tried adding cocoa powder that is dissolved in a bit of water and it comes out too “wet” inside. tastes great, though. i searched several sites from google and it says to add the dissolved chocolate to the gelatin.
Those look so light and fluffy!! By the way . . I’m an obsessive bowl scraper as well. It’s my mom’s fault. I guess it’s one of those things where you don’t want to lose any ingredients or waste them.
My friends and I were just wondering what you would put into homemade marshmallows, and here you are describing it for us! I may just have to try my hand at these sometime this summer…
oooh. I want to make marshmallows so badly, ever since I saw pictures last Christmas of homemade ones with strawberry flavors and mint flavors and dipped in chocolate, or a mix of chocolate and vanilla, or coffee flavored!~ They just looked so *pretty.* I imagine they’d make a great Christmas present too for someone special, although I think cookies would be a LOT easier in the long run. I’m a little bit scared of all the probable mess, though. I’ve heard one needs to have foil over the mixing bowl or some kind of shield to keep hot sugar from flying everywhere when it is mixed at high speed, but you didn’t mention anything like that. Did you have any problems with that?
When I first saw this recipe when you posted it a while back I HAD to make them. I coated mine in toasted coconut (that I toasted myself!) and sent them to my husband while he was serving in Afghanistan. I thought the coconut would help keep them separated during the travel in that heat. Anyway…he received them and thought they were a bit of a weird delivery (along with all the other weird and fun things I sent him…Cat Fancy magazine…candy from Japan…cajun seasoning because he said the food was bland…) but once he tried them they became quite a hit. There were so good and tasted so much fresher than store bought. Thanks for the recipe!
I made marshmallows for the first and last time over the winter, and I had a very similar experience to yours. In fact, I think I even labeled my post about it Kitchen Mishap something or other. It was one of those things that you like to say you tried, but maybe never want to do again.
First of all Deb, I love your blog. It’s the one I turn to most frequently when I want to make something good. But what’s with the marshmallow thing? Am I the only person on the face of the cooking earth who doesn’t feel compelled to make their own marshmallows? As a busy mother of three, I depend on you to keep the good stuff coming. You know what I mean–cookies, cakes, bread, pies, pasta–serious carbohydrates. If I have any free time, it isn’t spent making marshmallows from scratch. That’s too Martha Stewart for me. Love ya anyway.
Two years ago I used the Cooking For Engineers recipe to make about 8 batches for Christmas presents. I never had any problems with it, but I’d bought a new candy thermometer for the project and have a big stand mixer. The marshmallows were perhaps a bit denser than Jet Puff, but still very good. I tossed them with rice flower at the end, also a successful ploy. That said, I plan to try this recipe soonest.
love (!) homemade marshmallows. i use ina garten’s recipe (sans coconut) and it has no egg whites, but i’ve always had success with it.
my mom likes to dip half of the marshmallow and chocolate and roll it in toasted nuts.
Deb – perhaps you should consider a consulting gig with the Department of Defense. From the photos of your first marshmallow attempt it looks like they could use it to put people in a sticky situation. As long as they don’t eat themselves out of it.
The combo of homemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows sounds irresistable…
I recall seeing Paula Deen make a Mississippi Mud Cake she had bought some homemade marshmallow that was about 1/2 inch thick and the size of her cake (9 x13). She laid the white bliss over the slightly cool cake and immediately covered the marshmallow with a very warm chocolate icing. OMG.
I THINK Ina makes hers with egg whites too. Not sure though. I look forward to making this.
This is the marshmallow recipe I have been using for years! It makes the best marshamllows, with very little mess. I am very excited to make your graham crackers…I usually make the little gift baskets for Christmas with graham crackers, marshmallows and a huge hershey bar. I was going to make graham crackers one year but I couldn’t find a good recipe. Thanks for doing all the hard work and the research for us! By the way, made the Zuni Chicken with the salad and it was AWESOME! The salad is the best part of the whole dish.
Could these keep longer in the freezer? I would love to make them for a birthday party later this summer, but I fear that I would need multiple batches. . .
Those look gorgeous! The first (and only) time I made marshmallows I not only made a huge mess, but after all my hard work, accidentally melted them into my plastic cutting boards when I preheated the oven (where they’d been cooling overnight).
Meghan — I don’t see why not. I mean, the ingredients are pretty stable.
For those who are grossed out by gelatin – try getting Kosher unflavored gelatin. It is completely animal-free, and works just like the regular gelatin powder. You can’t get it in sheets though. Deb – can you find this in NY?
I love homemade marshmallows! I made these last fall and they are the most perfect for roasting. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to the store bought kind. . .
TK — I have not shopped for it, but I am sure it is available somewhere in the city. That said, Kosher gelatin is not understood to be animal-free. Also, this recipe doesn’t call for sheeted gelatin. (Though if you can convert it, I find sheeted way more fun to use.)
Deb, do you think these would work well as a marshmallow fluff thing? For my husband’s birthday in July, we’re doing a summer cook-out themed dinner party, and I want to make S’more cupcakes for guests to take home…Do you think these, not cut but maybe piped, would work as a topping? With a nice browning by a creme brulee torch?
I love making marshmallows, and make them often. They are fun (sticky) and can be flavored in so many ways (think…rose, anise, peppermint, orange, lemon). The extract list is endless. My sister has even made cocoa orange marshmallows and butterscotch ones! Great post!
You’re definitely insane to make your own marshmellows.
I made your homemade oreos for my grandmother’s birthday. She’s 74 and a cookie monster. She hates Oreos, something I didn’t know, but she LOVED the cookies. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Homemade graham crackers, homemade marshmallows, whatever’s next? Homemade filo pastry??? Love that top photo — I’ve never seen marshmallows look so austere, so elegant as opposed to the usual cute and cuddly. I admit I developed an aversion to gelatin after Mad Cow’s Disease took hold in the UK. Of course that disease has long been eradicated in Britain and I still consume wine gums by the packet but somehow Jell-O and her near and distant cousins have never had quite the same allure again. I hope SK makes a cake soon!
I just wanted to say that I am having the best time going through your website. Your photos are stunning and I can’t even count the number of recipes I want to run out and try. I have made marshmallows a few times, and the stickiness has always been a challenge, but certainly worth the effort. I can’t wait to pair these with your graham crackers! Thank you for hours of entertainment.
Sara — In comment 75, I make a suggestion for another reader who wants to make fluff at home: either not letting the “candy” set up as much or maybe dialing back the gelatin. Both would keep the marshmallow a little softer.
Btw, if you’ve never made 7-Minute Frosting, you should check it out. It tastes exactly like marshmallows, and is shiny and pearly white to boot. Oh, and the egg whites get tempered, so no salmonella worries. (I have two versions of it on this site, the classic one here and an even simpler, pared-down one here.)
Oh, Deb, I am so jealous of your marshmallows! I tried to make some a few years ago and it was total disaster. I used a candy thermometer, but by the time it registered to the right temp, the syrup was ruined … but I pressed on and ended up with flat, dense, hard, gross, awful marshmallows. Frightening.
I blame it on the thermometer.
In regard to your marshmallow strings experience….Isn’t that how they caught Brer Rabbit (in the non PC “Song of the South”)?
Anyhow…They look dee-lish.
My 6th grade home ec teacher taught my to always get my hands damp when handling marshmallows, and it does the trick for sure! I don’t get them wet enough to make what I’m working on soggy, but just enough to have a layer between my skin and the ooey gooeyness.
Hope that was helpful!
Whoa. That is way freakin’ cool! Now I’m going to have to make marshmallows just to say that I’ve made marshmallows. It’s way more impressive than saying I’ve made a soufflé or flambé or anything with an “é” at the end of it. It’s really the simplest things that get the most attention. And I LOVE attention!
Is it possible to make a sugar syrup instead of using corn syrup? I’m allergic to corn based products and wonder if honey or a boiled sugar syrup would work.
yeah s’mores! I was waiting for that! that unborn child of yours is one lucky kid.
I finally made homemade marshmallows last Christmas(Susan Branch recipe) and my husband thought they were waaaaay better than the store-bought version! That made the sticky labor well worth it:) We mostly used it to plop into our hot chocolate, but did roast some on our backyard fire pit too:)
Yours look BEAUTIFUL!
Wow! I’m making those stat. They look really cute, too. Thanks for sharing. :)
You are totally in sync with me (or maybe I am totally in sync with you). The first batch of marshmallows I made, though delicious, were a bit too dense. But, I am going to try making this version tonight so that we can have smores this weekend.
For all you obsessive bowl scrapers – have you thought about getting something like this http://www.sideswipeblade.com/ ? There’s also a similar product http://www.beaterblade.com/ and a third called Pour Perfect (can’t find a url atm). I wonder if that would help the process with the marshmallows or if the little silicone scrapers would just get all gummed up themselves?
m sure gonna try this.. my kids gonna love this marshmallow..have never tried home made ones.. thank you for sharing the recipe.. always loved marshmallows :)
Try adding rosewater for a fancy touch to the whole marshmallow thing, i do them as petit fours with some pink food colouring thrown in.
i am SO impressed that you tackled this! i actually felt sticky just reading your words … but i can imagine the reward of roasting your own ‘mallows was so unbelievably satisfying! what fun … i learned something new today … thanks so much!
cheers,
prairiegirl
Okay, I literally just snorted with laughter. I’m glad you have managed to not glue yourself to the marshmallow bowl this time! And oh, how I do wish we could all just pop by for homemade s’mores…
You can also toast coconut and before you put the marshmallow in pan spread layer of coconut on the bottom and on the top of them and they are to kill for. I think you will love them. Try it next time…..
My mom gave me some chocolate-flavored “gourmet” marshmallows from a well-known fancy national chain store that shall remain nameless, and they were so nasty I threw them away. The chocolate flavor was weak (like drinking hot chocolate made with water instead of milk) and the texture was dense and spongy. Even my kids didn’t like them! It actually put me off the idea of homemade marshmallows althogether, because I thought they were representative, but after reading all these comments I may have changed my mind. Thanks Deb!
Oh, I was going to try these soon. I have heard they are fantastic compared to the store bought puffs. My recipe is the same as yours minus the egg whites. Now that I know they aren’t as difficult as I thought, can’t wait to try your recipe. Thanks for not giving up on them.
Fabulous! Would you suggest adding any other flavors besides vanilla?
I have always inexplicably longed for a mallow recipe with egg whites! Just like Deb, I assumed that they were involved with the spring and fluff and flavor of marshmallows somehow. My inspiration was building having seen Matt Lewis’ mallow recipe in “Baked”, but thanks to this post, I am going to give the meringue mallow a shot. Being the proud owner of a brand new box of gelatin sheets (and having the Baked recipe as a reference for the sheeted gelatin), I will try both and give the recipe conversion a go.
While Deb has a killer conversions/equivalents page, I didn’t see anything on gelatin, so I wanted to provide a link to anyone in Europe or elsewhere that might be interested in using gelatin sheets to make these marshmallows (Deb, I hope this is in keeping with the comment policy. If not sorry!) – Lebowtiz has a good resource page here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/04/how_to_use_gelatin.html
I just want to breathe a sigh of relief that I’m not the only obsessive bowl scraper out there. I HATE to see any little bit of batter or frosting or … well, anything! … go to waste. I have zillions of rubber spatulas and I will scrape a bowl to within an inch of it’s life before putting it in the sink.
Nice to know I’m not alone. :)
Wow i love marshmallows but never knew how to make them, thanks for sharing this!
I was at a staff training at school today in the computer room and I had everyone drooling over the pictures of these marshmallows. I think I drummed up 20 teachers for your site. =)
You can make your own marshmallows????? Sweet!
OK. I’m really going to try these. I’ve seen it on tv. I’ve now seen it here laid out in print and pictures. The time is here to step up and make some.
I am SO inspired by this!! I was toying with making your graham crackers, but this seals the deal – we are having a homemade graham cracker/marshmallow s’mores party at our house in the near future (hopefully ha! I am really REALLY good at making a mess!)
What a great idea to make marshmallows as follow up to the graham crackers. i am so inspired by your kitchen adventures. Where do you find the time? The marshmallows look lovely and your recipe has been bookmarked for when my life gets to be less crazy. Thanks for sharing.
Just an FYI for all those who keep kosher, I made the recipe today, substituting the gelatin with unsweetened, unflavored dessert gel (available in the baking aisle of all kosher groceries). The powder dissolved immediately, without needing to be softened, as standard gelatin does. Its congealing properties weren’t as strong as the gelatin, however, and so I ended up with marshmallow cream instead of solid marshmallows. But it’s every bit as delicious! Thanks, Deb!
Made these last night, so GOOD and easy!!!! Makes alot so I dipped some in chocolate, and then made rocky road bites with toasted nuts, Thanks for the easy recipe!
*drool* There goes the diet again. Strangely enough, I never actually realized that gelatin had any animal content, but as I’m a devout omnivore, I don’t really care. These are definitely going in the Christmas goodie bags this year. Just as a curiosity, am I the only one who makes Rice Krispy treats with corn syrup and not marshmallow? I’ve had the marshmallow ones and never liked them much — probably because I was too used to the peanut butter and corn syrup concoctions Mom used to make when I was a kid. I like the texture on them so much better. Drat, now I have to go make some of those, too :-)
I have been wanting to make marshmallows forever! They look so much yummier then the store bought variety. I truly enjoy your blog and photos, and I just wanted to let you know that I have passed the One Lovely Blog award on to you! I am sure you have a thousand already but I just couldn’t help myself. :)
Help! I made the recipe last night and a few things went wrong. I brought the sugar/water/cornsyrup mixture up to 240 and at that point it started to get a carmel color, is this correct? Also, when I added it to the gelatin/water mixture in my mixer bowl it bubbled up and and I stirred to disolve the gelatin but that didn’t happen….as I found out later. There was harden bits of gelatin stuck to the whip of the mixer and also throughout the marshmallow mixture. They didn’t quite set up, really soft, but I am guessing that is due to the fact that most of the gelatin wasn’t incorporated. Any help from any one who has made this? Thanks!
So every time I come to your blog, I have to bookmark a new recipe to try. I was over the moon with your graham crackers recipe (because I can’t get them here), and immediately thought of s’mores. I’ve not had luck with marshmallow in the past so will give this a go. THANKS!
Oh wow, those look sooooo good! Big and light and fluffy. I’m still looking for a good vegetarian substitute for gelatin, now I have to hurry up and find one.
These were fantastic! Made a batch, though they did not end as perfect cubes. I have to say that I probably won’t be buying a bag of marshmallows if I can avoid it. My office also appreciates this as I brought in some chocolate and graham crackers( no time to make yours!) Thanks!
With July 4th coming up I’m thinking smores! Thanks for the beautiul tutorial!
I’ve used Thomas Keller’s recipe (gelatin only) for a while and think it is great, but have always wanted to try out one of these recipes that involve egg whites, too. I’ll definitely give this a shot next time I make marshmallows.
Also, some of the comments here are HILARIOUS. I especially enjoyed the comment from someone who finds the idea of using her free time making marshmallows “too Martha Stewart” and would prefer more cake and pie recipes. Um… cakes and pies are WAY more time consuming and detail-oriented than making marshmallows! It is amazing how some people assume that the items they always buy pre-made must be fussier and more difficult than they really are.
Also, to answer a question from someone above, corn syrup is not a necessary ingredient, it just reduces the chances of sugar crystallization. I’ve made marshmallows without syrup on a number of occasions and was just very gentle with the sugar syrup so that it didn’t seize up. You can calculate how many grams of sugar are in the quantity of corn syrup called for in the recipe (about 44 g sugar in a 1/2 cup) and then replace with the equivalent amount of sugar (also 44 grams since sugar is pure) and maybe a couple T of extra water.
Anyway, thanks Deb for going outside of the stereotypical homemade desserts!
Could this marshmallow recipe be used as the marshmallow topping for your s’more pie?
I LOVE making marshmallows (and so do the kiddos)! The kids find it almost magical the way the volume increases as they are mixed. Last Christmas I did some peppermint ones (with a little red swirl through them) and packaged them up with hot cocoa mix for the kids’ teachers. I may have to make some again soon for s’mores!
Tamar — Why would you not want to use the one with the pie? It works just fine, and is similiar, minus the egg whites. That said, no reason you can’t use this. But much less of it, of course.
Thank you! I made marshmallows over the holidays for gifts. Everyone was so surprised and didn’t realize you could make them at home. They are SUPER easy and take no time at all. YUM.
Deb, I have a question. Can you share with us the name/source of your candy thermometer? I have had a heck of a time finding one I like.
Thanks for all your inspiring recipes.
I loved the recipe, it’s my first time making homemade marshmallows and they turned out great!!
For those who don’t have a candy thermometer like me, look what I’ve done: While your sugar mixture is boiling, have a little bowl filled with cold water on the side, and to test if you have reached the right temperature, just spoon some of the mixture in the cold water and try to mold a soft ball (yes, with your fingers inside the water),if you can do it, it’s done.You can just keep testing it until you can make the soft ball.For me, it took the exactly 12 minutes Deb said.
And if you don’t have an extra whire whisk to beat the white eggs, just dump the one you’re using in hot water, it will melt away the sugar.
Thank you Deb for the awesome recipe!! I am going to make some chocolate fondue to have with it!! YUM!!
Hi Deb!
First of all, congratulations :) I’ve been reading for about a year now and have enjoyed many of the recipes you post. This is the first time I’ve needed to comment on a post. I laughed so hard. I, too, am a scraper – can’t stand to see any of my good stuff go to waste. I, too, (attempted) to scrape when I made my first batch of marshmallows and ended up with the Spiderman kitchen. Since then, I have become less obsessive compulsive and keep my hands off! Someone asked about making fluff, I found a recipe (can’t remember what site…) I think I googled something like “homemade marshmallow fluff” and then just picked through until I found a decent recipe. That was the year my son asked for a yellow cake with marshmallow filling and chocolate icing. I had just started my, “I’m not going to buy that, I can make it better myself!” phase – which I’m still in! I look forward to seeing what’s cooking next :)
I, too, want to make these without corn syrup (DH is allergic).
Golden syrup, which I know is available in England, is my usual sub for corn syrup. It has a similar (better) taste and the same properties as corn syrup in the recipes I’ve tried. I have used it in buttercream and also for toasted coconut lace cookies.
The marshmallows might be creamy in color rather than snowy white, but I think that otherwise it will probably work.
Dude! This is awesome! I’ve been wanting to make marshmallows forever, but have been a little imtimidated. After reading this, I picked up missing pantry stuff on the way home and whipped them up. THANK YOU. they’re wonderful. Now to make some of your yummy graham crackers…
but…. I don’t have an electric mixer of any type. Does it work if I just whip it up by hand? I guess that seems like a no-brainer… what did people use before electicity? *heh*
I suspect it is doable, but I can’t lie: Marshmallows are the rare thing that’s really, really hard to make without modern machinery, since there’s so much whipping involved. Perhaps if we all had Michelle Obama’s guns…
Oh my goodness those look spetacular. I want to go home and make them right now. This past Christmas I looked into making homemade marshmellows but never got the chance. I think we might just have to have a bonfire just so we can make s’mores. Although I will probably have a picture similar to yours with the stringy mess; I am a particularly messy and clumsy cook.
I am new to the food blogging thing and yours is one I read regularly. They make my days better while I am at work, wishing I was in my kitchen. Thank you!
The first, and last, time I made marshmallows they were delicious, and had the consistancy of snot. My children (because they are heathens) dusted them with olive green powdered sugar, wrapped them in waxed paper, and gave them as gifts to their friends. They were quite the hit with the 10-14 yr old male set.
Maybe I’ll try again, now that the heathens are older.
Here’s a big DON”T with the marshmallow recipe. Substituting pectin for gelatin. My premise was that if I double the pectin, it would firm up to the point of solidification. (btw, I have never worked with pectin) I made the ‘mallows on Wed. and as of today, I still have a tart marshmallow jelly/flat fluff.
I’m disappointed, but still giggling over my faulty reasoning! I’m trying again, but this time following directions with the proper ingredients!
The first time I made marshmallows I made two critical errors: first, I decided I could do it alone with a hand mixer and a bowl; second, I wore a sweater.
To say I understand the mess you found yourself in is an understatement. :)
delurking to say that homemade marshmellows are great with a bit of peppermint extract, or dipped into chocolate. The chocolate dipped ones would mean nice melty chocolate for s’mores. Delish!
I’m soo excited! We are grilling with friends and will have a bonfire this weekend. Perfect time to try these puppies out. Thanks Deb!
I made these last night and cut them up this morning to the delight of our 3 year old. We may have to start a fire to roast them later on this morning. The satisfaction that comes from making these is akin to the satisfaction of making your own mayonnaise: relatively easy, even better than store-bought, and really fun!! Thanks for pushing me over the edge to make them myself! I may try the graham crackers… but the ones from the store are right there in the cupboard…
how sweet!
My Marshmallow Horror Story:
I just wanted to tell you that when I first made marshmallows my kitchen table collapsed. Right after I poured the boiling sugar into the bowl and was about to beat it the table leaf just gave out. It gave out right when I put the electirc beater into the bowl and turned it on. Marshmallow goo went EVERYWHERE, and I’m sure reminents still remain. Reminents that still make me shudder since I stayed up late into the night cleaning as much as I could out of the living room rug.
It took a long time before I was prepared to try marshmallows again.
Your marshmallows look yummy. From the looks of your pictures, you’re over whipping your batter by a few minutes. The photos from your first try…you over whipped by a long way. Second time was a disaster for me. My husband answered my deflated plea, “Please help me.”
Mmmmm!!! I just made these and put them in the fridge to set. The cream is delicious and I can wait for the finished product! I just recently purchased a Kitchenaid stand mixer that I have been wanting FOREVER, and this is the first thing I make in it!!! Only problem is.. the kids aren’t home to help me eat them!!!
wow! I made these today and they were absolutely amazing. We added almond extract and they were delicious–especially with homemade graham crackers :D
These were fantastic, I made them today and they turned out perfect, thanks for the recipe!!
Also, for the vegitarians and vegans, agar agar is the vegitarian equivalent to gelatin. Though I think it may be hard to get for some people, there are health food stores that carry it. Hope that helps.
Those look perfect! I agree; kitchen mess is half of what marshmallows are all about. I remember beating and beating my first batch (for about 10 minutes!) then turning my back for a moment, only to turn around again to see Mr. Stay-Puft himself (or so I thought) engulfing my mixer. Once they come together, they come together! Worst mess ever; but completely worth it.
And yes, I am a card-carrying bowl-scraper. Thank you immensely for the warning.
your child is going to hate your bowl scraping ways. I know there was never anything left to lick after my mother made cookies or cake or anything else for that matter.
I don’t know why I never thought of making marshmallows for smores, but now I have too. I did make my own peeps this year and used Martha’s recipe for “pipeable marshmallows,” which was much easier to deal with than the other recipes I’ve made in the past–many involving spinning webs of marshmallows around my kitchen.
So, I am just as happy as a puppy with two peters right now! I had also previously tired Martha Stewart’ recipe for marshamallows. I was left with a sticky mess and threw the whole batch away. I just made this recipe tonight and it was fantastic. The marshmallows were light, fluffy and wonderful. I would use this every time from now on. Thanks Deb!
I thought the same thing, a child like OHMYGOD! just popped mine in the fridge , so ill update!
Great recipe, but there should be a rating of PG13 on this one like they do in the movies. Twin 4 y/o’s have no place in a marshmellow kitchen! But we always have fun.
OK i followed it exactly and YES they are FOR SURE marshmallow’s BUT, i would definitely recommend that you decrease the granulated sugar to maybe 1 and half cups or even 1.25 cups cuz its just so extremely sweet that eating them plain is ehhweee sweet! however they are fluffy and everything that a marsh should be. hubby said its alot of work when you can go buy a bag for less then a dollar and i agree but its cool w/ kids and cookie cutters( tiny ones) , my boys however goble them up! so thank you loads for a trip down memory lane!
Well, I just made them for the first time (first time making any candy) and didn’t become a sticky mess (until cleanup that is. Though, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be). I used the ball method for testing the temp instead of a thermometer (don’t have one). The only thing is that now I’m thinking about it, eating raw egg whites kind of freaks me out :-\
This recipe is just lovely. I’ve been wanting to make marshmallows for a while (if for no other reason than as an excuse to bust out my almost-never-used stand mixer), and your addition of the egg whites finally convinced me. I used twice as much salt, and also twice as much vanilla (oh, and half regular sugar, half vanilla sugar) but otherwise made no changes. Next time I think I’ll dip them in caramel once they’re cut.
This recipe is huge, so since such a large tray of candy doesn’t really fit well in our diets, I dutifully took half of them to work in order to ruin my co-workers diets. They enjoyed them immensely and were surprised and impressed by the notion of marshmallows being homemade. One person who hates marshmallows even enjoyed one, much to her surprise!
Thanks again!
I just had to tell you that I made these along with the graham crackers you have posted for the 4th of July, and they were amazing! I justed wanted to thank you for two great amazing recipes (I posted links to the your recipes on my blog).
Those look gorgeous! But, do you know if it is okay to use say, golden syrup instead of corn syrup? Corn syrup as a purchasable item is pretty much non-existent in the UK and I realllllly want to try this!
Hi Bunny — I definitely have heard that the golden syrup is a good corn syrup replacement, but have to give the caveat that I haven’t tried it. But please do, and let us know how it goes. Many have asked!
Vegetarians!!!
I tried making these with Agar powder and 1. I don’t own a candy thermometer so don’t quote me on this but mine turned into fluff, they never stiffened up. After I poured in the sugar mixture it didn’t double or change colour (no matter how long I beat it) so I added the egg whites and then it changed color and doubled; it got rave reviews from non-vegetarians when dolloped on top of S’more Brownies (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/smore-brownies-recipe/index.html) I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had a real marshmallow and I’m not real crazy about the taste but I’m still going to try and make some crispy treats out of the left-overs! Thanks Deb!
Last night, I tried to make marshmallows using a different recipe than the one you posted. The first time, I didn’t know I was supposed to beat in the egg whites; I stirred everything instead, and it was a horrible failure.
The second time, I used the amount of ingredients posted on the recipe, but I followed the procedure of the recipe you posted. At first everything looked much better, but I thought that you were supposed to beat the syrup with the gelatin instead of stirring it first. (what is my problem with stirring vs. beating? haha)
I could barely sleep last night because it bothered me that I couldn’t make this candy. I rarely fail so badly on a recipe. I’ve made caramel, soufflés, many yeast breads, danish pastry, pâte à choux, pie pastry, etc., yet homemade marshmallows had stumped me! ARGH! So, I could barely sleep for wanting to make marshmallows successfully.
So, as soon as I woke up the next day, I set up all the ingredients by memory, followed this recipe EXACTLY, and guess what? It came out perfectly!!!!!!! I was so excited; I still am! I think if I would have stirred the gelatin with the syrup on the other recipe, it would have worked out, too since it included the same ingredients, just in different quantities. Nevertheless, I’m happy and satisfied. I halved the recipe, and it worked out perfectly. Thanks for posting this, Deb!
Ok, I LOVE this recipe. I have made it several times now.
So I did try doing what Callie had mentioned about the Rice Krispie treats. I took the fluff without hving it set up overnight and tried the treats from there and it made the krispies all soggy – very disappointing, let me tell you. Has anyone tried to make it where you re-melt the mallows after they have set up with different results?
While I was in Argentina this summer, I ordered for dessert a plate of petit fours. I was expecting those little frosting covered candy-like things, but what I got was candied oranges, dark chocolate-coated rice krispie mounds, and, most mind-boggling of all, ROSE FLAVORED marshmallows. That was by far the most memorable dessert I had in my two months there, undoubtedly because of those marshmallows.
Sounds great Sara
I just slid my pan into the fridge – can’t wait to toast a few later on tonight. I thought I’d give the recipe a test run before I make a batch for smores over Labor Day weekend. I ended up with big chunks of hardened candy in the bottom of my mixer bowl – any ideas how to avoid that in future? I still got plenty of fluff out and into the pan, but it didn’t look like as much as it should have been. I’m still thrilled, just wondering if my technique needs work.
Here in South Africa I can’t find corn syrup either. I suspect that liquid glucose (which is available in pharmacies) would probably be a good substitute and it wouldn’t change the colouring of the marshmallows because its clear. If I try it out I will post a comment about it.
I came across a book on google books that is nothing but marshmallow recipes. She uses a “marshmallow syrup” rather than corn syrup. It contains water, granulated cane sugar, and cream of tartar. More prep work, but for those that can’t get corn syrup, it seems to be a good alternative. The book is called:
Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats By Eileen Talanian, Courtney Winston
There are some other recipes in it for some tasty twists on the regular ol’ marshmallow.
Thanks so much for the marshmallow web warning! I almost fell prey.
I used a hand mixer and beat for about 8-9 minutes. I stopped a little early because it was so thick that the mixture kept creeping up my beaters even when I tried to not submerge them far into the mixture. After setting and cutting, I got marshmallows that were about 3/4 in tall. I used 1/2 of a vanilla bean scraping plus a little vanilla extract. They turned out very fluffy and very tasty! I was surprised at how much better they are than store bought ones.
Just made these and they were shockingly easy! Put them in the fridge a couple hours ago and they’re already bouncy when I poke them and I’m having a hard time leaving them alone. We’re going to try them out tomorrow on top of our (Canadian) Thanksgiving yams, with a few set aside for hot chocolate. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I made them last night — first attempt to ever make marshmallows and it worked great. Since our garage is chilly I let them set there for about 4 hours before cutting, I never put them in the fridge. They are indeed tasty, but I’ve overdosed on them! My 3 kids did taste-tests between store-bought and homemade. And while they love all marshmallows, they favored homemade. Whew — good thing!
I dipped a few in melted chocolate. It tasted like those chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies you get at Easter. And it seems the thinner the layer of chocolate, the better…so a little melted chocolate goes quite a long ways.
I thought these were really fun to make. The kids thought it was cool to see how the ingredients changed into fluffy white yum-ness. It wasn’t too messy for me, except when I let the 5 & 6 year olds lick the bowel and beater. Then again, I have quite a tolerance for ‘messy’ since I do have 3 little kids making constant messes.
By the way, I’m curious what the recipe would be like without egg whites. Has anyone tried that? I may give it a shot next time I make them — first I’ll try to google what could happen…I don’t want to waste a batch if it’s really needed for something.
I’ve been waiting for an excuse to make marshmallows and there’s a birthday party this weekend that would be perfect, except the birthday boy’s vegetarian! Argh! I’ve got some agar-agar, but I’m not sure if it’ll work- or what the conversion is?
And could someone please put an ignorant Brit out of her misery and tell me what on earth a s’more is? I know a graham cracker is the same as an Engish digestive biscuit, but what do you do next with it and marshmallow?!
To Lucy H;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S‘more
I am so glad I found this recipe. I tried to make marshmallows from another recipe and I think my first attempt might have been pretty similar to yours! Anyway, with your encouragement I decided to try my hand at this yummy concoction again. I was thrilled that your recipe did the trick. I don’t know what the difference was but it worked. I have now amazed my family, friends and neighbors! They all said “I didn’t know you could make marshmallows”.
Your recipe was oh so yummy and I didn’t have it all over myself and my kitchen!
thanks!
Just tried this today. Very easy and fantastic! I didn’t try to scrape all the batter out ;)
To Lucy H, #202.
Graham crackers, chocolate bar, marshmallows.
Put a marshmallow on a skewer, roast over a fire until soft and lightly browned. Have two pieces of graham cracker and a piece of chocolate to fit. Make a “sandwich” of one graham cracker piece, the chocolate, the hot marshmallow, and the other piece of graham cracker. It’s so good, you’ll want “s-more”….8^)
I’ve tried making these twice with agar agar to substitute for the gelatin. The first ones weren’t solid and they separated and the second were hard.
The problem spots were
1) the boiling. I think I under then over cooked the sugary stuff. Question: is a candy thermometer the same as a meat thermometer?. Also I’m not familiar with testing for soft ball stage.
2)egg whites. I wasn’t not familiar with this either. In the first batch, I think they only reached soft peaks and in the second they crumbled. I pretty sure I can do this part right the next time.
3) the agar agar powder. I used 2 ts then 3 ts. Don’t know whether to cook them with the sugar or not. felt a little itchy eating the marshmallow. And it never doubled. In fact, the second attempt looked like it shrunk.
and no place with an agar agar marshmallow recipe has any comments.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now (and the “other” recipe a bunch of times), and this one does seem fluffier to me, if a bit more work.
I have had one recurrent problem though. When I am boiling the syrup mix, it never gets hot enough on moderate. I end up having to turn it up higher to get it to register hot enough on my thermometer. My latest batch probably didn’t turn out right (it is sitting now, but it is really shiny and sticky and looks odd). I assume I overcooked the syrup mix?
Has anyone tried following the other recipe’s version of just boiling the mix hard for 1 minute?
How do I avoid getting sugar crystals? Thank you
I’ve just tried these and they do seem fluffier with richer taste than egg-less recipe. We do like these better.
I experimented with adding some flavor, so, I threw some peppermint candy in a food processor until they turned finely coarse then added them to they mix in the last minute or two. YUMMY! Use these on top of a cup of hot chocolate for a sinful treat.
One advice to minimize the stickiness mess is to blow the gelatin in the same bowl used for beating the sugar then pour the sugar solution on top. Less mixing and less mess.
Shelby…using corn syrup will help minimize sugar from re-crystallizing.
To get rid of sugar crystals wipe the sides of your pot with a brush dipped in water. What I like to do is as soon as the solution starts to boil over low to medium heat I use a spoon to “wash” the sides of the pot using the boiling sugar solution itself.
Make sure your mixing spoon is free of any sugar crystals and no sugar is left on the sides of the pot. At this point you can raise the temp to the final level. Good luck.
Deb – I finally made a Smitten Kitchen recipe after following your blog almost all year – and I guess I was saving it up because I made these, the graham crackers, and your hamburger buns all in one night! Anyway I had to say that you made a marshmallow lover out of me – and I’ve never even LIKED them before!
Thanks!!!
Fantastic, will never go back to store bought. Get a candy thermometer, worth it to do things right. I’m not a smore’s person but I have this small chocolate melter and finally have a use for it. After making the marshmallows, the next day I heat up dipping chocolate and dipped them. Great!!
I didn’t eat any until the grandkids came over for Thanksgiving, they gobbled them all up and I never got to eat one myself. Am now making a batch for Xmas and will not wait for them.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as home made marshmallows! Thanks for posting such interesting recipes! I love it!
Wow – It’s amazing to me how much people love marshmallows! I’ve made them several times, but never with egg whites. You are right, they are so much better – light and fluffy, not rubbery in the least. I made vanilla and cinnamon-hazelnut-espresso. Tomorrow, during the snowstorm, I plan to make peppermint (perhaps coating some in crushed candy canes, or I may just dip in chocolate and THEN in the candy). Toasted coconut are a must make, as well. Great gifts this time of year, with homemade cocoa mix!
I made smores tonight, with the help of the microwave and my industrial propane torch. :) Fan-freeking-tastic! Thanks for sharing your recipe and great pics.
Fun! I think I’m going to do this with the spiced hot cocoa in a jar (over on Food & Wine http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/sealed-delivered-recipes-in-a-jar/index.html) for xmas gifts !
I made one batch using vanilla beans and one batch using peppermint oil with red and green food coloring swirled in (x-mas gifts) then dipped the squares in tempered chocolate – so incredibly good!
I made these with your graham crackers for a homemade s’mores night, and they were both perfect! The marshmallows (of which I still have a ton. This recipe makes a LOT!) were fluffy and delightful, infinitely better than store bought. My boyfriend decided they taste more marshmallow-y than normal, that they’re so good because they have a more condensed flavor. Delicious, and they melted perfectly in our fireplace!
One quick end note: if you haven’t tried a s’more made with a Crunch bar, you so should.
yep! that would be me… stuck to the counter, wire whisk, bowl and SCRAPER!!! Should have read this first!!!!! Went looking for graham crackers to go with my marshmallows… a package mix from Barefoot Contessa (xmas gift)! NEXT time I’ll start here… thanks for sharing the smiles, trials and tribulations in the kitchen.
I made these yesterday and was so happy to find out that it was just as easy as you said it would be. I was a tad bit confused by the ingredient list but I think it was just me. Now that I have made them it seems weird that I was confused at all. I plan on making them again but will add less vanilla. The vanilla is a little too overpowering for me, otherwise a delicious recipe that is a lot of fun to make.
I love the look of these, but as someone who is veg and therefore doesn’t eat gelatin, do you think that vegetable gelatin powder (made from carrageenan) would work properly? Just not sure….
Charlotte — If you skim through the comments, many others have offered vegetarian suggestions and some have reported back. I haven’t tried this with anything but gelatin.
I finally broke down and tried these. They were very easy and tasted wonderful, although I am glad I wore an apron while making them. I split the batch into two 8×8 square pans and added crushed red hot candy to one of them. Everyone loved them and there are perfect for hot chocolate.
YAY! Thank you smitten kitchen (although in my head I keep thinking smitten kitten)! So I’ve made 2 batches of homemade marshmallows; the first was beyond disaster, a kind of solid glue of nastiness, the second less sticky but more like weird vanilla flavored jello – not good. This batch hasn’t set yet but thanks to your great photos I figured out I wasn’t beating the gelatin and sugar mixtures enough. The mixture already looks and tastes like proper marshmallows. Hooray! And I’m hoping the addition of the egg whites will help with extra fluffiness. thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe, Deb! I was completely intimidated at the thought of making marshmallows myself until I read this… and not being able to buy marshmallows at the store was an added incentive too. :) I only had access to gelatin sheets, but they worked perfectly. I calculated the weight of 3 1/2 packets of powdered gelatin to be 25 grams = 12 gelatin sheets. (This is also the conversion David Lebowitz uses in the link someone provided above.) I cut the sheets into pieces so they would all submerge in the 1/2 C. of water, and they worked perfectly. I also had to substitute glucose syrup for corn syrup (1:1 ratio), but again, it seemed to work perfectly. I flavored the marshmallows with 2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tsp. maple flavoring, and oh my holy goodness, they are GOOD. Unbelievably soft and springy — there’s no chance of them lasting a week in our house!
Long time reader, but first time posting… I’ve been searching cooking blogs for weeks trying to come up with the perfect Valentine’s gift from friends and family. I’m thinking this, plus your homemade graham crackers, plus some quality chocolate will make the perfect gift. All the parts of a smore, but with that extra special, homemade touch. Thanks for all your yummy posts!
These are amazing! Fun, sticky, delicious! I have a daughter who is allergic to anything artificial, so these are a great find. We had fun making them, and your advice to not try to get every little last bit out of the bowl was the best (and most needed!) part. We loved scraping it later. Thanks for the great treat – I look forward to having some homemade hot chocolate with my little girl later tonight!
Hi Deb! After receiving a lovely kitchenaid as a wedding gift, my first order of business was to make these marshmallows. They came out pretty tasty, however I had a couple of problems – not sure if you have any thoughts on where I went wrong.
After being whipped, we found some large crystallized chunks of sugar in the bowl and ours fluff did not seem to pour as well as yours based on the pictures.We came out with less due to the issues so our marshmallows were considerably flatter (and therefore less fun!) Any ideas? Would love to try these again, they were great despite minor issues!
I just made these for Vday. I made a red batch with cinnamon oil and a pink vanilla batch. I used a heart cookie cutter to cut them then rolled the red ones in edible red glitter instead of powdered sugar and the pink ones I rolled just the sides in chopped chocolate or ground red hearts while the fronts and backs were dipped in PS.
Just as an FYI these have traveled quite well. I have shipped them cross country all week and everyone says they arrived fresh and delicious.For shipping I used airtight containers and kept them in the fridge until I left to send them off.
If you use cookie cutters I think it works better in a jelly roll pan as you don’t have such a thickness to cut through. Don’t be afraid to cut the shapes really close as the marshmallows have a lot of give. I left them in the pan to cut and had no trouble getting them out. You do have to pull quite a bit but they spring back into place once you free them. I think metal cutters work better than plastic.
I think I will do these again for St Patty’s Day with mint and dip them chocolate. Yum!
These look amazing…can’t wait to try them.
I made them!!! http://www.jodimichelle.com/2010/02/23/life-list-make-1000-lovely-things/
I started making these at 10:30… at night…on a school day :) This is my first attempt at making anything requiring a thermometer or candy related, so i was kinda nervous. But i licked the beaters afterwards (heeding your advice in not trying to scraping out every last drop :p) and they were TOTALLY AMAZING!! super fluffy *poof*
I halved the recipe and it still turned out good but not as tall as I would have hoped. I put them in an 8×8 pan. Next time I would just go for it and make the whole batch and give a bunch away so I don’t eat them all. The egg whites are key to this recipe. Thanks so much!
These marshmallows are awesome! I’ve had really a lot of fun making them with my Mom. I hope you have a donut recipe. These are so good! :D
I made these the other night, and they were ASTOUNDING!! I gave many away to my friends because there was too much for my family alone. However, I find that they taste better exposed to air–chewyer on the outside!
Someone may have mentioned this before but Good Eats has an episode on Marshmallows and one thing Elton stressed was to *not* scrape the bowl, no matter how much you want to- also to spray the scraper with Pam or similar to “lube it up” (his words, not mine.) The recipes look very similar, he just called for 1/2 packet less gelatin as far as I can recall (which isn’t much since I was studying for midterms at the time.)
He also suggested putting it via a piping bag and wide thingamabobber (the metal bit on the end whose name escapes me) in pam-ed chocolate/candy molds. He went on to make peep-like bunnys look like they’d go wonderfully in an Easter bunny basket or anything spring-y.
(On a side, I wonder how well this would adapt to the marshmallow filling sometimes used in whoopie pies?)
Ours worked fabulously (with golden corn syrup). I was just feeling a little iffy about storing them at room temperature. They’ve been there all day in a sealed container but now I’ve moved them to the fridge… am I being paranoid?
Shael — You know, I brought mine right to a party so I hadn’t considered this but I don’t think it is excessively paranoid to put something with almost-raw egg whites in it in the fridge. Let me know how they hold up in there. Thanks.
I just made these with my best friend! They’re in the fridge cooling right now, but I plan to dip half of them in chocolate. I tasted the left-over fluff (still in the bowl) and boy was it good! I’m really excited to taste the finished version.
One question, how do you get yours so flat? The top of mine is extremely lumpy! Oh well, gives it character, right? ;]
When I told my friends that I was going to make marshmallows they all said it sounded like too much work for the results. After making them I can say, yes it’s more work than opening the bag of jet-puffed marshmallows, but it was super fun. And the fact that you can add flavors is pretty great, too.
Hi! I tried making these and they looked awesome, but they tasted a lot like gelatin. I cut some into smaller marshmallows and covered them with extra powdered sugar and they tasted less funny. I also found that the marshmallows tasted less like gelatin the next day, after they had dried out a bit. Is it better to make these and eat them several days later instead of on the day that they are made?
I just finished making these, and am so amazed at the results! I haven’t stopped smiling since they worked! I live in the UK and had to make a couple of improvisations, so was nervous that they wouldn’t turn out. ( I used glucose syrup instead of cane syrup) They are possibly a bit denser than intended, but still taste incredible! Can’t wait to bring them out at tonights party! Thanks for all your great recipes, can’t wait to make more!
My hubby made these for my birthday yesterday and I can honestly say…Best. Birthday. Present. Ever. In. The. History. Of. Birthday. Presents!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Absolutely DELISH! And hubby says not hard to make at all. We are going to make them for our little guys annual Halloween party that he has for all of his buddies! They should make AMAZING s’mores!