The first time I made marshmallows, well, I don’t think saying “it was a mess” adequately describes it. Oh, the marshmallows were successful; they even looked and tasted like marshmallows, but yours truly? I ended up in a tangled web of marshmallow strings.
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?
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.
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.
I made a Martha Stewart marshmallow recipe a few years ago and used mint flavor. They tasted like toothpaste. Any comments on exactly which mint flavoring to use? I still think mint marshmallows in hot chocolate would be divine, but I may have to “settle” for Schnapps.
You need peppermint extract, not mint. Have made this mistake before!
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!
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?
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”.
Deb, I used kosher unflavored jell dessert and they are a DISASTER. I let them set overnight in the fridge and they did not set at all. Just goo. So sad. I made this to go with your hot cocoa mix for Chanukah gifts. Why do you think the kosher gelatin didn’t work?
I know very little about it but was it vegan too? Or did it have animal products in it?
Chava, the kosher jell dessert and kosher gelatin are not the same thing. Kosher gelatin should work – look for one that comes in a rectangular box, not the small squarish one. My market carries an Israeli brand called Williger in a blue box. It’s derived from fish. It works for me in any recipe I’ve tried that calls for powdered 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.
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?
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!
I made this recipe and substituted Lyles golden syrup for the corn syrup and the results were perfect!
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).
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. . .
Meghan — I don’t see why not. I mean, the ingredients are pretty stable.
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).
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?
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.)
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. . .
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!
Traditional French marshmallow indeed contains egg whites. The very definition of marshmallow is meringue set with gelatin. That’s it. I’d like to shake the hand of the chef that figured that one out…
hi there… :D i was just craving the perfect smore the other day…and well im quite into baking so i have been looking around for a recipe that doesnt contain corn syrup….its quite hard to get a grab of that here in egypt….i was born in the uk but my dad is egyptian so we moved here :D…so i would really appreciate it if someone could post a good marshmallow recipe without the corn syrup or if i could make corn syrup and add it to the mix?….thanks alot
We eat kosher, so no regular gelatin here. I had some kosher ‘gelatin’ that is actually mostly carrageen. It was Gefen strawberry flavored, but I tried the no gelatin recipes and they didnt work, so I thought I’d try using the flavored stuff.
Any ways I used Ina Garten’s recipe and whipped the jello and the hot syrup together for 15 minutes and nothing happened. So then it was only lukewarm so I added 3 eggwhites – not whipped- right to the mixing bowl and the mixture immediately lightened up and became like marshmallow fluff. I whipped for another 5 min or so. Then into a 13×9 greased pan and into the frig. Hope it turns out :D
Hi Nadia,
To answer your question about corn syrup: I live in France where corn syrup is impossible to find. I just made a similar version of this recipe (written by Molly Wizenberg from Orangette, on Bon Appetit: pretty much the same recipe, without egg whites), and the stuff is setting right now.
I used glucose syrup which is available in Middle Eastern (ie North African) stores here in France. I don’t know if it is available in Egypt. Another substitute that you might be able to find is golden syrup or light treacle.
As a last resort, you could try out Clotilde’s recipe for guimauve (http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/01/rose_and_chocolate_marshmallows.php). French guimauve has a slightly different texture and mouthfeel compared to marshmallows, but it’s close enough and just as yummy!
Hey You cooking genius you! I am tickled to death to find SMITTEN KITCHEN i spent hours on here lookin up stuff and droolin’ over your pictures! I was going to suggest you make us a recipe for the most delicious HOT CHOCOLATE you can imagine and put it on here..it may be already there and i just missed it….but i love smitten kitchen :)
These marshmallows look amazing! Last fall I made pumpkin marshmallows, but I used pumpkin puree straight from the can (maybe a little too much) and the texture was not great. Any ideas on how to make this work?
Last night I made marshmallows using a different recipe and they’re so dense and way too sweet for me. So I scrapped that recipe and tried making these this morning. All I have is a $7 hand mixer but OMG these fluffed up right away! I only had to beat them for 5 mins and I hadn’t even added the egg whites yet.
A couple variations I did was using brown sugar instead of white granulated, and I also added maple flavoring. They’re setting right now but the fluff on my spatula was delicious! lol
My husband has a corn allergy and hasn’t been able to eat s’mores in about 2 years. I made these marshmallows prior to camping and packed them along in the cooler. They were perfect as promised. Hot chocolate, s’mores, rice krispy treats. I did it all with these boogers and they were delicious. My favorite thing was that they didn’t burst into flames as do store bought. Also, it’s all suger and water – no crazy names I can’t pronounce in the ingredient list. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I passed it along as well!
P.S. I made simple syrup to replace the corn syrup (because clearly with a corn allergy corn syrup is OUT!) in the recipe and my experience was exactly as you described and my pictures would have been identical had I been brave enough to take out my camera during the process. There are many “recipes” for simple syrup out there – I prefer a 2 part sugar to 1 part water mix: boil until sugar is dissolved. I even used it while it was still very warm.
This is my first attempt at making anything candy related. I just took them out and cut them and they are PERFECT! I dyed them orange for Halloween and added a little almond extract like you mentioned and they are delicious and light and fluffy and just wonderful. You made it so easy, thank you, thank you, thank you!
I have to tell you that they were easier than I thought. Thanks for the heads up on preparing for clean up, it helped me plan a more efficient process. I really enjoyed your text and descriptions…It made your recipe fun and informative to read! My marshmallows are currently setting in the fridge and I can tell they will set up nicely. (Soft and fluffy batter that tasted delicious off the beater!) I’m using a small star cookie cutter dipped lightly in oil when I’m ready to turn it out. I know my mother and sister will be delighted to have my homemade cocoa with star marshmallows when they visit for the holidays! I’ve also decided to dip a few, on a skewer in melted chocolate chips and sharing with A FEW of my friends! Thanks for a fun project!
Oh, I was so excited to try these! Your photos are wonderful, and your narrative is a fun read. I had seen “gourmet” marshmallows in the store and they were expensive but delish. But mine were, sad to say, a flop. They turned out more like sweet gelatin cubes. Perhaps I over- or under-cooked the syrup, or didn’t whip enough (using a hand mixer), but even though they were bouncy and, well, interesting, I can’t call them marshmallows. :( Any suggestions?
I just made marshmallows and blogged it here:
http://ilovebabyquilts.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-made-marshmallows-for-hot-cocoa-cake.html
I thought it was easy, but every single surface in my kitchen was covered in powdered sugar when I was done, including me! But boy did people fuss over my cake at the party. It was worth it.
Wendy
I have fond memories of my Dad making these every Christmas. The only exception is he rolled his in lightly, toasted coconut. Yum!!
This was my first attempt at making marshmallows, and they were PERFECT!!! They are going to be gifts for the holidays, so the only difference I made was adding drops of red food coloring to the top and swirling it in. Wish I could include pics! Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
A few tips when making these
1. Have everything measured out first
2. Beat the egg whites when the sugar is cooking other wise you will have a big problem ( trust me )
3. Make sure that your kitchen is clean and that you are ready to clean it again
4. Buy Pure vanilla It makes a huge diff in these
5. Dont use a kitchen aid mixer to make these use a hand held better. You don’t wanna risk you good mixer dying on you and yes that can happen
Other than that these are great! i am never gonna buy from the store again. They take a bit of effort and time but are so worth it.
I made these last night around midnight, and they turned out perfectly! I don’t have a kitchenaid, but my handheld mixer worked just fine. I have 2 sets of beaters for it, so I had no problem switching when I needed to beat the egg whites. I did crack and separate the eggs ahead of time. I added peppermint instead of the vanilla, yum! Maybe it was the egg white, but these didn’t make much of a mess, (mostly powdered sugar from coating them) and I didn’t have too much trouble scooping out the bowl. I wanted to make a swirly red top, so I reserved a little goo, added 4 drops food coloring, and then poured that on top. It didn’t really turn out, since I pretty much have half pink marshmallows now, but I think the fact that I tried to swirl the top with a toothpick really evened things out and made for nice smooth squares. Thanks for the recipe!
I think this was a miserable failure. At least half the mixture stuck to the bowl, which means I have a primarily raw eggwhite mixture going in the pan for “cooling”…
I am not sure how I feel about that.
When beating the sugar mixture it just wadded up inside the wisk attachment – should I have used the other attachment? I took it out once, and it went right back in there. Consequently, by the time I put the egg whiates in there, it would mix somewhat… but the sugar stuff wasn’t really into making friends. I am debating throwing the whole thing out or trying to wait and see if we can eat it in our hot chocolate. The raw eggs freak me out a little.
I wanted to make some homemade marshmallows to go with my hot cocoa mix for a hostess gift. I scanned the internet and your recipe is the one I chose. I’m SO happy I did. Your instructions were great! These were much easier to make than I expected, considering your description of your first experience, and my not being overly confident with candy making. The only part of the recipe I questioned was the gelatin measurement. My three and a half packets did not equal 2 Tbls + 2-1/2 tsp. So I took my chances on 3 packets and called it good, which it turned out to be!! Yahoo! Somehow I managed to break my sifter and one of my beaters during this process, but I limped along somehow and they turned out perfect. My family loved them. I’m so thrilled to be able to present them tomorrow night with my cocoa mix to my friend at her party. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’ll make them again and again. Now off to scour the rest of your site!!!
I made marshmallows ages ago and it was then that my obsession began, a good combo would be to sprinkle dried strawberries and pineapple, or even chocolate shavings and almonds. Its a really good indulgent snack.
has anyone had any trouble with the smell of gelatin? i made these marshmallows last year, and they were absolutely perfect, but this second time around the gelatin is making them smell terrible! it smells like gross pond water. has anyone else ever experienced this???
nico — It’s actually a very common complaint when making marshmallows (though I’m getting the feeling some gelatins are stinkier than others) because they require such an insane amount of it that the usually unnoticeable smell is strong. It’s also why 1 tablespoon of vanilla (which is a lot) is called for, I suspect. Did you notice it in the end or did they just taste like vanilla marshmallows?
I just made these as for Christmas gifts and wow! They are SO tasty! All the tips made the preparation easy and mess free. Now I’m on to your graham cracker recipe, to be dipped in chocolate. S’mores:)
Just made these. If you had not warned me about the stringy marshmallow mess, I would have been ill-prepared. As it was, I only have a little on the floor, stove top and some on my arms!
I mixed in 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract, since I’m giving these as gifts with my Secret Hot Cocoa mix.
Thank you so much for generously sharing this recipe!
wow this recipe is amazing! perfect! will be cooking these for many holidays.
There must be something about the name Elise that a) compels one to cook and b) drives one to try out smitten kitchen recipes at every opportunity. I’ve never even MET another Elise, but I’m the third one to post on this entry!
Made these marshmallows last night for my marshmallow-obsessed brother-in-law, and he ate half the pan at one go. I mistakenly put the egg whites in before the candy part was anywhere near marshmallow-volume, but other than a slightly more dense, sticky mallow, there were no major repercussions. (I’m accustomed to candy being sink-or-swim; if I pulled something that crazy with divinity or fudge, I’d have been doomed!)
Fast-forward to this morning: I wake up and discover the entire household having marshmallows and milk for breakfast, even my mallow-loathing husband. He claims they taste of ‘ginger and vanilla’ and won’t stop eating them (funny, there’s no ginger in them…)
Thanks for sharing this!
Just coated mine in powdered sugar. They turned out perfect. I will be making marshmallows for years to come! Thanks, Deb!
I made these yesterday, and they are wonderful! I resisted scraping too much (even though my mom was looking over my shoulder, asking if I thought I could get more of it out of the bowl if I used a spoon!) and only got marshmallow down the back of my right sleeve. I will definitely make these again – SO much nicer than store-bought!
I just made these homemade marshmallows, and I have to say THEY ARE DELICIOUS. It was easy, a little messy, and preparation is all it takes. I measured everything out ahead of time and had two mixers (a stand mixer and hand mixer) While the sugar mixture was beating in the stand mixer, I was fluffing the egg whites with the hand mixer. It was so easy. It was a breeze.
Thanks so much. This recipe will be printed and put away in my favorite recipe booklet.
These are cooling right now. Easy to make. I caramelized the sugar a little ( by accident) so they have a bit of depth of taste. Found out that my mixer does a weird thing, as soon as the batter is thick enough, it rides up on the beaters in a big taffylike bulge, almost touching the machine. There was no way to mix it any longer, since it would have glooped up on the blender. Fortunately it was to the right point, and I continued with the egg whites. All came out well. Thank you for dredging up a classic recipe!
Great recipy but here in Germany we do not have corn syrup what can I use instead.
Best regards
Golden syrup, if you can find it.
I made these incredible beauties and brought them into my classroom where my students and I enjoyed them in hot cocoa. May I have your permission to share this recipe on my blog with my own pictures and experience? I will give you the credit and link the recipe back to you! Thanks so much!
I have made these at least 2 dozen times and they have been amazing! Last night, I decided I would live on the edge a little and make chocolate marshmallows. I halved this recipe to make one 8×8 tray and right before I folded in the egg whites, I beat in a mixture of 1/4 cup cocoa and a little over 1/4 cup of water (I added just enough water to make a smooth paste). I coated them in a 1:1 mix of cocoa powder and confectioner’s sugar. They are fantastic!
Added a half teaspoon of orange oil. Sublime. Beat the egg whites first and set aside because I have one stand mixer. Worked just fine.
This is the first recipe I tried from your site and the first time making marshmallows – they were a big hit at work! I’ll definitely keep this recipe on hand for the future.
I made these for my wife for Valentine’s Day. Not knowing if she would like them (since she has a self-professed fondness for those purchased from the well-known chain store), I cut the recipe in half. They turned out GREAT! We especially like how they deliciously melt in hot-cocoa. Next time it will be a full batch.
Well I like this recipe because of the fluffy pictures. I was making mallows without gelatin. BORING…and Flatty…So I tried combining the two recipes, and also using key lime juice and lime gelatin…Who knows what happened…They were just trying to be fluffy but were wet looking. Never set, I guess I needed to beat them more? I did use a kitchen aid and the powedered egg whites. I am wondering if I waited to long with the egg whites?, They only sat on the counter for 5 -10 minutes…
So As soon as I get me a HUGE container of measurable gelatin, I will attempt my lime fluffy bliss again.
Did anyone ever use the flavored gelatins? Or juice? Maybe if I use the key lime juice instead of so much water…So much to ponder…lol
These sound like a great recipe! I always am baking in my extra time and will be going to the store very soon.
I made these. They were pretty easy and came out perfectly!! Totally delicious. . .I used them to make Smores for a dinner party My friends were pretty impressed and they were a HUGE hit!
I just made these with the kids and they loved them!! We followed the recipe exactly (using the cane sugar option) and it turned out perfectly. Once the marshmallow set we used small cookie cutters to cut out shapes and then dipped some in melted dark chocolate. YUM!
Soooo…..I got distracted in the store and bought fruit pectin…too lazy to go back, I added extra and made this recipe cept I whiipped the egg whites then mixed in the pectin and slowly poured in the sugar mix (kinda like making merangue but with pectin)….Came out a little soft, which is to be expected….and oddly citrus flavored (OH, oops fruit pectin has citric acid in it) Either way, I’m still making the crackers and going to make up a orange chocolate sauce to go with my citrus mallows. Think it’ll prolly be good. Definitely appreciate the recipe, it was fun.
So I just made these and they were so easy! And hardly messy. I am a bowl scraper and didn’t have any problems at all. It was cleaner than making rice krispie treats! I am in love. Thanks!
I just made these for the first time! I read all of your caveats and nothing could be easier! No mess, no fuss & almost all of the batter came out of the mixing bowl. I oiled the scraper I used to scrape out the bowl. I just put the finished product in the refrigerator so now I’m waiting patiently for 3 hours to see how they turned out.
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Tried this recipe out this morning. Came out delicious!! Made the browned butter rice krispies with the chilled marshmallows. So fun to make.
Made these last night and it wasn’t nearly as difficult or messy as I anticipated. Only suggestions: Use half corn starch and half powdered sugar, and use good vanilla extract. I used the cheap store brand extract and I feel like it is all I can taste. I brought about a fourth of the batch to work and have run out!! I should’ve brought more! Thanks for sharing your recipe, experience, and pictures. (PS I used a kitchenaid mixer with the whisk attachment. I poured everything in very slowly and it worked like a dream.) (There are also some fun youtube videos for making marshmallows)
Hey! how long do these last for? say, if i put them in an air-tight container??
Has anyone tried substituting Agar for the gelatin? Mine are in the fridge now, but it didn’t seem to set up quite right. It just didn’t want to get fluffy, even after like 15 minutes of mixing (stand and hand-held). Perhaps they’ll set up fine in the fridge? Anyone else have any trouble?
I made these this past saturday! Turned out GREAT! In Love :). I passed them around to some friends in the neighborhood and they absolutely raved about them. Light, Fluffy,& Easy – What more could you ask for. However, I did get the comment “What posessed you to want to make marshmallows??”. *Wink* “Because I can” was my answer. Totally a fan! Will be trying more of the recipes on here soon.
I made these a few weeks ago. Came out great! Making them again tonight for Teacher appreciation Friday. We left them uncoverd the first time for 5 hours. This time I will try 24 plus hours. Also I was thinking about adding purple icing coloring to make them a school color!
These were surprisingly easy to make and taste even better than store-bought marshmallows. I made these for camping this weekend and am really excited! I didn’t have too much trouble scraping out the excess batter at the end–I dampened my spatula and gently and slowly scraped out the remaining goo. Of course it wasn’t perfect, some was left behind. But I was able to get most out without too much trouble.
Hi Deb,
I am an avid reader of your blog – I love it! I had a question for religious reasons i can’t use store bought gelatin. Do you know of any kosher substitutes that would work ( kosher or otherwise)? ( I know most people just use Knox – to my knowledge it isn’t kosher)
Thanks!
Hi Deb,
I just made this now and a couple things happened that no previous comment has mentioned so I’m a bit concerned. 1) When I poured the sugar mixture into the gelatin, it sizzled and started to seize up – I stirred as much as I could and then got the bowl onto the stand and started whisking. Did I have the sugar mixture too hot and then going into a too cool bowl (the one with the gelatin)? When I was geting the marshamallow mixture out of the bowl, at the end, there was an entire hard layer in the bottom & sides of the bowl that is basically shatter proof. What is this? Is this all the gelatin from when the sugar mixture sizzled and siezed? Help! I need to make these for my wedding and I don’t trust anyone else but you!
Thanks,
Jessica
Yes!!! The same thing that happened to Ruby happened to me and I couldn’t spread my marshmallows out as pretty as your did in the pic….Please explain if this is normal- I too am making these for my wedding. What better than ‘smores at a winter wedding in Holland!
I just wanted to thank you for this fantastic recipe! I made these marshmallows with lemon juice and lemon zest twice in three days for a theatre reception and benefit, and everyone gobbled them up!
Wow! Made these last night, and I have to say, I was a little intimidated, but it turned out very good! I have been meaning to make these for a long time, but kept putting it off. Glad I made them! My husband and 7 year old were amazed as they watched me perform magic before their eyes! I am sure he will be taking some of these to work to brag on me! (He’s the best!)
Thanks for this recipe I give it ***** Five Stars!
<3 Amanda
(=^?^=)
Hello! So this week I have made souffle, pavlova and macaroons. I call it Sarahs egg white week. I had so many eggs left over from my dads birthday cake and I just love the feeling of a nicely whipped egg white that I haven’t stopped there, and thats why I find myself again using egg whites and mixing up your amazing looking marshmallows! Just got them in the fridge cooling before the final remove from the pan and the coating in icing sugar…eee!! I am a little nervous!?! I made my own corn syrup ‘Aussie Style’ and not too sure if they are going to turn out like yours?! I am a keen Australian smitten kitchener. I made you soft pretzels not too long ago. Have never had pretzels like it before. Only ever had bought tiny ones that are crunchy all round. Your ones made my house mates pretty happy! THANKS! Love your blog! Have spread the Smitten Kitchen goodness around my fellow friends with “ooo’s” and “YUMS” all round.
Thanks for your great blogging!
Sarah…xxx
Hello,
I’ve had a couple go’s at this recipe and I have some observations:
The only mixer I have is a hand held beater and, although it certainly gave its all, they never achieved the fluffiness fabulousness you have pictured. They barely doubled in volume and were kinda dense. I was baking alone so the next time I beat the egg whites while the sugar was just getting heated on the stove. This way I eliminated the extra time the marshmallow goop is sitting & getting too cool. Which leads me to my biggest discovery! I took the marshmallow mixture and, before adding the egg whites, just popped it into my microwave at 60% power for 25 seconds and voila, nice and soft marshmallow goop to keep on whipping. This enabled me to increase the whipping time and so achieve the desired volume!
I made these last night, but only had 1/4 cup of corn syrup in the house, thanks to helping a friend make nougat recently. I added 1/4 cup of maple syrup to compensate. Otherwise followed the recipe. The gelatin smell was unpleasant during mixing but hardly noticeable in the final product this morning. The maple flavor didn’t come through as much as I’d like, maybe I’ll try all maple syrup next time.
The density and springiness are great, melted nicely in some hot cocoa, toasted nicely in the toaster oven. I’m planning to make graham crackers this week and take both to my folks for s’mores next weekend. I may make a batch of non-egg-white marshmallows to compare.
Hey Deb!
Thanks so much for the post…I tried Alton browns recipe and it came out dense and flavorless, so I am going to try these. Question though, is one week mark really how long they llasts? I was going to make it ahead of time (a little over a week) for a trip I’m taking where we will be making a ton of smores :) thanks in advance.
I just linked your recipe on my blog… I have a recipe dating from 1916 and needed an authentic marshmallow recipe for it! Who knew that you couldn’t buy store made marshmallows until the 1960s? Thanks for a great recipe… I’m going to have to try this now…
Re: Vegetarian concerns. Try to find agar agar , which is derived from a type of algae. Most Asian desserts are made of this instead of the gelatin made up of the skin and bones of animals. :)
I tried this recipe and the texture was perfect but the sweetness was overpowering. I’m going to try it again but cut the sugar and corn syrup down a bit. I’m also going to mix the powered sugar with cornstarch and see if that helps. I know marshmallows are suppose to be sweet because they are basically whipped sugar, but I couldn’t even get my four year old to eat a whole piece.
A friend called me while I was making this recipe and said “why are you making marshmallows….isn’t it easier to buy them”. Can’t explain it but there is something crazy fun about making this recipe. I suspect it’s how the mixture grows once you have it in the mixer. I needed filling (and to show my husband that yes I really did need that stand mixer) for whopee pies, per Deb’s suggestion, I reduced the gelatin packets by one. Worked well. I have used the store marshmallow creme before for this recipe and the creme melted into the chocolate cakes. This did not. I may even try less gelatin next time for a less firm filling.
Could I use a simple syrup instead of light corn syrup? Thoughts?
Made these yesterday and you’re right..it’s SOOOO hard not to scrape that bowl! I used a hand mixer and wanted to mix it for a few more minutes but my mixer started smoking up! haha. It all turned out great though, great recipe!
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Just made these!! YUM!! So good! I put some coconut oil on my spatula before scraping the bowl (half the ‘mallow was stuck) and that seemed to work pretty well. Thanks SO much for this recipe. Can’t wait to make my smore pops for my sons birthday party!
Two tries to date. first per the recipe >> ok but too close to store-bought, particularly due to the vanilla. second with less gelatin (3 envelopes), almond extract, no confectioners sugar >> dramatic improvement on all levels changed. next time will reincorporate a minimal amount of a blend of confectioners sugar & corn starch, and try other flavors. (meanwhile, excellent site! if ever possible, would be great to highlight recipe comments vs. general fan commentary.)
We used your recipe this weekend and the marshmallows turned out amazing! Everyone loved them. Thanks so much!
I followed the recipe exactly and got springy fluffy marshmallows- however they taste weird! The gelatin smelled awful- is that normal?
Santa used to bring us the “homemade” marshmallows from Hammonds Candies, but since they stopped making those, last year Santa brought these and I must say this is now a tradition that I love and will do every year. The kids and family loved these much more and it made me feel increddibly competent. They are delicious! And, they melt perfectly in hot cocoa…
Went looking for the answer to “why am I stuck to my beater” and found your posting…you gave me courage and I Will try again!
First of all, I will admit to making the non-egg white version of this recipe, as a deep fear of uncooked eggs is one of the few things my mother was able to instill in me.
I’ve made them twice so far. The first time they came out astonishing! Even my boyfriend, who normally doesn’t even look at marshmallows, had a ton of these.
The second time I decided to make these for a bake sale, along with some homemade graham crackers. And of course the second time they did not turn out nearly as good as the first… But I think I’ve figured out my mistakes and can now share them:
1. the second time around I got so frustrated when trying to sprinkle a pan with confectioners sugar that I stopped paying attention to the sugar and corn syrup mixture. So it started boiling before all the sugar dissolved. NOT good – I ended up with a weird white froth on top, and it made the marshmallows a lot more dense than the first time. Note to self: take your time with the first step and slowly heat up the mixture without getting distracted
2. since I had made such a huge mess while sprinkling the pan, I didn’t want to bother with making a mixture of corn starch and confectioners sugar (like I did the first time) and just used the c. sugar. WRONG! I use the Domino brand and it has this really weird chalky taste to it that I couldn’t taste in the previous batch, as it was diluted with starch.
On the bright side, the graham crackers turned out amazing, and toasting the marshmallows gets rid of the chalky Domino taste, so hopefully I’ll get at least some sold at our bake sale fundraiser.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I to find It truly helpful & it helped me out much. I hope to present something again and aid others such as you aided me.
Made these today and they were great!! Yes, quite a mess, as I, too, tried to clean out the bowl. I was very skeptical through the entire process, but they were great!! Blogged about it (sort-of), and linked back to you. Thanks so much!!
I’m making marshmallows, do any of you think it will ruin it if i don’t use the sugar cane?
Has anyone tried making these with alcohol? I would like to make some with Kahlua, Amaretto and maybe brandy. I’m wondering how much I’ll have to use to make the flavor come through without messing up the quantity of liquid being added. Could I replace some of the cold water used to melt the gelatin with cold alcohol, or will that impact the melting of the gelatin or something else?
I have made this recipe several times and they turn out perfect each time! Thanks so much for sharing such a fool-proof recipe and method with us!
Whew! Made these last night, and I’m reaping the benefits today :) I’m going to have to make a carafe of hot cocoa just to have a reason to not eat these straight out of the container i put them in! Thanks for the recipe :)
Just wondering if you have ever tried not using gelatin?? And if they still turn out just as great? I dont use gelatin…. but would really like to make marshmallows!
Thanks!
I’m also curious about using egg beaters (the egg whites in a carton) instead of regular eggs or powdered eggs. Would this work? I know you can’t use egg beaters for meringues or angel food cake, but perhaps this is different…? Any guidance is appreciated!
Hi Carrie — I’ve never used Egg Beaters before but am hoping someone else will pop up in the comments. That said, if they don’t work for meringues, they probably won’t work here.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I set out to make these this evening,and they turned out exactly as your post stated they would.(Love that)
I used maple syrup (100% natural) for the flavoring,after cutting and re-dusting with powdered sugar,I then dipped them in different flavored chocolate chips,that were melted in the microwave. Flavors,cinnamon,peppermint,Andies,cream de menth,milk chocolate.
Although,it was difficult to get the chocolates to coat the marshmallows with the powdered sugar on them,I did manage it!
Just made your marshmallows for the second time. Both times went flawlessly, without any sticky mess or fluff in my hair!
Here in sunny RSA you don’t get any kind of syrup other than golden syrup, so no corn syrup for us. And if you do manage to get your hands on some, you must live in a city, and you pay waaay more than is reasonable for it. Made it both times with honey. It affects the taste in a rich, authentic, boer kind of way, and smells divine. With the honey, it gets almost a nougatty taste (everyone thought they were either nougat or macadamia flavoured, when all I added was honey and vanilla!)
I gave mine a marbled effect with gel food colour, and dusted it with some castor sugar mixed in with icing sugar, it gives the mallows a delicious crispy outer layer. Dessicated coconut, 100’s &1000’s, and finely ground marie biscuits/oreos(mmmm chocolate and coffee flavoured mallows with oreo sides…yum) are also divine, both on top and the bottom to keep it from sticking to the pan.
Also, I added an extra egg white (made a recipe that asked for 3 egg yolks just before and didn’t want to throw the whites away), and it still tasted great. Light and fluffy.
Everyone in my family is getting homemade treats this Christmas for gifts, and top of the list is marshmallows. Thanks so much for your recipe and detailed tutorial!
Am I the only one who has to buy a new mixer after making these?? My poor little kitchen aid hand mixer met an early demise tonight… I hope these marshmallows are good! ;-)
Thanks for the reply, Deb! I went ahead and tried it with the egg beaters (called All Whites, with the only ingredient being egg whites). Even though the eggs are pasteurized and there was that warning about meringues, it worked just fine! They took a bit longer to whip up than regular egg whites (and there was still some liquid at the bottom when I was done), but the marshmallows turned out great :)
Deb/Carrie, First, Deb your description of the sticky stringy mess is too funny and too true! My daughter and I had a good laugh. Second, which goes to Carrie too. I have been making marshmallows for years with a recipe which dates to Gourmet December 1994 issue, which suggests powdered egg white substitute reconstituted per manufacturers instructions if egg safety is an issue. That said this year is the first time I’ve tried mallows with “Just Whites”. I’ve made 5 batches in the last 3 days. First 3, perfect, yummy as usual. These last 2, made tonight in wet, warm, foggy CT. came out not a sticky stringy mess, no tall peaks and swirls that add so much visual character to the mallows, the “batter” so to speak flowed out into the pan, and so I reserve judgement until they set in the frig and I turn them out. And the first of the last 2, I only used 2 1/2 packets of gelatin in holiday distraction mode, I thought that was the problem, but the 5th using the correct measurements, still came out flowing. My thoughts are the weather had an effect on the batter, just as 7-minute frosting or anything using beaten egg whites is affected by humidity. I hope the outcome is un-affected, I swirled in red food coloring as usual and am keeping my fingers crossed. PPS, I’ve been making these for 17 years, first problems or possible problem if they don’t set properly. Anyway food for thought, time will tell and I will update with the results. PPPS, they better bbe fine because they need to be mailed tomorrow for christmas delivery to my daughters boyfriend’s family who have already thoroughly enjoyed one of the earlier batches.
Hey Smitten, This is my 2nd time using your incredible marshmallow recipe. i give them as holiday presents along with homemade hot chocolate mix. My family was really disappointed last year when I had the gall to give them something else. My question (if I am lucky enough that you are around and able to answer it) is after a week are the mallows unsafe to eat or just unpleasant to eat. Thanks for all your heart and inspiration!
I have never had these last a week and so I cannot give you a straight answer. But hey, at least it was an honest one, right? :)
has anyone used vegan/vegetarian “jelatin” with success? it was all my market had, and the box is telling me not to soak it in cold water – it will fail.
waaaah! help!
I made these using peppermint extract. Since I didn’t have a vanilla bean on hand, I used 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract. It smelled and tasted like toothpaste. It was way too much mint. I made Alton Brown’s recipe (no egg) using only 1 teaspoon vanilla and it had good flavor. I don’t know that using vanilla bean would have done much for the mint overkill. Sad because I had to throw it out…I liked the texture, but ruined it with the flavor.
hey! what brand of candy thermometer do you use?
lisa — I think it is from MIU but it’s nothing fancy.
Hi. Thanks for the marshmallow recipe!! I have issues w/ almost raw eggs & am not a fan of powdered egg whites (though do use them for royal icing and other things)… SO, i attempted making these using your ingredient recipe, but did it in a different order (based on David Lebovitz)… I poured the hot sugar into the beating egg whites… then melted the (stinky) bloomed gelatin and poured it in. They turned out fine. (i spilled/added a bit too much vanilla tho.) I’m wondering if anyone knows if it would have been even fluffier if I followed this recipe exactly or if there’s much of a difference. I think they’re pretty good!
heyyoung – I did the same thing. (I made 2 gelatin only batches before trying this w/ eggwhites!) However, I didn’t have peppermint extract the first time.. I just got “mint” extract from the main grocery store. It’s a mix of spearmint and peppermint – NOT the same. The 2nd time I used about 1.5 teaspoons peppermint -i think .5 would have been sufficient, but it was edible. Especially melted in hot cocoa.
Deb, just wanted to say “Thank you!” for providing this recipe, which is the best recipe for homemade marshmallows I’ve come across. I just wanted to point out some things I learned along the way.
The 1 cup of water is important; I learned through accidental omission that less water would make the marshmallow very stringy (1st batch). The confectioners’ sugar dusting is probably excessive and renders the marshmallows too sweet, and this is coming from a guy with high sugar tolerance (2nd batch); post 15 by deed is a good tip, though I would rather use potato starch mixed with a little confectioners’ sugar because cornstarch gives it a strange feel between the fingers–almost rubbery like.
Those first two batches were made long ago. Today (3rd batch ever), I made marshmallows using a nearly identical recipe from Bon Appetit’s Desserts book (where I got the use of potato starch), but the lack of egg whites leaves the marshmallows dense and rubbery, which is also the reason why I can’t thank you enough for this awesome recipe. THANK YOU!
Oh, and also another reason for Bon Appetit’s dense marshies is because of the long mixing time (15 minutes! compared to your recipe’s 6). Needless to say, the mixture wasn’t very pourable. Very disappointed in BA’s recipe.
I can’t believe how great these turned out! My little handheld mixer only took 9 minutes to whip up the gelatin/syrup mixture, and I used meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites, so I was afraid they wouldn’t be light enough, but when I cut them up this morning, they were amazing. I’m making hot chocolate right now so I can toss a couple in :)
Awesome recipe!
I have made 3 batches of these in just two weeks! Not all for myself ofcourse, instead, as gifts for friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers. I used my own homemade vanilla extract which gave them a rich flavor. On the third batch I added an extra egg white to be whipped and it made them a little less dense. I put them in a gallon zip lock bag to dust in the powered sugar which gave them a nice, light coating without making them too sweet. SO much better than the store bought kind. I will never make those again.
I also dipped them in dark chocolate and then in crushed peppermint. They were fantastic! I cut them into 2″ cubes instead so they were pretty big. We put them in s’mores and hot chocolate on christmas. Thanks so much for the recipe! They were great gifts!
I made these for a co-worker’s baby shower and they were a hit! So many people didn’t think you could make marshmallows, let alone have them taste great. Thank you for your recipe!
I am so greatful!!! just fnished making some special Pumpernickel-Marshmallows for my hubby for a special cocktail he created and they came out fantastic!!!
thank you so much for the recipe!!!
I recently heard about a girl in my neighborhood who makes and sells all kinds of flavored homemade marshmallows that my friends love. Never one to be outdone, I decided that I had to learn how to make them myself! This recipe came out fantastically! (I was a bit nervous since I was using kosher gelatin, but it didn’t seem to matter one bit.) I’m taking these to a potluck tonight…..and saving a few for some hot chocolate. Can’t think of anything better than an impending snowstorm and some homemade marshmallows in hot cocoa!
I made these marshmallows last week! Oh goodness, they are HEAVENLY. Roasted and placed on a S’more with Nutella, raspberries, and cinnamon graham crackers. Best ever. So easy to make too! Thanks for the recipe!
What a fun recipe! Just wanted to see if you mind that I wrote about this and the graham crackers on my blog, and of course cited you. Hope that’s okay!
Just made these tonight! I will never buy them at the store, again! I can’t believe I did this!
Something that I have to tell you, is that I have not found a recipe on your website that failed. All of them have become home-funs!
I meant to say, “home runs”, but I think the way I wrote it is more apt. Your recipes are “home fun!”
Loving your recipes
I just made this recipe last night and it worked like a dream. It’s wasn’t nearly as messy as I expected. Thanks! I plan to serve some of these beauties as part of a port chocolate fondue plate at a dinner party on St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s the chocolate fondue recipe from St. Francis Winery where I had the pleasure to taste it last weekend during a food/wine pairing. Yum!
http://www.stfranciswine.com/recipes/recipe.asp?RecipeID=183
wahoo! Just did it!!!
we have a little guy who can’t have dye’s- can you believe there’s blue dye in marshmallow?! Crazy.
He LOVED licking the beaters- he’s in the tub as I type! I will make them again- thanks!
these r so good! butthe geletin smells HORRIBLE!I almost puked. YUCK!
I have been playing with the idea of making these and shipping them to everyone I know that likes marshmallows (and, really, who doesn’t??). Was there ever any consensus on the ship-ability of these? Just thinking that a box of moldy marshmallows wouldn’t be as welcome of a surprise…
I just made these and was so excited to do so. I don’t know what I did wrong but it did not go evenly into the pan. It is all lumpy and does not look anything like the picture : It was so hard to mix this with the hand mixer as the mixture kept climbing up the mixer. I hope it is at least edible but I really wanted to put these in my kid’s easter baskets :(
I’ve made these twice in one week. First batch I colored baby blue for my friend’s baby shower, but then I ate like half of them. :) Today’s batch was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than the first one. I think I had the hang of it and got the timing down. May seem like common sense, but the second time around, I beat the egg whites with a hand mixer while the sugar and gelatin were mixing in the stand mixer, then mixed the two together immediately. I got almost twice the amount that I got in the first batch, because it didn’t have time to stick to the sides. Definitely better than Jet-Puffed. :)
Perfect! I made these last Christmas as little stocking stuffers, and everyone loved them!
More recently, I decided to get a little crazy and forgo the chilling step. Instead I dolloped the marshmallow cream over almonds and then slathered everything with dark chocolate to make rocky road candy!
I made these the other day, added some lemon extract, and they were amazing. Mine were not messy at all and I could easily scrape down the bowl so don’t be afraid to try. :)
Another SK recipe success! I was so pleasantly surprised when these turned out and were pretty easy to boot! They’re part of a mother’s day gift and your graham crackers are in the oven as we speak. Homemade s’mores kit! I toasted some sweetened coconut and did half with coconut on top and bottom. All went well but I found the bottom and sides of my marshmallows moist and sticky when they came out of the fridge and I cut them. Dusted them in powdered sugar and they still seem fairly sticky, but tasty! (I used a glass, instead of metal, dish if that may have anything to do with it)
I tried this recipe today! It is in the fridge cooling and LOOKS good!! I guess we will know in a few hours if it turned out right or not!! But I must confess…….I scraped the bowl….and licked it…..and the spoon…..and the mixer beaters. And I know I was forewarned of the mess, but I didn’t care. It was GOOD!!!!!!!!
I found this recipe yesterday and made these last night. They came out perfectly and they will be a surprise for my boys hot cocoa tonight!
I’m looking forward to doing the graham crackers as well for s’mores.
I’m excited to get your cook book and have already linked it to a friend who loves collecting cook books.
Happy baking!
Tried making these last night. SUCH A MESS ! But I had a little question, I dont own a candy thermometer, but once i notched the temperature to moderate, the mixture bubbles and rose to the surface and a little spilled out. For how long should I be boiling these on moderate temperature or till what consistency?
Thanks Deb. Xx
Hi Aanch — Sorry, I have only made these with a candy thermometer and didn’t note the consistency at the correct temperature.
Hi Deb :D
I had to try making these again, and this time relatively I had a less messier time. The mixture has to reach a hard ball stage is what I’ve read.
I absolutely LOVE your blog and these came out delighful.
Tons of love from India.
Thanks a ton Love. Xx
Hi Deb
I made these yesterday morning when it was HOT and I had leftover egg white from making mayonnaise. They are awesome, such a great, not too fiddly, recipe.
And the best thing is, working in the extreme heat in a small kitchen seems to make it a LOT easier to scrape out the damn bowl. Which is one of the few upsides of baking in an NYC galley kitchen in a heatwave, right?
Thanks again for being such a reliable awesome resource
Liv
I’ve been wanting to make my own marshmallows, so I’m glad I took a moment to read your post. I was just thinking last night that I always thought marshmallows were made with egg whites, realizing that they couldn’t be because many vegetarians eat them. Knowing that it can be done that way, though, makes me curious to try it out. Note to self: no bowl-scraping!
Has anyone tried adding other flavors? We want to make them more gourmet for a wedding
YUM Just finished cleaning the mess and what I’ve licked off the spoon so far is delicious I can not wait to cut it into cubes and mix it into my yogurt….. also divided the batch and sprinkled coconut over one…. thanks for the clear and easy recipe and a fabulous way to use up my unwanted egg whites
I had a blast making these this week! I would definitely second the commenters who suggested having everything measured/laid out before starting. I kept my pan in the sink in case of spills, beat my egg whites while the gelatin/sugar mixed, and managed to dirty three separate spatulas. I was surprised at how easy(?!) these were! I was able to get most of my floof out of the bowl, which made me pretty happy. I will have to pay more attention to my egg whites next time, though – despite beating them in the same bowl, at the same time, when I poured them into the sugar/gelatin bowl, I found unbeaten whites at the bottom of the bowl. They seemed to incorporate fine, but I haven’t checked each cube yet ;)
They are a huge hit – everyone loves that they don’t taste stale, like many store-bought marshmallows. I felt like a total rock star!!
These turned out great! I’ve been dreaming of making these for a long time, and I finally had an excuse to make them for a big cabin trip this weekend. The tip about whipping the gelatin/ sugar mixture in a stand mixer while beating the egg whites with a hand mixer worked out great. A few more dishes, but it helped streamline the process.
Yippee! we are sooo excited that these came out! 3rd Time’s the charm, first two times we tried, G. did most of the work/recipe following. we tried substituting Fruit Pectin for the Gelatin, but it didn’t come out right the first two times using that. Kind of soupy sweetness with a Lemon-y flavor. Then, we found vegetarian Gelatin, and J. did pretty much the whole process, and it turned out Beautifully!! Thank You Soooo Much!!! Yay! We get to enjoy Marshmallows now!! :)
Just made them! Thanks for the great recipe. Quick question- is there any concern with eating marshmallows with raw eggs in them? I am planning on bringing them to a party tomorrow and don’t want to bring the house down with salmonella of some sort…should I not be concerned?
Geri — There’s nothing wrong with it if you trust where you get your eggs from. It’s often not recommended for pregnant women, but I try not to get into medical recommendations because it’s just not my area.
Made these today!!! FANTASTIC!! Our family is dye free and it is hard to find marshmallows that do not have blue lake in them. These are PERFECT! Thank you!
This was messy! :)) (it’ll take a good 20 mins to clean up all..)
Also, I might have done something wrong but came pretty liquid.. so I added icing ugar at the very end and made it nicely creamy!! Settling now, it looks sooooo goooood I can’t wait to eat them!
BIG THANKS!
@alecia. I used a simple syrup recipe I found online. Look up alternative to corn syrup. There are tons of recipes.
You can also temper the eggs before you beat them, and this will make them absolutely safe if you’re at all questioning the safety of raw eggs. Just put them in a double broiler over low heat and bring them to 160 degrees F and then beat.
I just made these today and they are fantastic! I tinted them black and used metal halloween cookie cutters to cut out and they are great! I also put them in a jelloyroll pan instead so they weren’t huge using the cookie cutters :)
Thanks I will definitely keep this page.
PS for those worrying about egg whites use meringue powder and follow the directions to substitute for the egg whites, perfectly safe!
Hi! I discovered your blog through Lottie & Doof and I’m pretty excited.
I JUST made these marshmallows last night, and pretty much came out exactly as you describe, however…
Mine are quite sticky/wet. They stop being sticky, of course, when covered in the powdered sugar – but when I bite into them they are too…moist. Almost like the inside of a chocolate-covered marshmallow santa or something. They’re really fluffy but it’s almost like they need to be a touch drier.
Since this isn’t the kind of recipe I’m used to experimenting with – where would you recommend tweaking in order to make them just a touch less sticky?
It’s my first time making marshmallows and I’m going to try your recipe but add rose extract and pink food color. Wish me luck!
CORN-FREE AND EGG-FREE people: you can make homemade marshmallows without either of these ingredients and still have them turn out great. My daughter has seven food allergies so I used this recipe yesterday: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Homemade-Marshmallows-_no-Corn-Syrup_-Recipezaar
…and they came out beautifully, like soft happy clouds in your mouth. And I never ever have liked store-bought marshmallows unless toasted. These I cannot get enough of.
If you are corn-allergic, you probably know that store-bought vanilla extract is made from corn alcohol, which some corn-allergic people will react to. I make my own vanilla, with a pint of Gray Goose (wheat vodka) or potato vodka (made in USA!) and a couple of vanilla beans in the jar. It needs to sit a week or two before you use it.
A huge thank you to whomever mentioned throwing crushed freeze-dried strawberries in the mix…my daughter will be your BFF, I’m sure, if I can make that work! The minute I tasted one of these marshmallows, I said, “next time I am totally going to do a really cool FLAVOR!” So I guess strawberry it is!
…oh and also for CORN-FREE PEOPLE…powdered sugar usually has cornstarch in it, but the Trader Joe’s brand has tapioca starch instead. Or if you just generously gifted yourself with a Vitamix or other high speed blender with a “dry” mixing container, you can pulverize your own powdered sugar from regular sugar.
I tried making this recipe a few days ago, and the verdict? WOW! Just wow. Eating them is just like what I imagined eating clouds would be like, if clouds are made of tangible substance instead of just water vapor. They’re so soft and squishy that I spent quite a bit of time to just, well, squish them. My friends are overjoyed with the results too (and the fact that they no longer have to eat foam disguised as marshmallows!). Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe, Deb.
Deb, first off let me say, thanks for all the recipes & entertainment over the years. I don’t think I’ve ever left you a comment, but I love giggling to myself at work while reading your posts, and everything I’ve made from your site has been awesome!
I’m so excited to try these marshmallows over new year! My husband and I are taking a trip to a cabin and I think it would be so fun to make s’mores outside in the cold!! :-) Thanks for this great recipe I’m about to try!
Has anyone tried to double the recipe? I’ve made these twice and they’ve been a big hit both time. I was hoping to make lots of them for christmas baskets but am wondering if the juju will be thrown off if I double the recipe
I just made some homemade marshmallows .As many of you ,I ended up with marshmallow everywhere. But the bigest thing is you do have to have a very strong standmixer and use the wisk and not beaters .”I DID”!!!! My GE standmixer of 15 yrs .and so many cookies ,candy & cakes went up in smoke right before my eyes .And here it is 21 days till Christmas and no way to make my gifts to all those who wait all year just for my sweets . Alot of sad faces this year.Mostly MINE!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing the ‘do not scrape the bowl’ advice! The recipe turned out exactly as promised, thanks to you. :)
I just made these tonight. My daughter has corn allergies and she has really missed marshmallows.
I used agave instead of corn syrup, and used powdered sugar with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch.
They are so yummy! The look on my daughters face was priceless. She is literally in marshmallow heaven.
thank you so much for posting this easy and great recipe.
Looking forward to s’mores in the summer…she always had to sit that out…now she will be the marshmallow roasting queen!
I have made these marshmallows 4-5 times. They are always a hit and turn out great. Now…does anyone have a suggested recipe for chocolate or peppermint marshmallows? Thanks!
Hi – I wanted to let you know that I have made these a few times, and they are AMAZING!! I have passed this link on to several friends and wanted to thank you! I scrolled through the comments and was wondering if anyone had made them with rum or bourbon, kahlua, grand marnier? I was thinking of replacing the vanilla?? Any luck? I’ve made regular and peppermin, the teachers at school were amazed :)
I just made these and substituted Agave for the corn syrup because we have corn allergies like the poster above and they turned out phenomenal! This recipe is very adaptable. One hint spray your spatula with oil and you can scrap the bowl just fine. I did and got every ooey goooey drop out!
We torched a couple of these fluffy pillows over a candle and they roasted up so well!
Just wanted to add we made our fully marshmallows with a basic hand mixer with beaters. It took a bit longer to fluff up but we still had perfect marshmallows!
Hi Deb!
Love your blog and your book!
I’m wanting to try this recipe for part of a Christmas present, I’m wondering if there is anything I could do to extend the storage life. Do you think they can be frozen? I’m also wondering the same thing as Gretchen, about swapping out the vanilla for amaretto?
Made six batches last night! Every single one was great!! Thanks, Deb!
Thanks for another great recipe. I’ve had this on my list for a while and finally got to it tonight. Wow…it really is easy. Next step is to dip them in dark chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peppermint.
Just made two batches of these! One vanilla and the other swirled with the tiniest bit of green food coloring and mint extract.
Thank you so much!
I made these last night. I tasted the batter before they set up and is was delicious!This morning, I cut the squares and they are a perfect texture but after sitting in the fridge to set up, the taste is awful! I’m so sad :( What could be the reason?
Wonderful recipe. I used for a high end wedding rehearsal dinner as one of my desserts with toasted coconut dust. They are great as is, in hot chocolate, and melt like a store bought marshmallow in campfire. Love these. I will now make my own marshmallows, so much better than store bought kind. Thanks
I made these thinking my children would like the process (silly since so much is just waiting), but they just liked the last part! The coolest thing was the number of people who were amazed that they were homemade! We were like Christmas rock stars! Thanks!
I tried your recipe and loved it so much that I decided to reblog it. Thanks for the awesome marshmallows!
http://darlingapartment.blogspot.com/2013/01/fluffy-puffy-marshmallows.html#
Looking foreword to making these! However, I thought that I had seen a recipe for chai tea marshmallows on your site a while ago but can’t find them now. Did you ever post one or did I imagine it?
Catherine — I think you imagined it. I’ve never done anything with chai here. :)
Catherine: Could you be thinking of this post about chai tea s’mores from Design*Sponge? The spice there is in the crackers, though; you have to provide your own marshmallows. All the more reason to try these!
Deb,
Could you dust them with powdered sugar instead?
Great images of the step by step process of creating marshmallows. I love this blog.
Awesome recipe, awesome blog. I’m actually a long-standing fan of yours – but a lurker rather than a poster. You see, I have this never-endinglist of things to make, but I hardly ever get round to them!
I added some Wilton’s Rose Icing Color with the vanilla, and the mixtures turned this heavenly princess pink color… hope they taste as good as the mixture did ;)
Just an FYI to folks, Kosher gelatin is not often vegetarian. It is usually bovine but sometimes made from fish- kosher doesn’t equal vegetarian, it just means it isn’t made from an animal that is traif. Some kosher gelatins are veggie, or pareve, but they are rare. I think this is a common misconception folks have, so I thought worth mentioning here.
I tried to make these using Genutine, which is the gelatin substitute in the most popular vegan recipe online: http://veganmarshmallows.blogspot.com/2009/04/vegan-marshmallow-recipe.html
I am like many posters here a lover of fancy baked goods and I love experimenting to find versions of recipes that everyone can eat. I was excited about this recipe because my husband has celiacs and most store-bought ‘mallows are off limits for him. I have found overall the Genutine to be the best gelatine substitute out there for veggies- I have used it in mousse cakes and other pretty and tedious projects. Agar agar is handy for simple projects, but I find doesn’t hold up at all for recipes that require a large amount of gelatin or depend heavily on its effects for form and texture (like Deb said, ‘mallows = meringue + gelatin)
My first attempt tasted delicious but did not set up properly. I think I might use the fluff for a krispie treat experiment? I am going to try again, but I think this time I will melt the Genutine with the sugar like it is prepared in the vegan recipe instead of setting it up with the cold water. I also mistakenly used my standard paddle attachment instead of the whisk, and just noticed this morning in the photos. This is probably why mine didn’t increase in size very much?
just made these.uptill now they look fine still fingers crossed cause the last batch of marshmallows i made were too sweet and i didnot like them at all! wish me luck guys…
I do not consider myself gifted when it comes to baking ( i would think ‘mallows fall under the baking category, less the cooking category), so I was a kind of nervous for my 1st marshmallow attempt.
I DID IT!!!
This recipe is so easy to follow and execute. I had Brown Rice Syrup on hand, so the only change I made was using that instead of Corn Syrup. The final product was just a little off-white in color because of the BRS, but no one seemed to notice.
ThankYouThankYou!
I attempted these yesterday and they turned out absolutely amazing. I did not have a candy thermometer, so I used the soft ball method.
All you have to do is have a cup filled with cold water, spoon up some of the sugar mixture when you think it’s ready, and let it drip into the cup. If it keeps its shape after it drips and if it’s soft underwater and you can squish it, the mixture is ready. If it forms a hard ball, it’s overcooked. If it just runs and forms strings in the water, it isn’t cooked enough.
I will definitely make this again. I’m so glad I stumbled across this!
O.M.G. i admit, i scraped the bowl. surprisingly little trauma, though i did have an extra pair of hand to hold it while i scraped the big leftover gobs. those hands the took the bowl, found a spoon, and shortly returned with a clean bowl.
suggested tweaks i did on the fly:
use 1/2-1/3 as much vanilla as is called for
sub 1 C granulated sugar with 1 C lightly packed dark brown sugar
Can You use Honey in place of the light corn syrup?
I haven’t tried it but I suspect it will work fine. Commenter #327 sounds like she did, and she said it imparted a nougat-y taste that she liked.
My 10 1/2 year old daughter made these today, with a little help from me. She tinted them green and she and her brother (7) are going to sell them tomorrow as “martian-mallows.” Of course, minus the ones we roast over the fire pit tonight. So yummy, relatively easy and not too bad of a mess – thanks for the warnings.
I personally find these quite disappointing compared to the Jet PUffed ones we all know and love.
When I tried to toast these marshmallows, they didn’t toast, they just melted everywhere :-/ I’m also a person that likes to burn her marshmallows. These don’t catch fire.
The recipe isn’t bad, it just turns out I prefer store bought. Not everything is better homemade.
I left out the egg whites, because I just don’t trust store bought eggs raw, and they still turned out WONDERFULLY!!! I melt a few of them in my coffee every morning. My 2 year old asks for them all of the time. Respectfully commenting on the post above on how you like store bought better…maybe it’s a good thing they don’t catch on fire? I would be scared to find out why the store bought ones do..Thanks so much for posting this!!
Hi Deb – I love your website, it’s my go-to for recipes I can count on to be delicious! My book group even chose your cookbook as this months book! We are going to each try a bunch of recipes and discuss! I have made several batches of these, I love the taste and texture! My 3 year old even helps me and it is decidedly one of his favorite things to make. We have made pink lemonade by adding a little lemonade mix into the powdered sugar mix for dusting. Red velvet by adding unsweetened cocoa powder to the “batter”, then dusting them with cocoa. Fab! One question that I saw posed by another commenter but couldn’t find an answer: when I took these to the campfire, they just melted instead of toasting. I followed the recipe exactly and the marshmallows were beautiful, springy fluffy as metioned, but just didnt toast, they puddled :( What am I doing wrong? Should I add more gelatin? I did bring your graham crackers cut into all sorts of fun shapes by my 3 year old & those were a huge campfire hit!
I have made these a few times after failing at another recipe, they always turn out great. I use glucose syrup instead of corn syrup which I had on hand for the first attempt. Ive found if you pipe them seperately like store brought marshmallows, they last a bit longer. If the piping bag starts to set and you cant pipe the marshmallows, just put the piping bag full of marshmallow in the microwave quickly to soften the mix.
Hi, I’m getting together the supplies needed to make these. Is a metal pan necessary or can a glass baking pan be used? Also I am surprised that it has such a short shelf life, the store bought ones seem to last forever (if not eaten).
Heather — Store bought ones are full of preservatives that extend shelf life. A glass pan should be fine.
is there a substitute for the corn syrup?
You can try golden syrup. It works in most recipes as a replacement, but it’s a light golden color and the marshmallows won’t be a pure white.
Hi again, Thanks for responding to my questions so quickly. I made the marshmallows and they turned out great. It was a lot of fun to make to boot!
great post! thanxomuch!
one question though: what exactly IS corn syrup and gelatin? are we sure we want to be putting these questionable substances into our bodies? i heard that most corn these days is GMO anyway … any ideas?
thanks!
As per Wikipedia, corn syrup is made from cornstarch, it is a sugar extract, and it’s used in baking to soften texture and prevent crystallization of sugar. It is different from high fructose corn syrup. Gelatin is a colorless, flavorless collagen derivative of various animal by-products; it’s use in gummy candies, marshmallows, and other desserts. While neither of these ingredients are champions of nutritional value, I don’t think anyone is eating marshmallows to enhance their health. They’re a treat, and like any treat, they should be eaten in small, not-too-frequent quantities.
You probably don’t check comments from this post, but I need to tell you about my marshmallow catastrophe yesterday.
In our old home we had granite countertops. I would frequently clean and oil the counter and just dump the marshmallowson the counter and then shape them with an offset spatula. Now I have tiny house, tiny kitchen, and Formica countertops. But! I have this piece of marble about 18″x18″ and I thought it would be BRILLIANT to use it instead if a Pyrex. Woe is me. The marshmallow went over the edges, down the counters and stuck to everything. There are sticky white patches on the fruit bowl, the mixer the counter, the cabinets, the drawers, my shirt, my pants, in my hair, on my glasses. I needs federal program to clean up this marshmallow spill!
Thanks for listening.
Water should always dissolve it, right? Warm water. I agree, though, it’s such a mess.
Would these work atop mashed sweet potatoes, a la Julia Child?
ck — Julia Child? Please tell me she has a recipe for them and I missed it! Anyway, I haven’t tried them on top of mashed sweet potatoes but my only concern is that these are good, but not great, at toasting up.
I just made these with my kids. INCREDIBLE! We are so in love with these. We are making them as Christmas gifts and they couldn’t be more perfect. I added some maple sugar to the powdered sugar and shook the marshmallows in that. Delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
Deb, first off, happy Thanksgiving!
Second, I just made a batch of these and…wow! Fantastic! I somehow misplaced my light corn syrup, but I used some delicious Canadian maple syrup instead. Surprisingly, the candy didn’t come out with any kind of distinct maple flavor, nor is the color as dark as one would expect.
I’m going to try this with marshmallow root powder in place of the gelatin sometime in the next couple of months, & I’ll let you know how it comes out!
I would like to share this link because I was looking for corn syrup substitutes. This is a recipe for cane sugar syrup. Its also actually recommended for marshmallows. Here it ishttp://www.thekitchn.com/pantry-staples-diy-cane-sugar-131934 By the way I was also wondering how the rice flour works for rolling the marshmallows in? I would like to cut down on the extra sweetness if possible. I hope this helps.
Just made a batch of these after a long break since our last camping trip (these are not for camping – not in the midwest in December – they’re for the holidays) and they were so, so awesome that I was compelled to stay up half the night making a second batch with different flavors. Oh my goodness. The consistency is absolutely perfect. I could fall asleep on a bed of these things. I used an organic corn syrup that comes with a hint of vanilla flavor and added a whole scraped vanilla bean to my first batch since I really love vanilla. I also used an unrefined, whole cane sugar so they were very slightly light brown and had a hint of molasses flavor, but I thought it enhanced the taste. I can’t wait to give these as Christmas gifts. Thanks so much for the recipe. Oh, one more thing – you suggested that these will last a week at cool room temp, and I wanted to add that in the past I’ve kept mine in the refrigerator and they lasted a couple weeks. I think they would have retained their original flavor and consistency longer if I’d gone a little lighter on the powdered sugar dusting.
Darn, I forgot to say that I am an *obsessive* bowl scraper and I took a risk and used my favorite really good, stiff spatula and scraped my marshmallow mix into my powdered sugar-coated pan – and it actually worked. I scraped almost every drop of marshmallow mix into the pan, leaving just enough for each of my kids to enjoy licking some. I don’t know why it didn’t create a huge mess for me but I thought I’d offer some hope to my fellow obsessive-bowl-scraper types.
Just made these for our holiday party for roasting outside and they were out of this world! I added a little bonus vanilla- which will be awesome in hot chocolate- and the guests loved that. There were so many from this one recipe that I sent some home with guests as well <3 Thanks for the recipe:)
xo
What is the best way to beat the egg whites in to the sugar mixture? Scrape it all in and beat on low? Or fold in?
Thanks!
Beat it in until it’s just combined, no longer.
My batch is chilling in the fridge right now. Thanks for suggesting we not try to get every last bit from the bowl – I can see how those strings would stick to everything. My question: How did you get your mixture so smooth and even when you put it in the pan? It looks from your pictures that your mixture poured pretty easily; mine, not so much. Where it landed in the pan is where it stayed, though I was able to push it into the corners. Is there a secret to getting it to lay in a nicer, more even layer? Perhaps I mixed it for too long, and therefore it became too cool? I appreciate any suggestion you have!
This is such a wonderful recipe! The egg whites really add a pillowy-ness to the marshmallows.
These are setting up in my kitchen right now. They look fabulous and we can’t wait to drop them into some hot chocolate later. Thanks for sharing this recipe and presenting it in a non-intimidating way. I’m slowly getting past my fear of making candy and confections thanks to bloggers like you. Thank you.
I just made this recipe for the third time, and substituted half the corn syrup for a mild honey. LOVE IT!! I think next time, I will use all honey and skip the corn syrup. It is important to use a mild flavored honey, though, unless you want your marshmallows to taste like honey instead of whatever flavoring you choose. These are so much fun! I can’t wait till bonfire season so I can see how they roast on the fire. Thanks for the recipe and all the good tips!
I love the idea of using a bag, and using colored sugar, there you go…peeps…I love peeps and homemade at that. perfect Thank you
I made these with some red food coloring and used a heart cookie cutter to make Valentine’s day marshmallows. They turned out great!!!!! Thanks for the awesome recipe and I definitely linked to you :) :)
BEST MARSHMALLOWS EVER! Kicked the Corn Syrup to the curb and used LIGHT AGAVE SYRUP instead. I used a Kitchen Aid with whisk attachment, whipped the hot Sugar/Agave/Salt mixture with the Gelatin/Water for about 15 minutes on HIGH. While that was blending, I used a hand held electric mixer on high to beat the egg whites, vanilla bean, and vanilla extract till the soft peaks formed. I then added the Egg/Vanilla mixture to the Kitchen Aid and blended for about 10 more minutes. Made so many! Wow. Texture is great, but def notice freshness when roasting or on top of cocoa. Softer, creamier, just down right more delicious. Gotta try this recipe! ::5+ Stars::
My daughter and I were marshmallow monsters with goopy hands last night because I, too, tried to scrape the bowl. I used Alton Brown’s recipe, but if I had used yours first I would have found your cautionary tale ;) But they taste so good!!!
I share your hatred for leaving bowls unscraped. But thanks for the warning, I’ll do my best to resist after it gets fluffy!
I actually *love* the idea of dense, chewy marshmallows (though these look and sound amazing, as well)—may I ask what recipe you originally used that yielded them?
Just made these for the second time. First time I made plain vanilla, this time I coloured them pink and added lemon extract. They’re setting now :) I was craving marshmallows, and I think I had as much as I needed during the ‘making’ process! Great recipe, it’s a keeper for sure!
For those who appreciate a good s’more and adventures with broilers, I highly recommend taking a cookie (I used double chocolate) or three, sticking a marshmallow on top, putting the whole thing on a cookie sheet and putting it in the broiler for a minutes. The result is to die for.
Holy schnikies these were fun to make, new family tradition!
Hi Deb,
Ever since stumbling on your site, I have been addicted; and these marshmallows are my number one go-to recipe. It’s perfect for everything from holiday treats to late night movie snacks. I have made these dozens of times and they get better every time!
That being said, I recently moved to Iceland and am currently adapting all of my favorite recipies to work with local ingredients. To anyone who has access to Golden Syrup, yes it totally works in place of corn syrup, but make sure to watch your thermometer! I found out the hard way that it comes to optimal temp Much faster than corn syrup, and is very quick to burn. The flavor is a bit different, but still scrumptious as ever!
Also, I use 15 sheets of gelatin, as I haven’t seen powder here.
Hi, I just tried making these and my sugar mixture turned brown (like caramel) before the 12 minutes and it was way under 240, what did I do wrong?
Hi Deb, just wondering why you couldn’t add the egg whites to the gelatin mixture and then add the hot sugar mixture, much like you would for Italian meringue buttercream. Maybe the egg whites would not whip up when added to the gelatin?
Just tried these. Best recipe yet! Works great with Organic Agave instead of Corn Syrup. I also added chocolate chips at the bottom before pouring with mint extract in the mix.
Just made these for the first time and they are outstanding!! So neat!! Next time, if doing a batch of Vanilla, I will add less Vanilla Extract and maybe cut the Confectioner’s Sugar with Corn Starch as another commenter mentioned, to try and cut back on the sweetness and give it more subtlety. I definitely want to try my hand at some Cocoa Mint ones. Just wondering about exact measurements of Mint for this recipe, as that can be a trip-up– any suggestions?
I’ll be trying this recipe tonight. My go to has been the recipe in the French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller. I like the fact that he does not require a candy thermometer which some do not own and some, like me, cannot always find. Vanilla, raspberry, and mint are family favorites. Office favorite is a pink raspberry marshmallow.
I finally made these marshmallows to include in hot chocolate baskets I put together for friends for Christmas. THEY ARE WONDERFUL, EASY TO MAKE, SET UP PERFECTLY, CUT BEAUTIFULLY AND ARE DELICIOUS!! The recipe is perfect, not a single complaint and they were so well received. Thank you, thank you, thank you for working out all the kinks. The only thing I did differently was to cut the confectioners sugar with cornstarch for dusting. I distinctly remember getting Campfire Marshmallows in my lunch as a treat when I was in elementary school and they were dusted with more cornstarch than confectioners sugar. I know this info dates me to a child of the 50’s, but how great was it that two marshmallows in a little box was such a treat!
I just finished making up the second batch in two weeks – great as ever! The first batch was used for a new year’s eve chocolate fondue. This batch was spread onto a cookie sheet to make thin rectangles. Deb, you’re the best!
I just wanted to let you know that I measured the amount of gelatin in the Knox brand packets and discovered that 3 packets contain 2 tablespoons plus 2-1/2 teaspoons, not 3-1/2 packets, as set forth in your recipe.
I don’t often respond to recipes that I’ve tried. It’s not that they’re not good… It’s just that these marshmallows are that much better! The looks on people’s faces when they taste a homemade marshmallow: priceless! Most say they’ll never go back to store bought. I know I can’t.
They really are THAT easy, too. I’ve done chocolate-orange, raspberry, maple-brown sugar, and just did a batch of vanilla bean s’more flavor (vanilla bean with mini chocolate chips, laid in, and covered with, graham cracker crumbs), but the hands-down favorite is mint-chocolate chip. I brought a batch to our local production of Les Miserables, and ended up making a total of 8 batches throughout the run of the play. I never came home with a single marshmallow.
I have a tip: If you don’t have two mixers, you could whip the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar, then hold them in the fridge until they are needed. I’ve always done mine this way, and they’ve never failed. I also usually wait until just before I add the egg whites to add any extracts to the whipped sugar mixture, and wait until the very last to add chips, so they don’t totally melt away.
If anybody asks me how to make marshmallows, I direct them here. (Thanks!)
To all those who commented that their marshmallows “puddled” and didn’t “toast”: Mine seemed to toast better after a couple of days, when they’ve gotten a slight “crust” to them.
Earlier in the comments, someone said that they’d like to try a strawberry marshmallow using dried strawberry powder. I just finished a batch, using freeze-dried strawberry powder. They turned out so well that I think they’re my new favorite flavor! Our local grocery store has small packets of freeze-dried fruits (under 2 oz.), but by weight, they are expensive. I know Trader Joe’s has a good selection of freeze-dried fruits, so you might try there. The flavor reminded me of a strawberry milkshake, and others of jam. They were REALLY good!
Okay…now my time for a comment. This is my 3rd year of making your marshmallows. I bought gummy eyeballs for my bubbling red punch, but they sunk and my excitement with it. So I came up with idea of marshmallow eyeballs and bloody fingers. I found your recipe and bought the molds and for the past 2 years they have turned out great! I don’t seem to be able to get all the air out when I fill up the round ice cube tray, but they come out round enough to work. I make blue, green and black gelatin to create the iris’s and they stick to the mellow not to bad. But they look SUPER in the punch floating around and they do not soak up the punch and swell like the gummies either. Thank you for the recipe and helping to make my annual masquerade ball a success!
I’ve been looking at this recipe for years and I think I finally feel brave enough to try it out. I do have one question I want to use these for making rice krispies treats do I have to let the marshmallow mixture set first before I use it or can I use it right away it its gooey form since thats what I need for the treats anyway?
Alla — I haven’t used these in marshmallow treats before. (To be honest, they’re too good, when the packaged ones are ideal for treats.)
These look amazing! Do have a suggestion for a gelatin replacement?
I learned not to worry about scraping the bowl when I made marshmallow fluff recently. The mess did clean up fairly easily though. :) Looking forward to making these this weekend!
Your writing style is fabulous – I love reading (reading!!) your blogs even if I never get as far as actually making the recipes.
Is there anything I can substitute for the eggs? I have a daughter with multiple food allergies (including eggs), and I’ve come across an allergy-friendly Christmas cookie recipe for her that calls for marshmallows. I’m hoping they can be homemade! =) Thanks!!
So, talk to me about the 1 week stay fresh period… is that conservative? I made your hot chocolate mix last year for family Christmas gifts and it was so well received that I intend to do it again. I really wanted to make these marshmallows last year but ran out of time. The week before Christmas is not when I want to be making marshmallows, but a stale marshmallow is a sad thing. What say ye. Is this weekend too early to make them? Any way to extend freshness? Thanks Deb!
AmberGale — I’d say it’s conservative. There’s not a whole lot that should go bad in there very quickly, especially with that much sugar. That said, I haven’t had them last any longer than a week, so I’m just guessing here.
Thanks Deb, I’ll probably go ahead and give it a try this weekend. I wasn’t thinking they’d go BAD, but with storebought marshmallows, once you open that bag, you’re on notice. I thought maybe you were letting us know that the homemade ones would stale even more quickly. No way to know unless I try, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll report back!
These are amazing! I can’t believe how easy they are (although I wouldn’t try them without a mixer, almost definitely a stand mixer).
One tip: the mixer smelled really weird immediately after I added the hot sugar water to the gelatin mixture. The smell went away after it cooled down, but I was scared for a bit.
Putting them in the freezer doesn’t seem to cause any problems, they don’t freeze solid(so can be eaten straight from the freezer).
I made these this year so excited to potentially give these as gifts to my coworkers, but by the next day they were a kind of a gooey sticky bunch that had absorbed most of the powdered sugar and almost melted together. I’m unsure at what stage I did something wrong or perhaps this is what home made marshmallows should be?I did use a candy thermometer and as I tried to follow the recipe to a tee. Doesn’t sound like anyone in your comments had this issue. Just wondering what I could do because I’d love to be able to make these as intended.
Hi Deb, I made these last night and I am just curious, is there such a thing as “bad/spoiled” gelatin? Despite the heft 1 TBSP of vanilla, I tasted my creation this morning and it tastes unmistakably of nasty gelatin smell (I believe other commenters referred to it as swampy). I will go back through the other comments to see what I may have done wrong…
If nasty, perhaps, but I’m not familiar with it going bad, to be honest. This recipe is definitely heavy on the gelatin, but it’s supposed to be masked well by the vanilla and sugar. I definitely never noticed anything swampy. What kind of gelatin did you use?
Thanks for your super speedy response!! I’m embarrassed to admit that I got my gelatin from the bulk store… that may be my problem since it is of questionable age / origin? I could only find sheets elsewhere, but maybe if I went to an actual grocery store the results would be different. I noticed other commenters tried Jello Packets, maybe that’s what I’ll do to ensure freshness.
I’m really not confident that it should matter where you bought it or if it’s not that fresh, but I could be wrong. I wonder if it might have just had a stronger flavor or you can really just taste it more through the other flavors.
I owe you a brief update: After cutting a few squares off the giant block, I re-coated them in powdered sugar and gave them another try… They were noticeably less “swampy”! So I think the extra drying time and extra sugar helped. I should admit that I am a very sensitive taster: I made my resident recipe taster blindly try one and no swampy taste was reported.
In the future I will use gelatin packets, have a more generous touch with the vanilla, and see how it goes. Thanks again for your responses! ❤
Just wanted to mention that I had the same problem, and I used Knox gelatin packets that expire in 2018. The gelatin mix smelled just awful, and the finished mix smelled a little less awful, but I can still taste/smell it in the finished marshmallows. I used only half a vanilla bean because I was out of vanilla extract, but maybe this recipe needs additional flavors to cover the gelatin reek–I looked online and it seems that some people are sensitive to the smell and others are not. I will also investigate recipes with less gelatin. I have yet to have someone taste test. Otherwise, they came out beautifully springy!
I’m so glad it all worked out. Phew!
Always wanted to make these and finally did! I made two batches (1 peppermint (1 tsp extract) with red food colouring swirls, 1 vanilla). I found pouring the sugar into the gelatin in a slow stream worked best as opposed to all at once when it bubbled a bit scarily. Followed other reviewers (only 1 kitchenaid bowl) and whipped my egg whites first to no noticeable detriment, and also mixed corn starch with the icing sugar. Wish I hadn’t cleaned my kitchen so much prior to cutting because it got covered in powder all over again ;) They did cut much easier than I expected. I will be using these for a hot chocolate bar at a birthday party and also for xmas gifts.
They look and taste amazing and I’m quite pleased. Thanks Deb! :)
I followed all the instructions but…they didn’t set! So I have a delicious runny mass of vanilla goo. It wasn’t very sticky when I was pouring it out.
Firstly, is it possible I didn’t beat the sugar mix long enough? Would this result in goo?
Also, is there anything I can do with this leftover? I was hoping maybe turning into rice crispies but wondering if the marshmallows would need to be sticky to hold it together.
I want to make them now for our teachers as winter break gifts. However due to allergy concerns, can these be made just skipping the step with the egg whites?
Thanks so so much !
Not here, but there are many marshmallow recipes on the web without egg whites. (I just find them less fluffy.)
This is a dumb question but which attachment do you use for the stand mixer? The whisk one? Thanks
I used the whisk but it’s possible either will work. The whisk tends to be better for whipping egg whites.
Could I add cocoa powder to this recipe to make a chocolate variation? How much cocoa powder, do you think?
I have only dipped them in chocolate, not added cocoa powder, but it’s worth finding out. I’d keep the amount low (1 to 2T) so it doesn’t seem chalky.
okay so I’m going onto four years now using this recipe and I feel like a owe a comment at this point. I live in an isolated town, and we have fires all the time. the one grocery store we have didn’t have marshmallows, and we are the type of people that without smores at a fire we might as well not have one. SO with living in a small town where the next store is 3 hours away you get pretty crafty, I mean all food gets made somehow right? I did a lot of research before committing to this because as a 19 year old then I had made cakes but this seemed intimidating. I learned that egg white is the ONLY way to go for marshmallows and that melted sugar HURTS if you get it on yourself. I stumbled upon this recipe and I decided to give it a try, if it wasn’t great then we just didn’t have marshmallows it was worth the try. That was 4 years ago, this recipe has entirely changed and wrecked all my friends and families lives because we simply CANNOT go back to normal jet puffed store bought. This recipe has always been perfect I have made this for at least 30 fires, numerous rice crispy treats, marshmallow fondant, dress them up by dipping them in chocolate and rolling in nuts/toppings, hot cocoa garnishes. I’m hooked, its like crack to my family and friends I don’t go to ANY fire without them now. It’s a conversation starter, it’s EASY as long as you don’t burn yourself and can follow instructions. It’s every smore lovers dream. I just can’t say enough good things about this. They’re not super gross sweet, it’s homemade tasty not the manufactured flavor in the store bought ones. and it’s literally impossible for our store to NOT have these ingredients, I keep everything heavily stocked so we have never ran into another marshmallow dilemma again since all these ingredients last a long time, unlike the packaged marshmallows which harden in a week. Lady this recipe is THE BEST, anyone wondering if it’s worth the effort, all I have to say is just make sure you’re committed to making these for the rest of your lives because you cant go back, its THAT good.
This was such a lovely review to read <3
Where do you live? It sounds pretty wonderful!
Hello! I’ve made these a couple of times, but I had some questions about adding the egg whites. How warm or cold should the mixing bowl be when adding the egg whites? When adding the egg whites, do you suggest changing the attachment from the whisk to the paddle to potentially knock out less air? After adding the egg whites, should you keep the speed down or not mix for too long? I’m not quite sure if I beat the air out or not (although I’m not hearing any complaints haha).
To those curious about adding the sugar in a slow stream, just like when making Italian Meringue Frosting, try not to hit the whisk or side of the bowl since the change in temperature could cause it to cool onto the bowl or whisk and not actually incorporate into the marshmallow mixture!
I bought a small package of marsh mallow root once. It really is an old treat that long predates modern recipes. I think I simmered it in water, and it puffed up into a white pillowy thing, and it tasted like marshmellows, but better. I couldn’t figure out how to get the stringy marsh mallow root fibers out of it, so I didn’t keep experimenting – but it’s flavor was so lively and good, and more complex than the modern ones. I could see why it had become a treat. If you have marsh mallows growing, you can harvest some root and experiment. Just make sure you have the right plant.
I’ve just made a batch of earl grey tea marshmallows (to use with your decadent hot chocolate mix recipe) and I was wondering how I would go about storing these? I live in a tropical climate so it’s very warm and humid.
I came across marshmallows as a way to use the extra whites after poppyseed lemon cake, and was surprised by the large discrepancy between this recipe and David Lebovitz’s marshmallows. Specifically, if his recipe was scaled up ~1.5x to match your other ingredient quantities, his recipe would use 12 egg whites and yours has 2. Any thoughts on the large gap? https://www.davidlebovitz.com/marshmallow-recipe-candymaking/
I used the Lebovitz recipe for a year or two and they always ended up weeping and getting sticky. This recipe is far more stable and now my go-to. Lebovitz is aces on ice cream tho.
Delicious! I’ve made these twice now; once following the recipe exactly, and once with raspberries. I cooked 400g of frozen raspberries on the stove until soft, then pushed it through a sieve. I then used the purée in place of the water in the recipe. They came out a beautiful soft pink color with an amazing raspberry flavor and perfect springy texture. Give it a try! I bet you could use all kinds of fruit purée.
I tried this and they were perfect! Thank you for the suggestion!
Hello,
how man sheets of gelatin or grams of leaf gelatin equals an envelope?
Thank you
This page explains how to use one for the other.
Thank you, I took 12 sheets of gelatin and the marshmallows came out great.
As the result was so satisfying I tried another batch where I substituted the water with Creme de Cassis, the flavour and colour of these were amazing.
I’ve made a good few batches of marshmallows; I vary between Ina Garten, Maida Heatter, and French Laundry, but French Laundry are the easiest and therefore my fave — no thermometer, even! The only time I’ve ever encountered a problem is one Christmas, when the outdoor temp was @ 60F with 100% humidity: with all that moisture in the air, those babies refused to set up. Ended up as a big batch of marshmallow spread.
I thought these would be really intimidating but everything went wrong and they still turned out great. My gelatin smelled terrible, the candy thermometer refused to move above 220F so I had to guess at softball stage, the gelatin never fully dissolved and I over whipped the egg whites. They are so springy and light and I’m packaging them up as Christmas treats for friends. I would say they need to be toasted bc plain I was a little meh about them but toasted they are worth the effort.
I’ve made these for a few years now, and they are always a big hit, especially when rolled in toasted coconut instead of icing sugar. I put them in cello bags in the Christmas stockings.
Delish! Few things. This was my very first time making marshmallows and using gelatin. The gelatin did not seem to “dissolve” as I expected it would, but rather created a lumpy formation in my kitchenaid. All of it did not mix in, with remaining dry gelatin on top. I was alarmed. Even after I added the hot sugar and stirred a lot, there were still some clumps. No worries, once I started the high speed mixing it all magically turned to marshmallow before my very eyes. Super cool. I couldn’t tell if it had tripled in volume, so I mixed for the full 10 minutes. For flavoring, I used 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract. They were VERY pepperminty, but oh so YUM. Light and fluffy. Don’t hesitate, this recipe is easy and it delivers. P.S. I did use an oiled spatula to scrape my bowl, as it seemed there was a lot of marshmallow left after pouring into the prepared pan. It worked out just fine, no sugar mess at all.
My son has an egg allergy. I beat 56g (about 3 T.) of aquafaba with a pinch of cream of tartar in place of the egg whites. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly as written. I’m happy to report, it worked perfectly!
This was a fun and easy project – the kids loved it! Took another commenter’s advice to beat the egg whites first to avoid having to clean the beaters. I was about 1.5 tsp short of the amount of gelatin and they still came out great.
Is it possible to pipe or shape these into something other than just squares? I’m trying to make a s’mores torte and I want it to be pretty.
I haven’t tried it with these but I found this comment and it looks like at least one person has with success. Good luck!
I know this is a very old thread but I’m trying these again today but adding bourbon in lieu of some water. These have always been a hit as written!
I want to make these as Christmas gifts, but need to make them more than a week ahead of time. Will they save longer in the fridge? Freezer?
I was so excited to try these, but I totally failed — the marshmallows never set. I beat the softened gelatin & cooked sugar mixture in a stand mixer for over 15 minutes — it turned white (well, beige) but never gained volume. I added the stiff egg whites and vanilla, poured into a pan and put it into the fridge overnight, only to find goopy marshmallows the next day. Any suggestions for using goopy marshmallows? Any thoughts or advice for next time so they turn out like actual marshmallows?
P.S. Thanks so much for this blog and everything you do. I LOVE all your recipes and cookbooks, as well as your writing. I very much appreciate that everything tastes delicious and is typically easy to make — and that you tell us if it’s not.
I know this is a full calendar year later, ha! But I think there are a few possibilities: 1) your sugar mix didn’t actually reach soft ball stage (240 degrees F)
2) the stand mixer had the paddle attachment on instead of the whisk
3) the moisture from the refrigerator kept them from firming up (I find that instruction super strange; I let mine set on the countertop to no ill effect)
Maybe this will help someone else down the line!
“Trump is on a roll” ad?
Not in my book.
Can’t wait to vote this trainwreck out.
Otherwise, I enjoy your recipes, but this truly colored my morning, and not in a good way.
Signed,
A “snowflake” from Boston, Massachusetts.
Ugh, sorry. The way programmic ads work is not that we go out and shop for advertisers but that they instead compete to show up here. We have sensitive categories (like politics!) blocked but bad ads still slip in. My ad guys tell me that the fastest way to get an annoying ad blocked is to let us know the clickthrough URL of the ad. This is because different ads show in different places — i.e. people who read about politics online are more likely to get political ads shown, even ones we may not like. If you don’t want to (understandably) click on the ad, what you can do is right-click on it and select “copy link address” to get the information and we will make sure it’s blocked going forward.
I make this recipe for both of my kids on their birthdays every year to take as a classroom treat! We cut them into cute shapes with cookie cutters, dip them in chocolate, & dust with rainbow sprinkles. They are always a hit (better than cupcakes in my daughter’s opinion)!
My husband & kids fight over the cut scraps… I think I need to start doubling the recipe!
Do you know if this would make good marshmallow sauce for ice cream? Would you make any adjustments to the ingredients ? Less gelatin? More water?
No, I think that’s a different recipe entirely.
I have read about using mint extract with a drop of red dye for Christmas and also some sprinkled with powdered chocolate.
I thought for another treat that I will grind up pistachios with powdered sugar for an unusual nutty treat. And then, since I can’t resist guiding the lily. I will also flavor some with rose flower water and roll sprinkle them with a powdered sugar/ground almonds mixture.
Thoughts?
I thought this might be nice at the holidays for gifts with a few of each type.
this is the best recipe for marshmallows. DO NOT make the ones from NYT Cooking; the lack of egg whites makes that a tough recipe to get to be fluffy. Also, make sure egg whites are room temp.
Last, I found it helped to spread out some paper when I sprinkled powdered sugar over the pan; if you want an even layer right up to the edge, some will get on the counter.
I’ve long used the Ina recipe for toasted coconut marshmallows. Alton Brown’s is much the same.
Those call for beating on stand mixer for 12-15 minutes, and most recipes want you to beat until the bowl is just warm. So you don’t beat yours until it gets to that level of volume before the egg whites are added? Or get to that level and then add the whites?
I’m thinking the egg whites would need to be beaten and ready to go into the mixture at the right point, rather than having the mixture sit and wait while the whites are beaten?
Marshmallows are my weakness, thanks for providing me with a reason to whip up a new batch!
When you instruct to “oil the pan”, so you mean with the corn syrup? Or using something else.
No, with a nonstick cooking spray (like Pam), butter, or shortening.
I was so nervous to try making these, but they turned out PERFECTLY and very yummy. Anything that involved melting or caramelizing sugar is usually a disaster for me, and I don’t even have a candy thermometer, but I followed the directions and it was simple and honestly not that big of a deal! Who knew. Thanks for the easy recipe!
Also – I did get intense swampy gelatin smell after I had mixed the hot sugar in, but it went away once it was really whipped up and done. And I couldn’t taste anything weird.
Hi Deb, I made these marshmallows and they were delicious….worth the mess but they didn’t get very high. When I poured them into the pan there was a considerable amount of really thick, sticky mess. I am wondering if you have any suggestions for how to mix these better. I used my kitchen aid with whisk attachment. I am planning to give them as gifts this year with your decadent hot cocoa mix so any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
Thanks
Can you freeze these to make gifts ahead of time? I’ve scoured the internet but the instructions to freeze are for recipes without egg whites.
i made these and honestly it’s pretty good that i put these in the mold while right besides the sink, and also the fact that i was playing with slime way too much a few years ago. they were surprisingly simple compared to a bunch of other recipes that ive made since ive started cooking and baking.
though they hardened suprisingly quickly so i couldnt smooth them out so it’s just this flat texture till hte middle whihc was a gnarly weird mess :’)
i had a pretty bad week and i was looking to make these all week. so yeah thanks for this recipe, and ill definitely be making these again ;DDD
This is the best recipe for marshmallow I have ever encountered. I make it often — for gifts at the holidays, for roasting in the summer, for hot chocolate in the fall, for birthdays, for basically any reason. I’m famous among my friends for trying weird and wonderful flavor combinations (lavender marshmallows, elderflower marshmallows, lime and mint marshmallows, bourbon marshmallows, peppermint marshmallows with a swirl of red gel food coloring through them, neon marshmallows for the weirdest froth on kids’ hot chocolate, whatever). Everything about this recipe ROCKS. Thank you!!
I followed recipe exactly, used organic granulated & powdered sugar so they aren’t bright white, used Knox gelatin packets. The gelatin goo smelled a little funky and I had some chunks of gelatin that would not dissolve so I picked them out- but finished product was perfect. These are going on top of my sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. And maybe extra ones on top of pumpkin pie, browned with kitchen torch.
Is there a substitute for the corn syrup? I have people in my life who can’t use anything with corn in it. Thanks!
Made these today and used mint extract and red food coloring. Rather simple recipe and came out fabulous. I did 1/2 the recipe and used an 8×8 pan lined with parchment.
Would like to make espresso marshmallows…..what ingredients would I use? cocoa and espresso powder? In what amounts? Thanks!
Hi. The taste of these marshmallows are amazing! I had a hard time with stickiness…both in getting them out of the pan after freezing and cutting. I oiled and dusted the pan, and used an oiled pizza roller to cut. Do you have any suggestions of what I might do differently next time? Do you cut them straight out of the freezer, or allow them to defrost a bit? I tried both and it did not affect the stickiness factor : ) Thank you!
It’s 2023 and I’m just now getting around to trying this recipe! Your website is truly the gift that keeps giving 🤗 I added some instant espresso powder to the mix and coated in dutch cocoa instead of powdered sugar and they are decadent! I’ve just been eating them out of the pan whenever I traips into the kitchen! Thank you!!