Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows

Oh whoa. Flavor bomb y'all.

Homemade marshmallows. Who would've thought that was a thing? But ask the blogiverse--it's a thing. They're light, airy, softer than storebought, and the blankest canvas for all of your flavor inspirations.

I just imagined lavender marshmallows! That would be incredible. Gotta get on that one soon!
(in other news, I have the attention span of a squirrel).

But these--these are peppermint marshmallows. The refreshing answer to holiday cookies and richness, a light airy sugar cloud scented with mint.

before...

Marshmallows are not that difficult to make: gelatin gets a bit of water to swell up while sugar, corn syrup, and a bit of water boil away on the stove. Whip together (with a mixer unless you want your arm to fall off) for ten minutes, pour in a pan, shake some confectioners sugar over the whole shebang, and cool your jets for several hours. Flip out the slab of fluffy goodness, cut into squares, and shake it like a polaroid picture with the confectioners sugar.

in progress...

Plop in a mug of not too sweet hot chocolate, and die of bliss. It's so dang good! They melt and make a lovely insulation for the hot chocolate, flavoring every sip along the way until you give up and dig in with a spoon.

and...DONE! 

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows
Yield: 9x13 inches of marshmallow, cut as you like (that's about 100 square inches)

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup (2 2/3 ounces) powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup (1 1/3 ounces) cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water, divided in halves
• 2½ tablespoons (2 1/2 packets) unflavored gelatin
• ⅔ cup (7 1/3 ounces) light corn syrup
• 2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Method:

1. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, enough so that excess foil hangs over the sides of the pan. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Put in a ziplock bag and set aside.
3. Pour ½ cup of the cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let stand until the gelatin becomes very firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the remaining water and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the saucepan and add the salt. Place the pan over medium-high (full high on my stove) heat and bring to a boil, gently swirling the pan, until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, about 10-12 minutes.
5. Turn the mixer on low speed and carefully pour the hot syrup mixture into the gelatin mixture, avoiding the side of the bowl as much as possible. Gradually increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture is very thick and stiff, 10 to 12 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and peppermint extract and mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds.
6. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan with a spatula (non-stick spray may temporarily help, but I found I didn't want to have to keep spraying it and it wasn't that bad without the spray). Smooth the top into an even layer. Sift 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar mixture over the pan. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.
7. The next day, turn the marshmallow slab out onto a cutting board and peel off the foil. Sift 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar mixture over the slab. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (see note above, I gave up on that), cut into 1-inch strips one way, and then across the other way for square marshmallows. You could use cookie cutters to cut them out, too, if you like.
8. Place the remaining powdered sugar mixture in a large ziploc bag. Working with 3 or 4 marshmallows at a time, toss the marshmallows in the bag with the powdered sugar mixture, then toss in a fine-mesh strainer to remove any excess powder. Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, who adapted from The America's Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook.

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff

Ok, so most of these pictures are of the peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies about which I posted a while back...

But I also made a fluffernutter sandwich!

Low fat lifestyle! Not. It was amazingly delicious, though!

Is it a coincidence that both of these things have peanut butter in them?

I think not. I think people just haven't realized what a good smear of peanut butter does to the s'more flavor combination of marshmallow (and chocolate). It adds the salty dimension and the umami dimension, rendering both of these dishes perfect.

Can I get a whoop for this almost whoopie pie? Though the cookies are more dense and chewy than cakey, the homemade marshmallow fluff stood up to their strength and it makes for a delicious combination.

I made these cookies with my blogger friend Maxine--we also made peanut butter and jelly muffins together a while back! Peanut butter is definitely one of the adhesives that keeps us together.

Speaking of adhesives, let's talk marshmallow fluff. This is very similar to the fluff you get out of a jar...maybe a little more spring/stick/toughness but similar texture and flavor. And it's a fun way to try your hand at an Italian meringue (when you pour hot sugar syrup into egg whites and beat the you-know-what out of them). It's crazy, it feels like you're going to cook the eggs and end up with gross hard sugar stuck to the mixing bowl, but it all comes together like a heavenly cloud. An inescapable cloud, given how sticky it is.

You want to know how to make these? They're also from Michele!

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• Pinch of salt
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:

1. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or get it boiling and then boil vigorously for another 5 ish minutes).
2. While the sugar mixture is boiling, add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. The egg whites should be ready and waiting when the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F. If the egg whites reach soft peaks before the sugar mixture reaches its temperature, turn off the mixer.
3. Once the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F, turn the mixer speed to low and very slowly drizzle the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture has cooled substantially, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the vanilla extract during the last minute or two of beating.
4. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker