Christmas Gift Extravaganza Part II

When last we met I made homemade cocoa.  And I asked a question.

What better to top delicious creamy homemade cocoa then delicious fluffy homemade marshmallows?

Did you think I'd leave you hanging without divulging my secret?  Of course not.  I never leave you hanging.  Okay, sometimes I do, but this is Christmas, people.  No abandoning you now in this time of giving, love and peace.

Marshmallows aren't hard to make.  They're just messy.  And you need a stand mixer, which is why I made these babies in Hudson where we have one.  There's no getting around it, a stand mixer is necessary here.  So I'm sorry if you won't be able to make this due to lack of equipment.  Believe me, I feel your pain most of the time, when I'm not in Hudson and don't have a stand mixer or food processor.

I found a good recipe online, as per usual, searching "homemade marshmallows" and landed on a Martha Stewart recipe on the Oprah site.  I don't ask questions.  I just make marshmallows.  I halved the recipe simply because we didn't want to go to the store and I only had half the gelatin required to make the recipe.  I think you should go ahead and make the full amount, as you'll probably be buying the ingredients anyway.  It's just as easy to make the full recipe as half, so you might as well.

First you dissolve your gelatin in some cold water in the bowl of your mixer.

Next comes the syrup.  Corn syrup (don't get mad corn haters- it's necessary for the candy making process.)

Sugar and salt.

And some water to get things going.

Now once the sugar dissolves raise the heat to high and attach your candy thermometer.  Brush the sides of the pan with water to dissolve any crystals that might form, and let that rip till the thermometer reaches 244˚.  I didn't trust the thermometer so I used another one.  They were over ten degrees different.  That's why the thermapen is the best.  It's very precise.

Once the syrup is 244˚ turn your mixer on low and very slowly pour it in.

Once it's all in turn the speed up to high and let her rip for 15 minutes.  Really.  I know it seems like a long time, but you're whipping air into the candy.

While that's going sprinkle a dish with powdered sugar.  The recipe said glass, but I used this square metal one since my recipe was halved.

A quick tip: to clean candy or caramel off of your pan simply fill it with water and bring it to a boil.  It melts the sugar right off.

After 15 minutes add your vanilla and stir to combine.

And pour it into your baking dish.

This is the messy part.  You just have to coax it into the corners.  It helps if you sprinkle it with lots of powdered sugar.

Let the marshmallows sit overnight to dry out.  Then you can cut them.  I used kitchen shears which seemed to work well.  Dust the pieces in more powdered sugar and call it a day.

And here we have the finished gift:

The cocoa mix with a bag of little homemade marshmallows.

Homemade Marshmallows

Recipe created by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let it stand 30 minutes.

Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan; place over low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.

Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat.

With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.

Generously dust an 8 x 12-inch glass baking pan with confectioners' sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out.

Give the gift of creamy delicious warmth this holiday season.

Or something like that...

Playing,

Meredith