The quickest and easiest way to make a giant mess in the kitchen?
Make marshmallows.
I promise… there will be cornstarch, powdered sugar, hot pans and sticky bowls everywhere.
You might even get lucky and find marshmallow goo in your hair later.
Bonus.
Despite the mess and the marshmallow hair, I’m pretty stoked.
Have you made marshmallows before?
They’re so freaking fluffy!
Way more fun and fluffy than the store bought variety.
Next time I make marshmallows… I’m making a pillow sized version. For my sleeps. What could go wrong?
I flavored these little pillows with honey and vanilla bean.
As you can imagine… the vanilla bean is just perfect in fluffy marshmallows. I also quite enjoy the black specks that fancy vanilla beans provide.
The honey is a subtle addition but totally delicious.
The honey really comes through when the marshmallows are toasted or melted into hot chocolate.
Marshmallows are a good idea. Totally worth the mess.
And the sticky hair.
And the multiple dirty dishes.
And the powdered sugar hard marks on your jeans.
And the cornstarch all over your kitten.
And the sticky coffee table.
Toasted honey. That’s nice.
Honey Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
adapted from Epicurious and Smitten Kitchen
makes about 2 dozen marshmallows
1 cup cold water, divided
3 1/4-ounce packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
half of a vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and reserved
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered sugar
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and powdered sugar. Spray a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and coat with the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. Set both aside.
Pour 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment. Pour the three gelatin packs over the cold water and let sit for about 10 minutes.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar, honey, corn syrup, salt and the remaining cold water to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Attach a candy thermometer the the side of the pan and bring mixture up to 240 degrees F. There’s no need to stir the mixture, just let it get hot hot hot!
When the sugar is heated to 240 degrees F, turn the mixer with the gelatin and water on low speed. Carefully stream the hot sugar mixture into the bowl and the whisk moves. Be careful onto to pour into the whisk and spatter the hot sugar all over the sides of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer until you’ve added all of the hot sugar mixture. Beat on high for several minutes until a thick, fluffy, white marshmallow batter has formed… about 8 minutes. Pour in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean and beat for another 2 minutes.
Spread the marshmallow mixture into prepared pan and smooth with a clean, wet spatula to prevent sticking. Top marshmallow with corn starch and powdered sugar mixture and let set and rest for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
When set, remove marshmallow from the pan and place on a large cutting board coated with cornstarch and powdered sugar, Use a pizza cutter, coated with non-stick cooking spray to slice marshmallows. Once sliced, toss the cut marshmallows in the cornstarch and powdered sugar and store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Yummy!
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Marshmallow pillow? I’m sure they’re very nice to sleep on. :) Anyway, I love the detail of the table cloth. Is it a heirloom? Uhm, maybe on Saturday I’ll make a mess in my kitchen too.
Yes! I’ve been looking for something to help me show up my co-worker who brought in homemade fudge that he made with his wife (clearly when I make fudge there’s not a respectable enough amount left at the finish line to bring anywhere). But this I can manage!
You just gave me an idea – make homemade fudge and then make a marshmallow topping and cut them out together – yumdelish!
I love making homemade marshmallows. The first time I made them and brought them in to the office everyone flipped. No one knew you could make them.
If you like honey vanilla you should try Caramel Baileys marshmallows. Use your normal marshmallow recipe but during the mixing time, after they are fluffy but about a minute before they are done pour in half a shot glass of Caramel Baileys. You will die and be immediately swept off your feet. An added plus, men love them!
Hot damn!
The interweb is going crazy with marshmallow making!*L*
I just made some as well!
I love the idea of actual vanilla bean…fab! :)
Joy, I just made your recipe. Super easy. Worked out really well, and the honey adds just the right amount of . . . different. . . they’re great! This reminds me of Lady Baltimore frosting. Sidenote: liking marshmallow fluff out of a balloon whisk is very hard!
Just made these. Oh my, what fantastic little cubes of fluffy white goodness! Well worth the mess and a great gift to friends! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
Is it possible to use vanilla bean paste to make these lovely marshmallows? I don’t have any beans but I have paste and would love to make them!!
vanilla bean paste would totally work.
I made these before christmas and made little packages with homemade hot chocolate powder and a few of these babies. Everybody loved them! This was the first time I made marshmallows and I was so so so pleased! Thanks heaps dear Joy!
Your blog lightens the spirit. Thankyou for sharing your joie de vivre.
I always learn something from you, I doubt I would have ever learned about Cinespia.
It is on my list of life experiences not to be missed.
Do you have a recipe for vegan marshmallows?
Katy Vella Pace
Coldstream (North Okanagan)
BC
Is it a biggie if I can’t use vanilla bean?
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract will be juuuust fine.
i made these last night and topped half of these with stripes of rainbow sprinkles.. making them rainbow marshmallers. adn the other half got dunked in chocolate. it was a good night.
I have been making homemade marshmallows for many years. Nothing compares! The stickey gooeyness and texture makes my heart race…
I have always lined my dish with foil and lightly oiled everything to help with clean up. You can also add small amounts of paste food coloring to tint them. Looking forward to trying your recipe.
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