Honey Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
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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Those look yum! Is it possible to replace the corn syrup with regular light syrup or will that mess up the texture?
I bet your kitty loved playing in this mess! They look delicious!
Homemade marshmallows are such an indulgence…these look manageable and delicious (despite the threat of a combusting kitchen mess!). My last attempt was 6 years ago with a Martha Stewart recipe for red striped peppermint marshmallows…it got ugly…looked like a bloody mess (and this is not British slang!). We all got a bit disgusted at the thought of actually consuming the fleshy (oops, I meant fluffy!) red-streaked globs not to mention our red stained lips and mouths…here’s hoping this is a more palatable and pleasurable experience!!! Thanks for the great holiday recipe…just in time for winter break with my son!
These marshmallows look dreamy! I love how homemade they look–cute! When I was a kid I was in love with those crunchy marshmallows that came in the swiss miss packs. Gross.
I’ve never had home-made marshmallows. Must change that.
Hi Joy: Just discovered your blog through a friend. My son is allergic to eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, so I’m always on the lookout for tasty recipes, especially vegan. Love your photos! You could just post pics of that kitten all day and get almost as many hits. Anyway, thanks for sharing your joyful baking.
Gelatin isn’t vegan – it’s made from boiled animal bones and hooves. Try agar-agar (found in most health food and Asian stores.)
Yum yum yum! What a great flavor combination, definitely worth the mess for such a sweet result!
I have been making marshmallows for years… superfun!
I toss mine in potato starch instead of cornstarch… it seems to be a better stabilizer. I also never find a need to wait overnight to chop them up. within an hour they are in little bags and ready to be gifted!
(PS, Joy, re-read the post, I think some of the formatting and words got jumbled… especially after the syrup is heated… )
Ok, I never comment on blogs (except for giveaways), but I must tell you Joy, I have been obsessed for a while (read 18 months) with the idea of making marshmallows. I make candy often, so it wasn’t the fear factor holding me back. Honestly? I didn’t know what to do with plain marshmallows after I made them. This recipe would change that completely. Thank you.
Just yummy…yummy and sticky and lovely! The marshmallows probably would tame my curls!
I think it is SO COOL that you make your own marshmallows!
Ooooh! I have never made my own marshmallows, but I love the idea of adding honey and vanilla bean. I’m glad to hear they’re worth the mess… HA!
I’ve wanted to make marshmallows for so long! I’m always afraid that I will just end up with a destroyed pan with white goo though. These look delicious, I might have to sacrifice a pan just to make them
Oh wow. You sold me… except for the mess. I wonder if I could get my cat to lick up the counters? :P
guess the clean up is worth it…these mallows look delish!
I’ve been wanting to attempt marshmallows for quite some time now. Yours look tasty!
Are these marshmallows better then the store bought version?
seriously?
Making marshmallows is a favorite kitchen activity here! Sometimes plain, sometimes peppermint…but will have to try these honey ones next! Last year we made marshmallow and homemade graham crackers, and packaged them up with chocolate bars to make s’mores kits for the kids’ teachers for Christmas. :)
Yum!! I’ve made marshmallows the past two years … last year I added freshly grated cinnamon to one batch and I loved the result! This year I will definitely have to try these! They will make a wonderful gift for teachers!! Any ideas on how to make chocolate marshmallows???
Those look seriously yummy. Maybe this weekend…
These look phenomenal.
I want a marshmallow pillow too! And I promise I won’t mind a sticky mess in my hair..
i’ve been meaning to try home made marshmallows for ages. could you make them with a bit of cocoa powder for chocolate marshmallows?
These marshmallows look fantastic! A perfect thing to add to the Christmas baking list, and they don’t look hard to make at all! This is sure to become a favorite!
Among other reasons, I especially love my husband because he makes marshmallows at Christmastime. Can’t wait to try this variation; we’ve made them with cocoa and with peppermint extract before. These look sublime.
Those look dreamy! I wish I had the patience to try making my own. I usually buy them from Cupcakes in Jars. They make delicious soft marshmallows. Hmmm. I may have to try my hand at it. Yours look fantastic.
“For my sleeps.” Best line in the blogosphere today as far as I’m concerned. I can’t stop giggling.
Joy,
Can you substitute agave for the honey? And if so, what would be the amount.
Thanks!
Also – I love (love) the color of your baking dish… awesome green!
I so need to make these but I don’t have a stand mixer. Do you think a hand mixer would be just as effective??
Joy Joy Joy,
I think this looks like a wonderful adventure! So fluffy, so comfy. There’s not many marshmallows in Peru, neither is there corn syrup readily available so, I can not try this recipe unfortunately… but I’ll remember it for when I get back home!!!
Trev
Oh my. I wonder if I could convince my brother to make these, without him eating them all. I adore homemade marshmallows :).
How far in advance can you make these puppies and they’ll stay fresh? I’m making hot cocoa baskets this year for my friends and family and they’ll be a perfect addition!
aw, I was hoping there was some miracle substitute for gelatin, which my veggie daughter won’t eat. Is there a way to make them vegetarian? Otherwise they look incredible!!!!!
Try using agar-agar. It’s made from seaweed and used as a gelatin replacer in all sorts of foods. It can be found in most Asian or health food markets.
agar-agar can also be found online here
http://www.bulkfoods.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamTxt=agar&txtsearchParamCat=ALL&btnSearch.x=0&btnSearch.y=0&txtsearchParamType=ALL&iLevel=1&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch
hope this helps you.
Okay so obviously the marshmallows look heavenly and you’ve inspired me in a way that other food-bloggers who’ve described homemade marshmallows have failed to do. But, more importantly, where did you get your beautiful green ceramic baking dish and that super cool tree-stump-slice of a cutting board or serving platter or whatever it is?
Thanks, Joy! This recipe look delish and easy enough. I tried to make marshmallows last Christmas that turned into an epic fail. My ladies and I will give these a try on our next baking day.
My daughter, in Seatlle, makes marshmallows with my granddaughter all the time. She’s said over and over, “Mom, you have got to try this; you’ll never go back”. It’s looking like it’s time! They look devine.
This look super yummy! I was thinking of substituting maple syrup for the honey, as I just purchased Vermont Maple Syrup at the Union Square Farmers Market in NYC. What do you think?
I had no idea you could make marshmallows instead of buying them! I’ll definitely give it a try the next time I feel like making a lot of sticky mess. :)
HEAVEN! I made marshmallows for the first time a few months back for a hot cocoa cake and now I am hooked! They are so different than the yucky store bought ones. This recipe looks lick your finger, spatula and hair (remember the bits stuck in the hair) good! :)
Hi Joy,
Are there any substitutes for the gelatin? I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t eat gelatin but your marshes look soooo tasty! Thanks!
First thought: WHAT!?
Second thought: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!
This is one recipe I’m sure I’ll probably never make, even though I KNOW these are better than the
store-bought ones… but just the fact that it’s so sticky to make… just the fact that melting industrial marshmallows is a painful job, because yes, it even gets in your hair… nop. Not for me…
Sorry, I stop being adventurous here….
But I sure did enjoy reading this blog and some comments ! : p
Keep on taking awesome pics as usual ! I love your food pics !
Joy, oh Joy! Could Agave be substituted for the honey? Two diabetics I know would love to be able to consume some mallows. Thank you and Happy Chocolate drinking.
You are a crack up! Looks like I’ll be up to my elbows next week in ewey gooey fabulousness!!!!
Sticky is as sticky does…….it’s all one big great adventure!
Thanking you!
looks amazing! i wish i had the ingredients to make these right away- a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows sounds beyond awesome- but since there’s a storm going on outside- it will have to wait!
fantastic… i have 5 long vanilla pods here i need to break into. great inspiration…
These are so yummy! My sister and I tackled these yesterday afternoon (it is a great 2 person project!) and they turned out wonderfully. Thank you for the recipe!
Oh wow! Those look really nice and yummy. I’ll be home alone soon so no one will notice a mess in the kitchen…
I love that you said “for my sleeps.” That’s totally how I say it, too. Oh, and the marshmallows look ridiculous, can’t wait to try them.