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!
