Homemade Marshmallows

Three weeks. I've only been in school for three weeks, but it feels like both an eternity and the blink of an eye.

I've been reuniting with friends, decorating my new room, battling spiders, getting used to school food and all of the school work, and trying to create a new routine. It's exhausting, yo. It makes me want dessert.

Luckily, friends, family, and church potlucks have come to my rescue. I've eaten way more than my share of cookies and other yumminess. But despite all of that, I do wish I could be in the kitchen making something of my own choice (and licking the beater while I'm at it...). Something like these marshmallows...

I made these marshmallows during the precious last weeks of summer. Friends departing post had given us a box of gelatin, and as soon as I saw it my crazy baker's heart claimed it as mine, and mine alone for marshmallows (not that anyone else really wanted it...).

I did a lot of research to find the right marshmallow recipe. Usually, marshmallows are made with corn syrup. Well, let me tell you somethin'. Ain't no such thing as corn syrup in Taiwan, and after a bunch of reading, I was pretty convinced that substitutes (which weren't available either anyway) also wouldn't work. What to do? After some searching, I discovered that some recipes use evaporated milk, which we just happened to have a can of stashed away! And, bonus, evaporated milk is a bit healthier than corn syrup.

So, to the kitchen I went. There were a lot of steps, but I took them one at a time. I was a bit nervous about the mixture heating on the stove since it never got *quite* up to the right temperature, but it didn't seem to make a difference in the final product. Also, I made the wonderful decision to use Mexican vanilla in these, and the flavor out outstanding. Multiple people wondered aloud what that rich cinnamon-y, vanilla-y flavor was.

Marshmallows are fantastic for a number of reasons. They are SO versatile. Switch out vanilla for another extract, add food coloring, add mix-ins, cut into shapes. For next time, I'm thinking maybe some white chocolate chip pumpkin spice marshmallows for fall, or pink peppermint chocolate chip marshmallows for Christmas, or what about dark chocolate dipped almond marshmallows?? *Swoon*

Now, you may be thinking "These sound fantastic! I'll make a double batch!!" But do not listen to that tiny voice in your head! At least not the first time you make these, because this recipe makes A LOT of marshmallows. I gave away at least 4 bags with 10 small marshmallows each, and we had about 20 more marshmallows for ourselves. However, if you must give in, these marshmallows are supposed to freeze well (though I haven't tried it myself).

In case you need inspiration on how to eat these little nuggets of delight:

-Make s'mores (but let the marshmallows dry out in the open air for a few days previously so that the outsides don't melt away when exposed to heat).
-Plop a giant handful into your hot chocolate. They melt quite nicely!
-Give away in cute gift bags. I did this, and people LOVED it! It's a unique gift, and when you tell your friends that they're homemade, their eyes will pop!
-Serve for dessert. Dip them in chocolate if you wish, but these really are good enough to stand alone as dessert.

Excuse all of the pictures, I got a little snap-happy! These marshmallows are pillowy soft and sweetly delicious. Don't wait to make them!

Homemade Marshmallows
Makes: 50 small or 30 medium

A few notes about this recipe:
-The vanilla makes the marshmallows a little bit tan-colored. Use clear vanilla or another type of extract for a purer white color, or cover up the color with food coloring.
-You will want a candy thermometer to make these. There's just no other sure way to tell when they're ready to come off the stove.
-If you want to toast them, let dry in the open air for a few days beforehand so that the outsides dry a little bit and don't melt immediately.

Recipe from: http://www.asweetpeachef.com/sweets/homemade-marshmallow-recipe/