Marshmallows–and by extension, candy-making–are a great metaphor for life. You want a sweet treat, so you decide to whip up a batch of something, following the recipe to a T, and you get a sticky, gooey mess. Instead of giving up, though, you beat your problem into submission, smooth it all out, and with a little patience, you have something absolutely wonderful. It’s worth the long, strange trip after all.
For this month’s First on the First, Kate at Food Babbles and I decided it was time to open up our monthly challenges to everyone and invite you all to join us. We have a small group to ring in the new year with us, but we’re hoping more of you will decide to take part. It’s fun cooking together, even if we’re cities, counties, states, and even worlds apart! Next month, we’ll be making macarons. If you’re interested, drop us a line and we’ll clue you in on how to be a part of the party!
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch Process)
- ¾ cup malt powder (plain malt flavor Ovaltine)
- ⅔ cup boiling water
- 4 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin (a whole box)
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- ½ cup water
- 1¼ cup brown rice syrup
- 1½ cup granulated sugar (I used vegan sugar this time; the irony is not lost on me)
- pinch fine sea salt
- powdered sugar
- unsweetened cocoa
- Take a roughly 7″x11″ brownie pan and grease it. Sprinkle some powdered sugar in the pan and tilt it around to evenly coat with the sugar, tapping out the extra. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chocolate slurry ingredients until no longer lumpy. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the bloom ingredients. Stir to evenly coat the gelatin, then leave it be.
- Put the Marshmallow Base ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring only until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the mixture boils, put a lid on it and let it boil for 2 minutes; this will help wash the sides of any remaining sugar to prevent crystallization.
- Remove the lid and resist the urge: do not stir again!!!
- Attach your candy thermometer to the pan and watch carefully til the mixture reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit (soft ball stage). Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the chocolate slurry, being careful as it will bubble up.
- Attach the whisk attachment to your stand mixer and turn it on low.
- Making sure the splash guard is attached, slowly pour the hot sugar mess into the bowl, then gradually increase the speed to high.
- Beat and beat and beat. Seriously, this will take a while.
- Eventually, the mixture will lighten and get very fluffy, doubling in volume. Once the bowl has cooled to lukewarm, you can stop the mixer. This could take 20 minutes, so be patient.
- Using a silicone spatula, pour and scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan. Whack it on the counter a few times to even it out and get some air bubbles out.
- Grease a piece of aluminum foil and secure it over the top of the pan to protect the marshmallows.
- Let them sit for several hours. It could take 4, it could take longer. Just make sure they’re good and set before you try to cut them.
- The powdered sugar you sprinkled in the pan should make it easy to dump the mess right out onto your work surface (make sure you sprinkle that with powdered sugar, too). I forgot to sugar the pan and it was significantly more difficult to get them out.
- Grease a large knife or pizza wheel and cut away, coating each cube in powdered sugar (or a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa).
- Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
Sure, they take a little time. But once you’re chowing down on these fluffy little pillows of happiness, you won’t mind. So much better than store-bought!
Let’s see what the others made for their first experiences with marshmallows!
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9 comments
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Kate @ FoodBabbles
1 January, 2012 at 9:00 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I love the sound of these chocolate malt marshmallows!! Yum! What a great spin on the marshmallow project.
The Poet Herself
1 January, 2012 at 9:02 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They’re very tasty! I also tried making apple cider cinnamon marshmallows, but the cider was a bit overpowering. They were not as successful of a project, sadly.
Anna @ hiddenponies
1 January, 2012 at 11:20 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wow, these look like my kind of marshmallows! Love the texture, they look perfect!
Anna @ hiddenponies recently posted..Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows
Donna
1 January, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oooh! That sounds good.
Donna recently posted..First on the First: Marshmallows & My 100th Post!
Regan @ The Professional Palate
1 January, 2012 at 4:58 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks so much for letting me join in on First on the First. I can’t believe how easy & tasty marshmallows turned out to be. And I hope I can try your version… I’m a chocoaholic at heart, so I am sure these would be a hit.
Regan @ The Professional Palate recently posted..{first on the first} bourbon-spiked marshmallows
Anna
1 January, 2012 at 8:13 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
For 2012, I want to start making treats I have not tried before…This is something I really wanna try. Thanks for the post. Malt is flavorful, I bet my family will love this treat!
Cathy @ Savory Notes
1 January, 2012 at 9:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Even though my BF isn’t really into sweets, he loooves anything malt flavored. This could be the perfect sweet treat for him
Thanks for sharing it with us!
Cathy @ Savory Notes recently posted..A Little Update
mike @ TheCulinaryLens
6 January, 2012 at 10:36 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I have made very little candy these look interesting tasty and even fun.
mike @ TheCulinaryLens recently posted..Maple Challah with a Helping Hand
Vivian34
27 January, 2012 at 11:09 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This really makes my mouth melt…
Vivian34 recently posted..Mango is Good For Acne