When I say deliciously melty, I mean these will melt into a gooey foam in your cup of cocoa in a way that store-bought marshmallows cannot compete with!
Here's the recipe, along with some add-on flavour options at the end. Click here for the printable PDF.
Marshmallows are best kept at a steady temperature in a dry environment – humidity can make them get pretty sticky. To avoid this, store in a cool dry place, or freeze if you plan to keep them over 2 weeks.
Ingredients:
- 1c water, split into half cups
- 2 ½ Tablespoons powdered gelatin, 225 bloom strength (same as Knox gelatin)
- 1 ¼ cup wildflower honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- arrowroot powder (technically optional as listed below, but highly recommended)
Tools needed: candy thermometer, stand mixer/beaters
Optional extras: arrowroot powder or tapioca starch, dark cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, allspice, turmeric.
Method:
1) Generously line a casserole dish (8x8 works well but other sizes will suffice) with parchment paper. Take time to fold the creases and have a good inch or two of parchment sticking up on all sides on the pan. Sprinkle the parchment with a layer of arrowroot powder.
2) In your mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of water. Allow to bloom (hydrate) for around 5 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, pour remaining water into a medium-large saucepan along with honey and salt. Heat the mixture on medium high until you hit 240-242°F on a candy thermometer. Be careful, as it will get pretty foamy. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
4) Turn your mixer on to medium, and carefully pour the syrup into the bowl in a steady stream, mixing it with the softened gelatin. Avoid pouring directly onto beaters, it will splatter and hit you or harden onto the sides of the bowl.
5) Turn the mixer up to high, beat until tripled in volume, becomes light in colour, and is cool enough to touch, about 5-10 minutes. Add vanilla near the end, along with any other flavour additions you might want to make. You’ll know the marshmallow fluff is ready when it holds its shape for a moment then falls back when scooped up with the beaters.
6) Turn off mixer, and transfer the marshmallow fluff to your prepared pan, working quickly, use a rubber spatula to spread the top down as flat as you can get it. Sprinkle with arrowroot.
7) Allow to sit and “cure” for 4-6 hours. If you cut them sooner, they will just be a bit goopy; for clean cut edges wait at least 4 hours.
8) When you are ready to cut your marshmallows, carefully lift them out of the pan and peel away the parchment. Dust a cutting board with arrowroot, and cut as desired, dusting as needed to help with the stickiness. Toss them once more in powder for a nice smooth finish. Allowing marshmallows to cure for several hours to overnight will result in a firmer mallow that is easier to use for toasting. This recipe is quite wonderful as is – the wildflower honey lends a lovely floral flavour, and they melt just beautifully in a hot drink.
After having gone to all the hard work of making my own marshmallows, I couldn’t resist making them extra special! Below are a few options we tried - the Mexican chocolate is great for hot cocoa, and if you toss a batch of chai marshmallows in cinnamon and arrowroot, it’s reminiscent of candy hearts! ***These options are for a half batch of marshmallows. Double the spice if you’re using a full batch!
Chai: ¼ teaspoon (powdered) each: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper. Use this mix again to coat the marshmallows, but mix with 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch.
Mexican Chocolate: 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon (powdered) each: cloves, cinnamon, allspice. Toss these marshmallows with 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 5 teaspoons cocoa powder, and two pinches cayenne (or to taste!).
Golden Spice: 1 tablespoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 pinch cayenne, 1 pinch black pepper. Roll these in 1 tablespoon turmeric, 1 tablespoon arrowroot.
The sky is the limit here - what’s your favourite tea? Try brewing a 4x strength batch of Earl Grey and use that as your water in the marshmallow recipe and kick up your London Fog game! My mom makes a delicious dish with pureed squash, topped with toasted pecans and marshmallows, which is then toasted until the marshmallows get all gooey and caramelized - maybe next time I’ll make a batch of buckwheat honey marshmallows to try out with that recipe!
Happy Making! ~J