Marshmallow Recipe
Homemade marshmallows make such a fun holiday gift! These are soft, fluffy, and so easy to make. Perfect in a mug of hot cocoa!
This is a sponsored post, written by me and created in partnership with The Incredible Egg. All opinions expressed herein are straight from my heart.
The holidays are just around the corner! Are you ready?
I wouldn’t say I’m quite there yet (I’m never quite that ahead of schedule!) but I’ve definitely got some good ideas in mind for homemade gifts.
I especially love to make food gifts for my kids’ teachers, bus drivers, and coaches. It’s so easy to whip up a big batch of some delicious treat, divvy it up, and have plenty to give out to all those special people in our lives!
And they love it. There’s something so special about getting a homemade gift. It’s always made with love and so much heart, and that really comes through!
In past years, I’ve given Homemade Moose Munch, little jars of Salted Caramel Sauce, and Pizzelles at Christmastime. But this year, I’m all about the marshmallows!
WHAT TO DO WITH HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS
The holidays can be a stressful time, especially when you think about all the people you want to give gifts to! But this recipe makes holiday gift giving a breeze.
Marshmallows are a perfect homemade gift because you can make a big batch and have plenty to give out to all those people who you love and appreciate so much.
Plus they’re easy to make, and they hold up so well! They last for several weeks at room temperature, and they can be enjoyed in so many different ways.
Besides just snacking on them, they’re great in a nice cup of hot cocoa. And who doesn’t love a toasted marshmallow? These homemade marshmallows toast up beautifully. You can even sandwich them between a couple of graham crackers, along with a little chocolate, for the best s’mores ever!
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS TO MARSHMALLOWS
This fun candy recipe can be made with just a handful of simple ingredients.
You’ll need sugar, a couple dabs of corn syrup (more on that below), water, gelatin, vanilla, and egg whites.
Marshmallow recipes don’t always call for egg whites, but I really like what they add to this recipe! The marshmallows come out so incredibly light and fluffy.
But whatever you do, don’t toss the yolk! Egg yolks have tons of great uses in baking, like this Homemade Lemon Curd, or this silky, rich Pastry Cream!
HOW TO MAKE MARSHMALLOWS
Marshmallows are really quick and pretty easy to make. This recipe only requires about 20 minutes of active time. Perfect for the busy holiday season!
Basically, there are four main components to this recipe:
- The gelatin
- The egg whites
- The sugar syrup
- The flavoring (more on that below!)
Begin by softening up the gelatin in a little water.
Then, start the egg whites and salt whipping on medium speed. Make sure your mixing bowl and whisk are really clean, with no traces of oil or fat. And be sure your whites don’t have even the tiniest bit of yolk in them! It could prevent your whites from whipping up properly. We want these egg whites to be as light, fluffy, and thick as possible.
Next, heat the sugar syrup. Granulated sugar, water, and a little corn syrup can all go together in small pot over medium heat.
(The corn syrup is there to prevent the liquefied sugar from crystallizing. If you are experienced at candy making, you can leave it out. Or, you can try substituting a squeeze of lemon juice.)
As the sugar syrup starts to cook, swirl the pot to get everything combined. But don’t stir it, or it could crystallize!
Your egg whites should be very fluffy and stiff by the time your sugar mixture gets to 245 degrees F (just above the soft ball stage). At this point, remove it from the heat and start drizzling it into the whites while the mixer is going.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to get it on the whip as it’s moving, or it will spin the hot sugar against the sides of the bowl and harden there. Aim for the sweet spot just in between the side of the bowl and the whip.
Once all the sugar syrup has been added to the whites, warm the softened gelatin until it’s liquefied, and then whip that in too.
The last step is to add your flavoring!
Then just spread the fluffy mixture into a pan and allow it to set. After a few hours, your homemade marshmallows will be stiff enough to cut.
You can cut them with a knife, kitchen shears, or cookie cutters (like I’ve done here). Mist with non-stick spray, so everything cuts cleanly.
Once you have your marshmallows cut, just dust them with a little cornstarch. This way they won’t be too sticky!
DIFFERENT WAYS TO FLAVOR THIS MARSHMALLOW RECIPE
This recipe is so super-versatile!
For the pics you see here, I kept things really simple and flavored my marshmallows with the seeds from a whole vanilla bean (or you could use vanilla extract).
But here are some other add-ins that will really take your homemade marshmallows to the next level:
- Add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for pumpkin spice marshmallows
- Add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract for peppermint marshmallows
- Grind about an ounce of freeze-dried raspberries into a fine powder and add them to the mix, for raspberry marshmallows
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon of instant expresso powder into 2 tablespoons of water, and whip in for coffee marshmallows
Any of these variations would be fantastic floating in a mug of hot chocolate!
HOW TO PACKAGE MARSHMALLOWS FOR GIFTING
I love to package a few of these marshmallows up in a cellophane bag and tie it with a pretty ribbon. Add a cute tag, and you have the perfect homemade gift!
You could also place a few handfuls in a decorative tin. They come in all sorts of sizes and designs! Just slip a sheet of parchment or glassine paper in between each layer, to prevent sticking.
ARE HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS GLUTEN- FREE?
One of the reasons why homemade marshmallows are so great for gifting is because they are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free!
So if you have a few people on your gift-giving list that have a sensitivity, you can have that peace of mind that you’re giving them a homemade treat that they can truly enjoy.
HOW LONG WILL HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS LAST?
Place your homemade marshmallows in an airtight container, and they’ll keep for about a week or two.
Or, you can pop them into the freezer to keep them fresh for up to a couple months. Wrap the container in plastic wrap, or slip it into a zip-top bag to prevent your marshmallows from picking up any funky freezer odors. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy!
Think you want to give this recipe a try? Snap a pic and post it to Instagram or Twitter, with the hashtags #IncredibleHolidayBakedGifts and #contest. I will be selecting my favorite submission to win an awesome holiday giveaway prize, including Le Creuset bakeware!
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Homemade Marshmallow Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (187.5 ml) water, (divided)
- 1/2 ounce (56.7 g) unflavored gelatin powder, (2 packets)
- 4 egg whites , (from large eggs)
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon ) kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 whole vanilla bean , (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment, and lightly mist it with non-stick spray.
- Place ½ cup of the water in a shallow bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatin on top, in an even layer. Set aside to soften.
- Place the egg whites and salt in a large mixing bowl and whip on medium speed.
- While the egg whites are whipping, heat the sugar, corn syrup, and remaining ¼ cup of water in a small pot over medium heat, swirling the pot occasionally to combine the ingredients.
- When the sugar syrup reaches 245 degrees F (and the egg whites are stiff, white, and tripled in volume) remove it from the heat and drizzle it into the whites (as they continue to whip) in a thin, slow stream.
- Add the softened gelatin to the pot and warm it gently over low heat until liquefied, then add it in to the mixture slowly, while continuing to whip.
- Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add them to the marshmallow mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer, and allow to set for about 4 hours (or overnight).
- Cut the marshmallows into individual portions, and dust with cornstarch, shaking vigorously in a fine mesh sieve to remove any excess.
Can you pipe these? If not, how could you change the recipe to do so?
I think you probably could as long as you work quickly, before the candy starts to set up. Good luck!
Can we use jelly molds?
I can’t imagine why not!
What size heart cutter did you use?
It was about 2 inches in diameter.
homemade marshmallows have been on my must make list for soooo long! I need need need to make them!
If you are anti-corn syrup, you should be able to sub golden syrup. Its a bit pricy in the US since its an import, but you can also make it. It will give everything a slight caramel flavor.
Great tip Stacy! Thanks so much for sharing!
I have a question. Would this recipe work well with kosher gelatin?
Hi Grace! I think it would, so long as the kosher gelatin can be subbed 1:1 for regular. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
These are adorable, and would make a great gift with hot chocolate!
Never made marshmallows at home! These would make the perfect holiday gift too!