How To Make Marshmallows
Fun in Learning How to Make Marshmallows
Marshmallows are fun to cook and bake with, or simply snack on right out of the bag and because of this we wanted to show you the fun in learning how to make marshmallows at home. Instead of buying a bag of marshmallows from the store, you could make this a fun project at home, something you and the kids could do together on a rainy afternoon.
Most people are amazed that the process involve for how to make marshmallows is actually simple and when done right, they look and taste just like the commercial product. When you learn how to make marshmallows at home, you have more flexibility and freedom to make different flavors and colors that you cannot find at the store. Best of all, making your own marshmallows means using healthier ingredients so the result is void of preservatives and chemicals.
The first step in how to make marshmallows involves getting all the ingredients together. For this, you will need a professional grade concentrated gelatin, cold water, sugar, light corn syrup, and salt. For the basic recipe and a standard batch, mix three tablespoons of the gelatin with one-half cup of cold water in a bowl, allowing it to stand for one hour. While this mixture sets, in a saucepan, heat two cups of sugar, one-half cup of water, three-quarters of light corn syrup, and one-quarter teaspoon of salt.
The next step for how to make marshmallows is for the mixture in the saucepan to be brought to a boil. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly to avoid it burning. Use a candy thermometer until the mixture reaches the firm ball stage, which would read 244 degrees F or 117 degrees C. At that point, remove the saucepan from the heat source, followed by slowly pouring it over the set gelatin while beating for 15 minutes with a hand mixer.
Now comes the fun part when learning how to make marshmallows. At this point, you can get as creative as you want with flavor and color. For instance, you could add whatever flavoring you like such as chocolate, cherry, mint, orange, strawberry, lemon, vanilla, etc. You can also add food coloring if you want the marshmallows to have a more vibrant or distinct color.
The last step that goes along with learning how to make marshmallows is to dust a foil-lined baking sheet with corn starch, turning the marshmallow mixture onto the sheet. Use a rubber spatula to even the mixture out but be careful not to push it down. This will be allowed to stand for 12 hours at which time you would cut the marshmallows into the desired size. The easiest method for this is to use small scissors that have also been dusted with cornstarch so they do not stick. When finished, simply store the marshmallows in a locked plastic bag or other airtight container.