MAKING MARSHMALLOWS

Fluffy mittens. Red Cheeks. Making snowmen. Long afternoons outdoors. Winter. Nothing is sweeter than the return to the nest and sit by the fire in winter. Or just cuddle under a throw and watch the snow fall outside. And drink hot coco. Hot coco with homemade marshmallows. Heart shaped marshmallows. My own recipe, one of my favorite things to make. A family favorite. Follow along to make your very own, winning the hearts of everyone in your family. Just in time to enjoy winter!

Just something to know ahead of time…

Know there will be some waste.

This can be messy.

Follow along for the best marshmallow confection recipe-

Marshmallow Hearts

4 Envelopes Unflavored Gelatin

1 Cup Cold Water, Divided

2 Cup Granulated Sugar

½ Cup Light Corn Syrup

2 Large Egg Whites, Room Temperature

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Powdered Sugar

Oil the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 x 2 jelly roll pan. Dust pan with powdered sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over ½ cup cold water. Let Sit.

In a large saucepan cook on very low heat until combined, sugar, ½ cup cold water and corn syrup.

Once everything is combined, stop stirring, remove spoon and increase heat to medium.

Use a candy thermometer and let cook until it reaches 240 degrees.

Remove from heat and pour over gelatin. Use caution at this step, when the hot sugar mix is combined with the gelatin it may instantly bubble up. Start mixing on low, then gradually increase mixer speed to high.

You might like to use a dish cloth to cover the mixer to prevent splatter.

When the sugar mix starts to triple in size (about 10 minutes), beat egg whites in a separate bowl. Add the vanilla flavoring to the egg whites.

Turn off stand mixer. Add egg whites to the sugar mix in the stand mixer and quickly combine.

Working very quickly, spoon out marshmallow fluff into the prepared jelly pan with a spatula. Fill the pan and spread evenly. You have seconds to do this. Don’t worry about making the surface super smooth. To avoid a big mess it is important to do this step quickly before the fluff starts to get stringy. Once it reaches the stringy stage you just have to stop. It won’t get better. And try not to scrape the last of the remaining fluff out of the bowl. It will become a big sticky mess. There will be some left over fluff. Sorry.

Sift a layer of powdered sugar over the entire top of the marshmallows.

Place uncovered tray in refrigerator overnight.

Remove tray from fridge. Using a 1 ½” heart cookie cutter, cut heart

shapes out of the marshmallow tray.

Place the hearts into a zip lock bag with a little powdered sugar and gently shake the sugar over the hearts. You can store the marshmallows about two weeks.

These little hearts are much more than a sweet confection. They will warm their way to your heart. Winter is so much easier with homemade marshmallow hearts. Find your favorite person and your best throw and snuggle in. Let it snow!