Marshmallows
Corn-free Marshmallows. The annotated version. A lot easier to make than you think.
This is the kind of recipe that you want to make sure that you read completely through before you get started. It is straight forward and not terribly complicated, but there is not a lot of time in between steps to grab something you’ve forgotten.
Tools:
- good quality saucepan. Use the smallest one that you can fit all of the sugar into, because you will have to hold the pan while pouring the syrup into the bowl. I used a 1 quart saucepan like the small one here.
- stand mixer with paddle attachment
- hand strainer A hand mixer will work too, just a bit trickier to manage.
- silicone spatula (this will not melt, rubber will)
- potato starch (tapioca or corn will work as well, but for obvious reasons I didn’t use corn), have a small dish of starch set aside for the final dusting.
- candy thermometer (this must read at least to 300 degrees Farenheit.)
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbs. (21 g) unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox)*
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) cool water
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- 2/3 cup (160 mL) Agave nectar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
- 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) salt
- 1.5 - 2 tsps vanilla extract (other flavors can be substituted, but you’ll need to figure out amounts)
Container Preparation:
Prepare a 9×13-ish glass baking dish by coating with butter and a generous coating of potato starch. (More starch is better here, trust me.)
Mixer Preparation:
Pour the water into your (stand) mixer bowl and then pour the gelatin in. Allow the gelatin to bloom (soak) for about 10 minutes.
The Process
- Mix sugar, agave nectar, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan.
- Bring sugar mixture to a rolling boil. Boil this for 1 minute or until the thermometer reaches 250 degrees. Do not let this cool! Get ready to transfer this to your mixer right away.
- Before you add the syrup to the mixer bowl, turn your mixer on to the lowest setting. Pour the syrup into the mixer bowl as the paddle is rotating. Be very careful so you don’t splash boiling syrup on yourself!
- Once the syrup is mixed in, turn up the speed and add the salt.
- Gradually turn the speed up to medium high (6 on my mixer). The idea is to get the speed up to the highest you can without splattering marshmallow mixture everywhere.
- DO NOT try to scrape down the bowl. It was pretty obvious to me that this would complicate things, and everything I have read concurs.
- Once the mixture has started to turn white and increase in volume, add the vanilla.
- Continue to mix until marshmallow mixture has stopped increasing in volume. This will be about 8-12 minutes from the point you put the syrup in the bowl.
- At the 12 minute mark, or if your mixture has stopped increasing in volume, stop mixing and turn the mixture into your prepared pan. Keep the spreading to a minimum - a quick spread is plenty. The mixture will settle and flatten on it’s own.
- Let the pan cool for at least 3 hours. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO SKIMP! I covered mine lightly with foil to make sure that no stray elements (read: pet hair) got caught in the marshmallow. Don’t cover tightly - condensation is the marshmallow enemy.
- After the 3 hour mark or sometime after, coat the top of the marshmallow in starch. Any part that you do not coat in starch will stick to everything that you don’t want it to. I promise.
- Use a table knife or hard silicone knife to cut your marshmallows. You decide on the size. As you cut the marshmallows, dip each cut side in a small dish of starch.
- Set your strainer over a bowl, and about every 5 marshmallows, or so, shake the marshmallows so the excess starch falls off.
- Store your marshmallows in an air-tight container in a dry location. Refrigerator storage is not a good idea, as any condensation will destroy the marshmallows. If you don’t believe me, wash your mixer bowl with plain water and see what happens.
Enjoy your marshmallows!
*everything I’ve read says that vegetarian gelatin will not work. If you find one that does, please let me know!
