Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows! These soft, fluffy marshmallows come together quickly and have an irresistible vanilla flavor. Perfect to enjoy as a sweet snack or in a mug of hot cocoa.
I haven't completely lost my marbles. The title of this post is really a song. One my Mom used to sing all the time {and completely change the words to, in true Mom fashion}.
Here's a little clip for your listening & viewing pleasure {plus, who really needs an excuse to watch Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin?}:
Anyway, I'm actually going somewhere with all this nostalgia. {Which, as we know, is not always the case.}
Marshmallows.
I've never been much of a marshmallow lover. You won't find me eating plain ol' marshallows right out of the bag the way you might find me licking plain ol' Nutella right off a spoon. No, ma'am. Not my style.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy marshmallows as a component of a sweet treat. Swirled into deliciously fudgy brownies; oozing from a graham cracker sandwich in a S'more; serving as the cement for a crunchy Rice Krispie treat {you KNOW I love those.} On their own? Not so much. Perhaps it's because I'm not much of a fan of gelatinous substances. {Jell-o and I are not friends.}
Regardless, when I was browsing Martha Stewart's site for edible Christmas gift ideas, I couldn't help but swoon a bit over these Peppermint Marshmallows I came across. They were just too cute.
But really... homemade marshmallows? I could just picture the sticky mess in the kitchen. An OCD nightmare.
Since I'm{almost} never deterred by a kitchen challenge, I decided to roll up my sleeves and give them a try. And since I didn't have any peppermint extract, I figured I'd try them out in plain vanilla first to see if it was worth a trip to the store eventually for the extra ingredient.
I am happy to report that not only were they shockingly easy to make* {and contain only 7 ingredients! That's if you count water and salt!}, but they have completely changed my outlook on marshmallows.
They're delicious alone. They're amazing in hot cocoa. And they're FABULOUS dipped in chocolate candy coating.
You will never buy marshmallows in a bag again.
I plan on making these again, and experimenting with different flavors... well... because I can. And you should, too!
Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 packages unflavored gelatin .25 ounce each
- ½ cup cold water
- ⅔ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar sifted, for coating
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving the flaps hanging over the edge. This will help you to be able to lift the marshmallows out easily once they've set. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine gelatin and ½ cup cold water. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, allowing the mixture to boil rapidly for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Turn the mixer on low speed, and carefully pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin. Continue to mix until all the liquid has been poured in.
- Gradually turn mixer speed up to high. Add the sea salt; continue mixing for 12 minutes until the marshmallow mixture is thick and opaque white. It will look like loose marshmallow crème!
- Add the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste, if using; mix until well combined.
- Spray a silicone spatula with cooking spray. Carefully spread the marshamllow mixture evenly into pan. Let the mixture stand for 2 hours or until the marshmallow is fully set.
- Using the overhanging parchment flaps, lift the marshmallow from pan. With a sharp knife sprayed with cooking spray, cut the marshmallows into 2-inch squares.
- Place the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl and toss in a few marshmallows at a time to fully coat. This will keep them to sticking together on the cut sides. Continue until all marshmallows are coated.
Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart.com
Beatsforyou.LHT says
Haha my mom sang that song all the time too!! These look really good. Ive never made marshmallows before but Ive been wanting too. Been looking around and these look the best so far! If they are half as good as they look in the pictures im sure my friends and family will love them! Thanks 😉
Beatsforyou.LHT says
Haha my mom sang that song all the time too!! These look really good. Ive never made marshmallows before but Ive been wanting too. Been looking around and these look the best so far! If they are half as good as they look in the pictures im sure my friends and family will love them! Thanks 😉
The Kitchen Prep says
Thanks! These are pretty easy and I can vouch for the fact that they're super fluffy and delicious! Let me know how they turn out for you when you make them! 🙂
Beatsforyou.LHT says
Hello! I know its been awhile but I was finally able to make these and they came out great! I love them and so does everyone else. They are super easy to make. I can't wait to try more flavors. Thanks for the recipe!
thekitchenprep says
Aw! Thanks for coming back and letting me know! They are super addictive, aren't they!? Glad everyone enjoyed them!