Marshmallow love.

   I have been on a bit of a quest to find or come up with a perfect recipe for some healthy marshmallows. Desmond, my three year old, loves marshmallows, as do I. But I don't really buy foods with preservatives or food coloring and all that jazz. That stuff is bad for you, dontcha know. And the marshmallows at the health food store are $5 or $6 bucks a pop! AND they have corn syrup in them. 

   I had made some marshmallows when my son turned one. For some recipe, I forget what it was, maybe a s'mores cookie? It was such a sticky mess, I thought I'd never do it again. But then I got it in my head to try again and looked for a different recipe on line. Because we had to find a healthy way to satisfy our love of marshmallows.

   I found one for a homemade marshmallow made with corn syrup and sugar. This was a better recipe, because I did not have a gooey mess and also better because it had no preservatives, but these were a little like crack to me. I am convinced that some day, corn syrup, especially high fructose corn syrup will be like the cocaine that used to be in Coca-Cola. (I have never actually tried crack, FYI) 

   Then I found a recipe for marshmallows using only honey as a sweetener. YUM! These were very good! Tasted a little different than the marshmallows made from sugar but had a great texture, soft as a baby's bottom and tasty too. 

   I started to think about the gelatin. I am not a vegetarian but I got the sense that gelatin is not produced in a healthy way. I googled it. It's not. AND I recently read that most inexpensive gelatin has aluminum in it. Huh. 

   I read about agar agar as a gelatin alternative and so I got some, even though it was super expensive compared to gelatin. Odd that seaweed would cost more than an animals life, right? Odd but true. But, I had no luck at all making marshmallows with agar agar. I tried 2 batches and they were both disastrous. I thought I had read somewhere that you could replace gelatin with agar agar. And I guess you can, but I didn't pay attention to the difference in amounts that is suggested. I used the same amount as I would use of gelatin. I think you need less actually. But my marshmallows didn't fluff much and were very wet, the agar agar was lumpy too. I tried a different recipe with egg whites and that didn't help. Also, I didn't like having to add the extra step of dealing with egg whites. But like I said, I don't think I did it right in the end. And it deserves to be revisited at some point. 

   I went back to gelatin with newfound appreciation. Ah, the fluff! The whipped whiteness all marshy and mallowy! 

   I made two batches again and they got moldy quickly! I thought the first batch was because I had tried dusting some with cocoa powder and that had changed something. But the next batch got moldy too. Must have been the warm kitchen in summer. From now on, they go in the fridge. 

  The last batch I made I decided to try using another sweetener in there, to try a new flavor. I wanted to use maple syrup with the honey. I found a recipe on line for maple syrup marshmallows that was almost exact to the honey recipe I had been using except for the maple syrup and 1/4 t of cream of tartar for good "consistency" and quite a bit more vanilla extract. So, I thought I'd try adding those things too.

   Low and behold, I have made the best marshmallows yet. They are so much like the store bought ones, minus that chemical taste and feel but with all the fluffiness, firmness, and taste you hope for when you sink your teeth into that white puff. It's love. I had to write about it and share the recipe. If you want to make a healthy marshmallow, this is the one to try. It is EASY as all get out. 

   The honey ones don't roast on a fire, they just get hot and melt. I haven't tried roasting these and wonder if the cream of tartar wouldn't make a difference for roasting. I'll try it and get back to you. 

   Today I ordered a 5 lb container of powered gelatin from "NOW" brand, which is a health food store supplement company. It is not organic, which I was hoping for but it is all natural and has no aluminum so I feel better about that. Also, apparently, gelatin is like the fountain of youth. Who knew.  I hear it lasts forever as long as you keep it dry and buying it in bulk saves lots of dollars in the long run. And I am hooked on making marshmallows and eating them. Maybe I'll make some for you too. 

   Here is my altered and beloved recipe....

                               3T  gelatin (4 envelopes)
                               1 C  water
                               1/2 C  honey
                               1/2 C  maple syrup
                               1/4 t  cream of tartar
                               1/4 t  salt
                               3 t  vanilla extract
                               corn starch for dusting
                               cooking spray
                               parchment paper

   You can  half this recipe if you don't want too many. I like to make a whole lot. This amount fills a 10" x 16" baking pan but you can put them in anything you want while they set. 

   Spray your pan with cooking spray. This helps keep the parchment paper on the pan. Cover pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper. This will make it easy to lift the marshmallows out of the pan once they are set. 

   Place your 3T (or 4 envelopes) of gelatin in a standing mixer with only 1/4 C of your 1C of water. 

   Put the rest of the water, 3/4 C in a small pot with your 1/2 C of honey and 1/2 C of maple syrup, 1/4 t of salt and 1/4 t of cream of tartar, stirring occasionally.  Heat this to 240* if you can. You need a candy thermometer for this. Or you can try dripping some in some ice water. If it turns into a hard string, it's ready. Listen, this is what I read. But, I can never get it past 200* without it boiling over so I get it to 200* and keep it there for a minute and then I pour it in the mixer and it's fine. If you can get it so it's bubbly and foamy but not boiling over and keep it there for a little bit, I think that would work.

   When it's hot enough, pour it carefully into your mixer. Turn it on low until it is combined. Add your 3 t of vanilla extract. Then crank that baby up and mix it on high for 12 - 15 minutes. It will become an amazing white cloud of awesome. 

    I use a rubber spatula to spread it and I spray it with a little cooking spray, rub it around with my fingers so it's coated. That way, the marshmallows doesn't stick at all. Smoosh it into the pan, it's okay if it's not perfect. I try to just level it out the best I can. 

  

   Then you let it sit for a few hours or overnight. When it has firmed up, you can lift the parchment paper right out of the pan and put it on a cutting board. I like to use a pizza cutter for slicing it up. I spray the pizza cutter with cooking spray and cut it into squares. 

   Get a medium sized bowl, just to keep the powder contained and not all over the place, and put some cornstarch in it. You don't need a lot. Maybe a couple of table spoons. You can always add more. Dip your marshmallows one at a time and coat them all over.

   Now your marshmallows are soft and powdery and ready to eat! Not that you haven't been eating them already! I keep mine in a tupperware container in the fridge. 

   I'd like to strongly recommend eating one with a square of unsweetened 100% cocoa from Ghirardelli. Or any dark unsweetened chocolate. The sweetness of the marshmallow and the bitter chocolate is heaven to me and it's good for ya! 

   Maybe your path always end in a pile of soft marshmallows. Go forth and be merry.