I know it’s been a while since I’ve last posted…. but I come bearing a recipe for something swirly and fluffy and oh-so-perfect for Christmas!
This is my go-to recipe for marshmallows, which originally comes from the Baking Queen herself, Martha Stewart. My favorite part about this recipe? The marshmallow batter you get from this will be perfect for piping (which I personally prefer over dumping it all into a pan and then cutting into individual ‘mallows).
My only adaptation here is the addition of some vanilla bean paste and some peppermint extract paste (if you’re not a fan of peppermint, you can definitely leave that ingredient out and have yourself some awesome vanilla bean marshmallows).
Before I wrap this post up, I want to leave you with just a few helpful notes to ensure fluffy marshmallow success for all who give this recipe a go:
- Once you pipe your marshmallow batter into cute little swirls, don’t waste any time in *COMPLETELY COVERING* them in the mix of sifted powdered sugar and cornstarch. If the marshmallows aren’t completely covered in the sugar/cornstarch, they will 100% begin to dry out and you won’t have the fluffy and delicious marshmallows you were expecting (trust me… been there/done that).
- If you opt to sprinkle crushed candy cane on these, please be forewarned that the candy cane bits will dissolve after the ‘mallows have been stored in an airtight container — I would suggest only adding the candy cane to these if you plan on eating them that day or the day following.
- This is less important, but might be a ‘nice to know’ for some — to get the red swirl, use a red gel food coloring (it has to be gel, not liquid –AmeriColor and Wilton are great options for this) to paint thin stripes along the inside of a piping bag. From there, you can add your marshmallow batter to the piping bag and your marshmallow swirls will be perfectly candy cane striped!
Peppermint Marshmallow Swirls
Makes about 28 1 1/2-inch marshmallow swirls
Ingredients:
Powdered sugar
Cornstarch
2 1/2 tsp. (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup cold water, divided
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract!)
1/4 tsp peppermint extract paste
Crushed candy cane, for sprinkling on top (optional)
Directions:
Place 1/3 cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle gelatin over and let stand for 5 min — this will soften the gelatin.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining 1/4 cup water and the sugar. Gently mix until the sugar is dissolved, being careful not to get any sugar crystals on the side of the pan — if this does happen, just wet a kitchen brush or paper towel with water and wipe em off. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until it reaches 238*F. Remove from heat and add to gelatin mixture; whisk by hand for about 30 seconds to help it cool down a bit.
Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until soft peaks form that hold their shape (pics of what this looks like are in my stories if you need a visual for this!), about 10-15 minutes. At this point, add in the vanilla and peppermint flavorings and mix another 30-60 seconds longer.
Transfer marshmallow batter to a piping bag (I added lines of red food dye to the inside of mine for the swirly effect) and pipe on a baking sheet that’s been dusted with a sifted 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar.
Sprinkle crushed candy cane over top and cover completely with more of the sifted powdered sugar/cornstarch mix before the marshmallows have a chance to dry (this will keep them from sticking to the pan and from drying out). Let set 8 hours or overnight, then knock off excess powdered sugar/cornstarch and store in an airtight container.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
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