Ingredients
1 c. water, divided
3 (7 g.) packets gelatin (7 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
Cooking spray
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine ½ cup water with gelatin and mix briefly to combine. Sprinkle in salt and allow gelatin to bloom fully, about 10 minutes.Step 2In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Lightly grease an 8” square pan with cooking spray and dust all over evenly with cornstarch-sugar mixture. Grease a silicone spatula and offset spatula with cooking spray and set aside.Step 3Meanwhile, to a medium pot over medium heat, add remaining ½ cup water. Gently pour in granulated sugar, taking care not to splash any water or sugar up the sides of the pan. Add corn syrup and cook without stirring until bubbles become glass-like, and mixture thickens and reaches a temperature between 240° and 245°, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.Step 4With the stand mixer on medium speed, slowly and carefully pour hot syrup mixture into the bowl with gelatin. Once syrup is all in, increase mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat until bowl is cool enough to touch and mixture is fluffy, white, and about tripled in size, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add vanilla, if using, and beat until fully combined, 1 minute more.Step 5Using your greased spatulas, quickly transfer marshmallow mixture into prepared pan and smooth top into an even layer. Let marshmallows set, uncovered or half-covered, at room temperature for at least 6 hours, up to overnight.Step 6Turn out set marshmallows onto a surface dusted with more cornstarch-sugar mixture. Grease a chef’s knife with cooking spray and dust with cornstarch-sugar. Cut marshmallows into desired size, turning to coat each marshmallow generously in cornstarch-sugar to prevent sticking.Step 7Store in an air-tight container at room temperature until ready for use.
Equipment you’ll need It might sound intimidating, but making marshmallows at home is super easy and super fun. Keep a can of cooking spray nearby because things will get sticky! You’ll need to use it on your spatulas, your pan of choice, and your knife. If you want smaller or less lofty pieces of marshmallow, go with a wider pan like a half sheet pan. We like ours super tall and fluffy, so we’re using an 8" square pan to yield perfect 1 1/2" cubes of marshmallow. Two pieces of equipment that you’ll need to make this process a breeze are a candy thermometer and a stand mixer. To make this confection, we’ll be heating our syrup to 245°F before streaming and whisking it into the bloomed gelatin. While not impossible to do with a hand mixer—some recipes even call for just whisking by hand—a stand mixer will provide control over how gradually you add in your hot 245° syrup and prevent any accidental spillage. For the fluffiest marshmallows, the mixture will be whisked at a high speed for maximum aeration, so a stand mixer will also result in less bicep soreness! The syrup For our syrup, we’re using water, granulated sugar, and light corn syrup. Corn syrup is an inverted sugar syrup that is necessary here to ensure your marshmallows are super soft, fluffy, and creamy to the bite. It also stalls staling by acting as a stabilizer and helping the marshmallows retain more moisture as time passes—don’t skip it! Begin by adding water to your pot, then slowly pour in the sugar to avoid splashing. Wait until all the sugar has been soaked by the water, then add in corn syrup. Adding the ingredients in this order prevents crystallization in your syrup by eliminating the need to stir the solution as it boils—less agitation means smoother marshmallows. On a medium heat, boil your syrup until it hits the soft ball stage, between 240° and 245°—the hotter the syrup goes, the stiffer the marshmallow will become. The gelatin Too much heat can kill the thickening power of gelatin, which means your mixer should be running on a medium-low speed as you begin to pour in your hot syrup. Constant agitation will cool the syrup with steady aeration, dissolving the gelatin into the mixture without too much harm. Increase the mixer to a high speed once the syrup is all in until the marshmallow fluff has tripled in size. At this point, you can use the fluff as is or pat it into your prepared pan to let it set into marshmallows overnight. A word to our vegetarian and vegan friends: gelatin is an animal-based product, which means marshmallows are not a vegetarian food. While some alternative recipes do call for agar agar to be used in place of gelatin, the results are just not quite the same: the mouthfeel is less silky, the texture not as spongy. The flavoring We’re using vanilla extract for a classic flavor profile, but you can use whatever extracts you’d like: peppermint extract for that wintertime vibe, a splash of rosewater for a delicate, floral fragrance for a Valentine’s day treat. Use between 1 and 2 teaspoons of liquid flavorings, and add in the final minute of mixing. If you’ve made these sweet, pillowy clouds, leave a rating and let us know in the comments down below how you liked it! For ideas on what to make with your perfect marshmallows, check out these 60+ s’mores desserts!
