Basic, Simple Marshmallows

Homemade mini marshmallows ready to dress up rocky road bars ;) (come back in a day or so!!).

When we learned about our allergies, we realized how simple things can be. These marshmallows are an example. Made with 3 main ingredients, they are much simpler and easier without the corn syrup and preservatives found in most (if not all) marshmallows found in the store.

Plain marshmallows with cranberry marshmallows in the background.

Most people are amazed that marshmallows are very easy to make and only require 3 ingredients (besides the dusting mixture to make them not too sticky).

Why don't you guess what 3 ingredients? I told a friend the other day.
Since marshmallows are white and fluffy, someone said egg whites. Some recipes do call for egg whites, but they are not needed.
Milk? No. Keep guessing.
Sugar? Of course (I know you can make marshmallows without sugar, but that's something else).
Water? Yes.
And gelatin. That one was hard for them to guess. It makes sense, though . . . marshmallows are like fluffy, white jell-o, kind of. That can be toasted over a campfire . . . for a sticky, goo-ey, sweet mess.

Now that's the marshmallow I'm talking about here. But they're better than the store-bought variety (taste-wise). One of my taste-testers (one of my sisters) said that they taste more "real" than store-bought - not fake, but good, homemade candy. Made with real sugar. Not that liquid that some now call "corn sugar".

Basic, Simple Marshmallows (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Egg, Gum-free)
Adapted from Pumpkin Marshmallows

3 (.25 ounce) unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cold water, divided
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup corn-free powdered sugar

1. Uniformly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Pour the 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top; set aside for 8 to 10 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.

3. Attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer with the wire whip attachment and start the mixer on low speed. Carefully and slowly pour the boiling sugar syrup in a steady stream over the gelatin mixture. Increase the mixer to medium-high speed and mix until very thick, shiny, and white in color, about 5 to 12 minutes. When done, the mixture should form a more-or-less continuous ribbon off the spatula into the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally using a rubber spatula.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan in an even depth. Let the mixture set at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight.

5. Sift the cornstarch and confectioners' sugar into a pie plate or shallow bowl. When the marshmallows have set, turn them onto a work surface and cut them into squares or shapes as desired. You may make several cups worth of mini marshmallows for recipes, or bigger marshmallows for toasting, s'mores, make shapes matching the occasion, etc. Roll each marshmallow in the sugar mixture to coat all sides. Marshmallows are best served fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container (unrefrigerated) for about a week or in the freezer for a month. If you store the marshmallows, re-roll them in the cocoa mixture before serving.

~ Hanunyah


Linked to Motivate Me Monday by Keeping it Simple, Made By You Mondays by Skip To My Lou, Shindig Saturday by Kims Kandy Kreations and Weekend Wrap-up by Tatertots and Jello