Makin’ Marshmallows

I’ve wanted to try my hand at homemade marshmallows forever, but every recipe and blog post I’ve ever read said that you have to have a stand mixer. And I didn’t have one. And it was frustrating. But Santa came early for this Sparklepantsgirl and now I have my very own stand mixer for a whole lotta marshmallow making goodness!

My first attempt was, um, not so good. Marshmallows are super easy to make, as long as you have the right tools..ie a candy thermometer. Me being me, totally thought I could eyeball the syrup and know when it was at the ‘soft ball’ stage. Um, no. It started smoking, then turned brown, and despite removing it from heat, the syrup still smoked and turned even browner. So I took the pot outside and dumped out the syrup on to the ground, beneath a bush. It subsequently hardened underneath the bush. Maybe I will have my very own candy tree next year? Or maybe the bush will die. Only time will tell. Determined to fix this, I ran to the market and picked up a candy thermometer and tried again. This time they turned out perfect.

Moral of that story: I don’t have infrared heat vision superpowers. I know you’re disappointed..I am too.

Since I had success making the marshmallows, I am gonna make more…lots more. So I rounded up some amazingly sticky, gooey, sweet and fluffy ideas I’ve found..

Marshmallows with Chocolate and Candy Cane via A Southern Fairytale

Toasted Coconut Marshmallows via Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Cinnamon Marshmallows via Technicolor Kitchen

Melon Marshmallow via sweet pleasure : plaisir sucré

 Chocolate Chip Marshmallows via Technicolor Kitchen

Any other flavored marshmallow ideas? I’ve seen cardamom, pumpkin and lavender..yum!