Peppermint Marshmallows

Yes, I am waiting until the very last minute to post my Christmas recipes.  Isn't that nice of me?

My friend Melissa and I had a baking day yesterday, as we do every year. We each made three things and then we share what we made, so we each have six items to show for it. I'll share mine all week.

These marshmallows might seem intimidating but they really aren't all that difficult to make.  It's easier if you have a stand mixer but a hand mixer will work also.  You also really need to have a candy thermometer or and instant read thermometer available.

Making marshmallows is basically just cooking a sugar syrup on the stove and then whipping the heck out of it until it becomes white, light and fluffy. Fairly easy but if you have small children you'll really want to be careful with this hot sugar syrup on the stove.  Use the back burner and see if they can be elsewhere when it's time to pour it into the mixer.

These marshmallows are fantastic in hot cocoa.  Gift idea: Make a homemade hot cocoa mixture, place in a bag and put inside of a cute Christmas cup, add a bag of these homemade marshmallows and you have a fantastic homemade gift for someone special.  Enjoy!!

Peppermint Marshmallows

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 3 packets unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup cool water, divided
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp peppermint extract (optional) for a more pepperminty flavor
• 1/2 cup peppermint candies, crunched up
• 5-10 drops red food coloring (optional)
• confectioners' sugar

Cooking Directions

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a mixing bowl) add the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water. Let sit.
2. Spray a 9x13 inch with a non-stick spray and set aside.
3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan mix the granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Turn the heat on to medium and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then turn the heat up to high and bring the syrup to 238 degrees.
4. With your stand mixer on low, with the whisk attachment (or hand mixer) slowly pour the hot syrup into the bowl with the gelatin. Once it's all been added, slowly turn the speed up to high and watch for the mixture to turn white and thicken. This will take 3-10 minutes depending on your mixer.
5. You want the mixture to be thick but not so thick that it balls inside of your whisk. It would have cooled down to about 95 degrees.
6. Add the peppermint extract and then the crushed up peppermint candies. If you're adding food coloring, add it just at the end and don't fully mix it in. You just want the color to sort of stream through the whiteness, leaving streams of red and streams of white.
7. Spread the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle confectioners' sugar all over the top. I find it easiest to use a fine mesh strainer to get a nice fine sprinkling over the top.
8. Let the mixture dry for a minimum of 4 hours but overnight is best.
9. If possible, it's easiest to lift the entire out of the pan and place on waxed paper and then cut them that way. If not possible just cut them while they are still in the pan and then dredge them into more confectioners' sugar so all sides are covered.
10. Store them in an airtight container for several days.