Big Batch of Homemade Marshmallows
Let's make homemade marshmallows!! It's easier than you think it might be. Marshmallows are delicious on their own, but are even better when they are roasted and used on s'mores. I wanted to make homemade marshmallows to roast for our fourth of July celebration this weekend. Whether you're roasting store-bought marshmallows, or homemade marshmallows, there's an undeniable sense of nostalgia that occurs when a skewered marshmallow hits the flame of an open fire.
I'm sharing a recipe for a "big ole batch" of vanilla flavored marshmallows. Made from scratch, these marshmallows can be customized with food coloring gels and sprinkles. Want a different flavor than vanilla? Then substitute equal parts of your favorite extract in place of vanilla (I imagine peppermint extract or birthday cake extract would make delicious marshmallows). In saying that, I may try birthday cake extract in my next big batch of homemade marshmallows.
To make marshmallows from scratch, you will need the following ingredients:
29 oz of granulated sugar (approximately 3 2/3 cups)
1/2 cup of corn syrup
2 cups of water, divided
6 packets of unflavored gelatin (such as knox's, about 14 tsp of unflavored gelatine)
pinch of kosher salt
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup of sifted confectioners sugar
*optional, food coloring gels and sprinkles
Before you get started making marshmallows from scratch, prepare your ingredients, tools, and pan. Timing is everything when it comes to making marshmallows from scratch. Because timing is so important in candy making, I like to lay my tools and ingredients out into stations. That way, I am prepared to move completely through this recipe without any speed bumps along the way. This is not a recipe you want to walk away from at any point. If all of your ingredients and tools are prepped, you should be able to make marshmallows from scratch seamlessly. Allow me to walk you through how I prepare my ingredients and tools into two separate stations.
Station one will need to be set up near your stove top. At station one you will need the following tools:
- pot with lid
- whisk
- spatula
- 29 oz of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of corn syrup
Station two will need to be set up near your stand mixer with the following tools and ingredients ready to go:
- stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment
- scissors
- 1 cup of water in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer
- 6 packets of knox unflavored gelatine
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 tbsp of good vanilla
- 9x13” pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed generously with cooking spray (I use Baker's Joy)
- *optional, food coloring gels and sprinkles
Once your stations are prepared, it's time to get started. As I mentioned earlier, be ready to work all the way through this recipe without stopping. Start to finish, it took me approximately 45 minutes to prepare my big batch of marshmallows.
Over medium-high heat, combine granulated sugar, 1 cup of water, and, 1/2 cup of corn syrup in a pot. Whisk together until fully combined. Once this mixture comes to a light boil, cover with a pot lid. Reduce heat to medium heat and cook for 2 minutes.
While your ingredients are cooking for two minutes, head over to the bowl of your stand mixer and add the 6 packs of unflavored gelatin to the 1 cup of water already in the bowl. Gently mix the gelatin and water with a spoon and allow the gelatin to bloom. The gelatin takes about 10+ minutes to bloom, and it will look like this when it's ready.
Head back to station one, and after the two minutes have expired remove the lid and continue to cook the sugar mix over medium heat. It will be lightly boiling. Scrape the sides of the pot with your spatula and continue to cook until your sugar mix reaches softball stage. Your ingredients will be at a softball stage when the temperature is between 235-240 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a digital cooking thermometer to check the temperature of my sugar mix every 5 minutes. It usually takes my mix about 10 minutes to reach softball stage. Click these links to learn more about how to determine the different stages of candy making:
Remove your pot from the heat once your ingredients reach softball stage and allow the bubbles to disappear (this takes less than a minute). With your mixer on low speed, pour the sugar mix down the side of the bowl with the bloomed gelatin in it. You will need to pour it down the side of the mixing bowl so it does not burn the gelatin. Add your pinch of salt, and turn your mixer to medium-high speed. Allow your ingredients to mix at medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, or until they have almost doubled in size. Once they have doubled in size, bump your mixer up to high speed and whisk for an additional 5-6 minutes. Add your vanilla and mix on high speed for one more minute. Your marshmallow mix should have almost quadrupled in size at this point and will hold a soft peak (meaning it will stand up on its on for a bit before collapsing.
Use a spatula sprayed with cooking spray to spread your marshmallow mix into your prepared 9”x13"pan. After my mix is poured into the pan, I add food coloring and sprinkles and spread the color and sprinkles around with a sprayed spatula as an optional step.
In a bowl, combine a 1/4 cup of corn starch with a 1/2 cup of sifted confectioners sugar. Sift this mix over the top of your marshmallows. Store this mixture in an airtight container because you will use it later after the marshmallows are set and cut.
Allow the marshmallows to set for at least 8 hours, or overnight for best results.
After your marshmallows are set, turn them out onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment paper sheets. Use a knife or a bench scraper to cut your marshmallows.
Use the confectioners sugar/corn starch mix to dust each marshmallow on all sides with a brush after they have been cut.
Store your marshmallows in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. They can also be frozen in an airtight container.
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How do you roast your marshmallows? Catch your marshmallow on fire or just give it a light toast? I love a good char on my roasted marshmallows. Everyone has their favorite way to do it! Just the thought of roasting marshmallows probably brings happy memories to mind.
We will use this big batch of homemade marshmallows for s'mores this weekend. Whether you're roasting store-bought or homemade marshmallows, I hope you and your family enjoy this weekend. As I type, I'm looking forward to celebrating the 4th over the weekend and making happy memories with my family. God Bless America!!
-XOXO-
Sally
Big Batch of Homemade Marshmallows
29 oz of granulated sugar (approximately 3 2/3 cups)
1/2 cup of corn syrup
2 cups of water, divided
6 packets of unflavored gelatine (such as knox's, about 14 tsp of unflavored gelatine)
pinch of kosher salt
1 tbsp of vanilla
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup of sifted confectioners sugar
*optional, food coloring gels and sprinkles
Before getting started, prepare your ingredients, tools, and pan. Timing is so important, so lay your tools and ingredients out into two stations. This is not a recipe you want to walk away from at any point. If all of your ingredients and tools are prepped, you should be able to make marshmallows from scratch seamlessly.
Station one will need to be set up near your stove top. At station one you will need the following tools:
- pot with lid
- whisk
- spatula
- 29 oz of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of corn syrup
Station two will need to be set up near your stand mixer with the following tools and ingredients ready to go:
- stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment
- scissors
- 1 cup of water in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer
- 6 packets of Knox unflavored gelatine
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 tbsp of good vanilla
- 9x13" prepared pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed generously with cooking spray
- *optional, food coloring gels and sprinkles
Once your stations are prepared, it's time to get started. Be ready to work all the way through this recipe without stopping. Start to finish, it took be approximately 45 minutes to prepare my big batch of marshmallows.
Over medium-high heat, combine granulated sugar, 1 cup of water, and, 1/2 cup of corn syrup in a pot. Whisk together until fully combined. Once this mixture comes to a light boil, cover with a pot lid. Reduce heat to medium heat and cook for 2 minutes.
While your ingredients are cooking for two minutes, head over to the bowl of your stand mixer and add the 6 packs of unflavored gelatin to 1 cup of water that is already in the bowl. Gently mix the gelatin and water with a spoon and allow the gelatin to bloom. The gelatin takes about 10+ minutes to bloom.
Head back to station one, and after your 2 minutes has expired remove the lid and continue to cook this mix over medium heat. It will be lightly boiling. Scrape the sides of the pot with your spatula and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until your sugar mix reaches softball stage. Your ingredients will be at softball stage when the temperature is between 235-240 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a digital cooking thermometer to check the temperature of my sugar mix every 5 minutes. It usually takes my mix about 10 minutes to reach softball stage.
Remove your pot from the heat once your ingredients reach softball stage and allow the bubbles to disappear (this takes less than a minute). With your mixer on low speed, pour the sugar mix down the side of the mixing bowl with the bloomed gelatin in it. You will need to pour it down the side of the mixing bowl so it does not burn the gelatin. Add your pinch of salt, and turn your mixer to medium-high speed. Allow your ingredients to mix at medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, or until they have almost doubled in size.
Once your ingredients have doubled in size, bump your mixer up to high speed and whisk for an additional 5-6 minutes. Add your vanilla and mix on high speed for one more minute. Your marshmallow mix should have almost quadrupled in size at this point and will hold a soft peak (meaning it will stand up on its on for a bit before collapsing).
Use a spatula sprayed with cooking spray to spread your marshmallow mix into your prepared 9x13"pan.
*After the mix is poured and spread into the pan, an optional step is to add food coloring and sprinkles and spread the color and sprinkles around with a sprayed spatula.
In a bowl, combine a 1/4 cup of corn starch with a 1/2 cup of sifted confectioners sugar. Sift this mix over the top of your marshmallows. Store the leftover mix in an airtight container to use after your marshmallows are set and cut.
Allow the marshmallows to set for at least 8 hours, or overnight for best results.
After your marshmallows are set, turn them out onto a cutting board. Remove the sheets of parchment paper. Cut them with a knife or a bench scraper.
You will use the same confectioner sugar/corn starch mix to dust each marshmallow on all sides after they have been cut. Store your marshmallows in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
*this recipe could also be made in a large bowl using a hand held mixer fitted with whisk attachments. For testing purposes, I made this recipe with a stand mixer.