Homemade Marshmallow Recipe + Video (2024)

FAQs

Why are my homemade marshmallows not fluffy? ›

Even just a couple degrees too hot or too cool makes all the difference. If the sugar isn't cooked hot enough, they'll be mushy (and possibly contribute to the "soggy" factor mentioned above). If the syrup is cooked too hot, they'll set too firm and chewy and lack volume.

The marshmallow needs to be whipped till it makes stiff peaks. At this stage, the marshmallow can hold a soft shape for a moment before collapsing back into itself. If the mixture cannot do this, it will be too runny. If you mix past this point, you'll have a thick, rigid that doesn't spread easily in your pan.

Creating Fluff and Sweetness

To make a marshmallow, you whip air into the gel between its melting and solidifying stages so that the gel grabs the air and enmeshes it in a tangled 3D polymer, Hartel explains.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

In the 19th century, marshmallows were made by mixing mallow root sap, egg whites and sugar into a fluffy mold. The French added cornstarch to help speed up the production and give the candy its unforgettable form. Today the manufacturing of marshmallows is quite different. Mallow root sap has been replaced by gelatin.

The Egyptians squeezed sap from the mallow plant and mixed it with nuts and honey. However, no one knows what the mallow looked like in those times but it does sound delicious! The French were introduced to marshmallows in the early to mid-1800s.

If you mix too long, the marshmallow becomes stubborn. Instead of being a flowing goo, it is already resilient enough to resist your attempts to spread it evenly across your pan. If you overwhip and the gelatin sets quicker than anticipated, your marshmallow will not spread as easily as you hoped.

If you cook your marshmallow for too long, it turns brown or black inside. That happens when the sugar gets so hot that it starts to burn. (See caramelizing sugar.) The flame stage - oxygen diffuses to the surface of the marshmallow from the surrounding air.

You'll find yourself making this easy recipe all year round to enjoy in hot chocolate and with s'mores. This recipe makes 24 large marshmallows and costs about $1.91 to make. That's just $0.08 per marshmallow! Use these marshmallows for classic S'mores or use them in my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Smores Recipe.

When you take the marshmallow out of the microwave and it cools off, the bubbles shrink and the sugar hardens again. When the microwave marshmallow cools, it's dry and crunchy. We think that's because some of the water in the marshmallow evaporates when the marshmallow is hot.

How do you keep homemade marshmallows from sticking? ›

Just pour a little confectioners' (powdered) sugar or cornstarch into the bag, close and shake, shake, shake until the marshmallows are coated. Most of the marshmallows will fall apart, but there might be a few that remain stubborn, and you should be able to gently pull them apart.

Marshmallows get sticky in an opened bag because moisture fills their air pockets, making them collapse. To keep them fresh: set the opened bag in a container with a tight-fitting lid or in a freezer-safe plastic bag.

In the microwave, an ordinary marshmallow will puff up until it's enormous! Kids, please don't try this without the help of an adult.

If the temperature is too low the marshmallow will be too soft and won't hold its shape. Too high of a temperature will cause the texture to become far too sticky and the marshmallows would likely pull out your fillings. A Thermapen^®® is perfect for spot-checking the temperature of your sugar.)

To keep marshmallows fresh, set the opened marshmallows in a container with a tight-fitting lid or in a freezer-safe, Ziploc plastic bag. Avoid packing too many marshmallows into the container or bag because it will squish them together. Seal the container or bag securely. Then store the bag in the freezer.