Just in time for all that holiday hot cocoa you are going to be drinking…. homemade marshmallows!  I have tried to make mallows multiple times, but have failed miserably.  One time husband put one in his mouth and literally gagged and spit it out with so much anger that I made him try such a terrible thing.  No more.  These babies are amazing.  They  are sweetened with maple, have a nice, light vanilla flavor, and the texture is perfect.  I’ve tested them in hot cocoa (they melt and get perfectly gooey), I’ve tested how they roast (just like you’d expect…. golden on the outside, melted on the inside), and soon I intend on testing how they stand up in a rice-krispy-like recipe.  What I am saying is, this is the real deal – and only 4 ingredients.  4 good ingredients.  The last time I picked up a bag of marshmallows at the store, I saw corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring (why they need coloring in a product that should be white to begin with, I have no idea), cornstarch, and processed sugar as the ingredients.  Those are not things I am willing to eat, or feed my babies, so I set out to make my own.  I love that they get to enjoy the fun treats of the season, and I feel great about giving it to them.  These marshmallows have to set overnight, so plan ahead.  Trust me, the wait is worth it.  Also, don’t forget to use our chocolate sauce recipe for your hot cocoa.  Just heat up your milk over the stove, and add desired amount of chocolate goodness, whisk until combined, and top with marshmallows.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (I like either this gelatin or this gelatin because they are both 100% pure gelatin from grass-fed cows, and not as highly processed as other gelatin).
• 1 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half with seeds scraped out
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup water
• Coconut oil, to grease the pan

METHOD:

1.  Pour water into bowl of stand mixer, and sprinkle gelatin on top of water.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  This allows gelatin to soften and activate.

2.  Using your hands, grease the bottom and sides of a 9X9 baking dish with coconut oil.

3.  In a sauce pan, combine syrup, sea salt, and vanilla beans and heat, while constantly stirring, until it reaches a temperature of 240 degrees F.  This took longer than I expected, 5+ minutes…. but be patient, it will happen.  Syrup will be thick and bubbly.  I think that this somehow functions the way corn syrup would in a traditional marshmallow recipe.

4.  Turn mixer on to medium speed, with whisk attachment in place.  Slowly, and I mean slowly, add hot syrup mixture to gelatin.  Should take about a minute to a minute and a half to pour syrup in.

5.  Once all syrup is added, turn mixer up to high, and let go for 7-10 minutes, or until white and fluffy and doubled in size.  The texture when finished will be similar to that of melted marshmallows.  Gooey, sticky and not solid.

6.  Pour mixture into greased dish, and allow to rest uncovered at room temperature overnight.

7.  Gently pull out now set marshmallow from pan, and cut into 1″ cubes using a hot, greased knife.  I greased my knife with coconut oil (carefully, of course), and also coated my hands as well.

8.  Toss marshmallows in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons of arrowroot powder to keep them from sticking to each other.  Shake off excess arrowroot.  Arrowroot is a basically a cleaner, more nutritious thickening starch to be used in place of cornstarch… it is also gluten-free and GMO-free, where as most cornstarch is not, unless you take care to get 100% organic cornstarch.

9.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.  Makes about 30 1″ cube mallows.

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

**Adapted from Deliciously Organic.