January Pinterest Challenge-- Making Homemade Marshmallows
Welcome to the January Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop, hosted by My Pinterventures. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen!
The boys and I had making homemade marshmallows on our winter bucket list and decided to use this pin/ recipe to help us.
Now I will fully admit that I do NOT like marshmallows at all. The taste is just fine but I can not get past the texture and so maybe I'm a bit biased when I sat they were very time consuming and I'm not sure they were worth the work.
We assembled all our ingredients and followed the recipe very carefully. I often play with the ingredients to suit us but was afraid to with this recipe not knowing the science behind marshmallows.
First we dissolved the gelatin in the 1/3 cup cold water and then set it aside for 10 full minutes.
Then we combined the rest of the water and all of the granulated sugar in a pan on the stove over low heat stirring constantly.
After our timer went off for the gelatin we added it to our warming pan of sugar water and kept heating and stirring until it was completely dissolved. The gelatin looked like one giant blog of hardened goo but it quickly dissolved into the warming sugar water. At this point we were still stirring constantly.
As soon as our gelatin dissolved we turned the pan up to medium and brought it to a low boil. Evan measured out the vanilla and put it into the bowl of our stand mixer.
Meanwhile our pot began a nice low boil and we finished stirring. We set the timer for 15 minutes and just kept an eye on it to make sure it would not boil over. I did stir very gently on occasion to make sure nothing was sticking to the bottom but be warned it will bubble up and swell in the pan.
We prepared an 8x8 pan with parchment paper (but we should have used a 13 x9; our marshmallows were gigantic and we had more batter than fit in our pan).
Still boiling nicely...
When the timer went off we poured our hot sugar right into the bowl of our stand mixer and began mixing. I made sure to mix on low speed until it had cooled off a bit so as not to be tossing hot sugar around.
Once it seemed cool enough I turned the mixer up to high and it probably took at least another 30 minutes for us to see the mixture double in size, thicken up, and turn white.
We poured it into our prepared pan and at this point it looked a bit like marshmallow fluff. The boys offered to be taste testers and told me it tasted great!
We set our pan aside to cool and firm up for a few hours ( the recipe says 2 but we kind of forgot about them until I was preparing dinner).
Once it was time to cut them I mixed up 1/4 cup corn starch with 1/4 cup powdered sugar in our flour sifter. As I cut each marshmallow I made sure to coat all sides in the mixture to keep them from sticking together.
Peeling them off the parchment paper and cutting them apart from one another was probably the hardest part of the whole process. It wasn't real difficult but they were sticky and it was time consuming.
Once they were all cut and coated we put them in a ziploc bag and stored them in our pantry.
To join next month's #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ February Pinterest Challenge.
Linking Up With: Oh My Heartsie Girls, Party in Your Pj's, Dream Create and Inspire,
The boys and I had making homemade marshmallows on our winter bucket list and decided to use this pin/ recipe to help us.
Now I will fully admit that I do NOT like marshmallows at all. The taste is just fine but I can not get past the texture and so maybe I'm a bit biased when I sat they were very time consuming and I'm not sure they were worth the work.
First we dissolved the gelatin in the 1/3 cup cold water and then set it aside for 10 full minutes.
Then we combined the rest of the water and all of the granulated sugar in a pan on the stove over low heat stirring constantly.
After our timer went off for the gelatin we added it to our warming pan of sugar water and kept heating and stirring until it was completely dissolved. The gelatin looked like one giant blog of hardened goo but it quickly dissolved into the warming sugar water. At this point we were still stirring constantly.
As soon as our gelatin dissolved we turned the pan up to medium and brought it to a low boil. Evan measured out the vanilla and put it into the bowl of our stand mixer.
Meanwhile our pot began a nice low boil and we finished stirring. We set the timer for 15 minutes and just kept an eye on it to make sure it would not boil over. I did stir very gently on occasion to make sure nothing was sticking to the bottom but be warned it will bubble up and swell in the pan.
We prepared an 8x8 pan with parchment paper (but we should have used a 13 x9; our marshmallows were gigantic and we had more batter than fit in our pan).
Still boiling nicely...
When the timer went off we poured our hot sugar right into the bowl of our stand mixer and began mixing. I made sure to mix on low speed until it had cooled off a bit so as not to be tossing hot sugar around.
Once it seemed cool enough I turned the mixer up to high and it probably took at least another 30 minutes for us to see the mixture double in size, thicken up, and turn white.
We poured it into our prepared pan and at this point it looked a bit like marshmallow fluff. The boys offered to be taste testers and told me it tasted great!
We set our pan aside to cool and firm up for a few hours ( the recipe says 2 but we kind of forgot about them until I was preparing dinner).
Once it was time to cut them I mixed up 1/4 cup corn starch with 1/4 cup powdered sugar in our flour sifter. As I cut each marshmallow I made sure to coat all sides in the mixture to keep them from sticking together.
Peeling them off the parchment paper and cutting them apart from one another was probably the hardest part of the whole process. It wasn't real difficult but they were sticky and it was time consuming.
Once they were all cut and coated we put them in a ziploc bag and stored them in our pantry.
They did use a few of them in hot cocoa and ate a few just to try them but the batch made more than we could possibly eat in three weeks and I didn't want to save them for much longer than that.
I did a Google search and that told me 3 weeks was the typical shelf life for fresh marshmallows.
You can check out all 12 Pinterest Challenges that we participated in last year by clicking here.
I did a Google search and that told me 3 weeks was the typical shelf life for fresh marshmallows.
You can check out all 12 Pinterest Challenges that we participated in last year by clicking here.
Now let's see what other things Pinterest inspired! Head over and visit the other hosts to see what they crafted, cooked, built, or tried!
Erlene - My Pinterventures • Jenny - Cookies Coffee and CraftsDebbee - Debbee's Buzz • Laurie - My Husband Has Too Many HobbiesBri - Halfpint Design • Kelli - K's Olympic Nest • Cherryl - Farm Girl ReformedBeverly - Across the Boulevard • Debra - Shoppe No. 5Roseann - This Autoimmune Life • Terri - Our Good LifeT'onna - Sew Crafty Crochet • Joanne - Our Unschooling JourneyHabiba - Craftify My Love • Gail - Purple Hues and MeKristie - Teadoddles • Lydia - Lydia's Flexitarian KitchenKristie - Love My Little CottageMichelle - Our Crafty Mom • Alexandra - Eye Love Knots • Marci - Stone Cottage AdventuresAli - Home Crafts by Ali • Lauren - Mom Home GuideSusan - Suzerspace • Audra - Renewed Projects
Making marshmallows is a wonderful bucket list item for Winter! I bet they taste amazing! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know.. I honestly didn't try them! But my boys assured me they were much tastier than the store bought ones.
DeleteIt's great that they turned out well and that your boys enjoyed them, but it does seem like a lot of work for marshmallows.
ReplyDeleteI would do it again if we were having a winter or cocoa party and had invited lots of friends over but it's definitely not worth it just for us.
DeleteSeems like a great family activity. Appreciate your candid remarks about effort vs return, as I've been tempted to make them myself. Also didn't know about the 3 week self life. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It was a fun family activity and we learned a lot. A few times we thought we did something wrong but just being patient showed us we were on the right track.
DeleteLooks like everyone had fun. This would be fun to make before a camping trip. hate buying store bought marsh mellows.
ReplyDeleteOH yes, this would be wonderful before a camping trip!
DeleteI’ve always wondered what it would be like to make fresh ones? Looks cool and I’m with you I would probably only use them in my hot cocoa but I bet the boys really enjoyed this!
ReplyDeleteThey sure did!
DeleteI love marshmallows and have always wondered about making homemade ones. Thanks for sharing how much effort goes into it.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteI am not a marshmallow fan but they must have tasted so good. Plus I always think when you include the kids in an activity it makes nice memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm always looking for new ways to make memories with my boys. It's getting trickier the older they get!
DeleteLooks like your boys had a good time making them! I wonder how they would hold up roasted in the fire for a s'more!
ReplyDeleteI wondered that too but the woman's blog I got the recipe from said something in the comments about them not working well for that.
DeleteI’m not a marshmallow fan either - the only way I like them is to hold Rice Krispies together in those treats. But I think it’s really lovely of you to help your boys make them, knowing full well you weren’t going to eat them.
ReplyDeleteI often make recipes with marshmallows as an ingredient BECAUSE I know I won't be tempted to eat them! ;)
DeleteMaking marshmallows has been on my 'I'll try it one day' list for a while. The only thing that's put me off is that it seems like a lot of work! You've just confirmed that for me really - thanks!
ReplyDeleteI do love marshmallows though but the shop bought ones will probably be fine for me.
I think that's what we decided too.
DeleteI never knew gelatin was apart of the equation for homemade marshmallows but then again it's never been one of those things I thought of making either. I just don't consume marshmallows often. Thanks for linking up with us at #OMHGWW!
ReplyDeleteI didn't either! I guess I never gave much thought as to what was in them.
DeleteYour helpers will make this recipe very special I am sure, I will have to try this project with some of my helpers! Hope you are having a great week and staying warm. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
ReplyDeleteMiz Helen
I just love when I have helpers joining me in the kitchen.
DeleteThese will be fun to make with my grandsons. I've pinned it for later.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the pin! I bet they'll love it!
DeleteI love homemade marshmallows! They are way better than the store bought versions. I like to make big ones & cover them in stuff to give with cocoa gifts. One time I tried to make Star Wars marshmallows with my cookie cutters & food paint. That was a total disaster! :D
ReplyDeleteThey are so much better!
DeleteI love love love the pic of your son testing the marshmallow mix. Was he waering panda earwarmers or are they earphones? I love the texture of marshmallows and sure would have helped get rid of that big stash you've made. Unfortunately I don't enjoy spending time in the kitchen, so store-bought marshmallows it is for me ;-) Pinning anyways!
ReplyDeleteThose are panda earwarmers. He just loves them!
DeleteWow, this is so interesting! I have heard that homemade marshmallows are the best!
ReplyDeleteAlexandra
EyeLoveKnots.com
My boys totally agreed with that.
DeleteI've always wanted to make homemade marshmallow and for some reason I thought it was more complicated. This looks like so much fun and I want to try it now.
ReplyDeleteIt really wasn't complicated at all.
Delete