Whether you pack a foursome inside a cellophane bag and tie with string for your neighbors, or sit around the stove and make ‘em with your own family on Christmas Eve, we found that homemade marshmallows are just the thing for spreading holiday sweetness … especially when propped atop a steaming cup of your favorite cocoa.

Jamie Anne, our friend in the kitchen, had the cutest idea: crush red red and white candy-canes and pack on top. Genius! And as usual, four hands are way better than two, and you’ll need a stand mixer, too. Here’s Your Heart Out’s original and tried-and-tested recipe for homemade candy-cane marshmallows:

You can download the Your Heart Out recipe card here.

You’ll need:

• 4 gelatin envelopes
• 1½ c. water
• 1½ tsp. peppermint extract, or less
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract, or less
• 3 c. sugar
• 1¼ c. corn syrup
• candy-canes, crushed to make 1½ c.

1. Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray for extra thick marshmallows. Or coat one 9 x 13- and one 8 x 8-inch pan with cooking spray for medium thickness. Cut parchment paper to fit and line bottoms of pan(s). Then coat parchment paper with spray.

2. Put sugar, corn syrup and ¾ cup water in a saucepan and bring to boil with lid on. Once boiling, remove lid and continue to boil without stirring until candy thermometer registers 240 F. (While you’re waiting, it’s a good time to work on steps 3 and 4.)

3. Place candy-canes inside a plastic bag and the place within another plastic bag and crush. We used the end of a rolling pin.

4. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine ¾ cup water, peppermint extract and vanilla extract. Then sprinkle gelatin over the liquid. Let sit.

5. With mixer on low, pour sugar/corn syrup mixture into the gelatin mixture. Be really careful as mixture is very hot and pan could be heavy. You might want to employ a splashguard. When all is poured in, raise speed to high. Mix until very fluffy, usually 10 minutes.

6. Pour mixture into lined pan(s) and pat down with offset spatula smothered in cooking spray. Sprinkle 1-2 cups of crushed candy-cane over the top and carefully pat in. Let sit uncovered in a clean space for at least 10 hours.

7. Remove from try and cut with scissors or knife coated in cooking spray. Dip edges and bottoms generously in confectioners sugar to buffer sticking.

Enjoy!

Though the recipe is different, DesignSponge beat us to the punch yesterday and made this informative video to show you how it’s done!

p.s. Candy thermometers are available at stores like Spoons’n'Spice, Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table.

  

This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 at 8:33 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.