Perfect Pillowy Marshmallows
Infinitely better than store-bought, these homemade marshmallows are the perfect addition to s'mores and hot chocolate—thick, chewy, and pillowy-soft, they're made with only 8 ingredients!
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Servings: 16 marshmallows
Ingredients
To bloom the gelatin
- ½ ounce gelatin powder (2 envelopes)
- ½ cup cool water
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or the beans scraped from 1 vanilla bean)
For the sugar syrup
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8x8 inch glass or ceramic baking pan with spray and set aside.
- Bloom the gelatin. Place the ½ cup of cool water and vanilla bean paste into a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Set aside to bloom.
- Make the sugar syrup. In a large saucepot, mix together the other ½ cup water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt until combined, then set over medium heat.
- Stir the sugar syrup mixture with a rubber spatula until it begins to bubble, around 5 minutes, then increase the heat to medium high. Continue to cook without stirring until it becomes clear and a digital thermometer registers 250℉, about another 5 minutes.
- Immediately scrape all of the syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Allow the mixture to cool until 212℉, around 6 minutes, then add in the bloomed gelatin.
- Mix on low until the gelatin has melted into the syrup, then increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the meringue for about 10 minutes, until pale white, thick, roughly tripled in volume, and beginning to ball around the whisk.
- Reduce the speed to low and add in the melted butter, then increase the speed to medium-high once more and beat for a few more seconds until fully incorporated.
- Scrape the marshmallow meringue into the prepared 8-inch pan, spreading it into an equal layer. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours) or let stand overnight at room temperature.
- To serve. Uncover the marshmallows and sift over a layer of powdered sugar. Using your hands or an offset spatula, invert the marshmallows onto a cutting board and sprinkle over another layer of powdered sugar. Cut the marshmallows into 16 equal pieces with a large chef's knife, being sure to coat each square in a layer of powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
- If not using immediately, stack the marshmallows in an airtight container, separating each row with a layer of wax paper. Store the marshmallows at room temperature for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for 6 months.