Was wondering if making your own marshmallows is worth the time and effort.......is it more economical, and do you get a good "return" for the quality of product you produce yourself. Anyone have a good recipe for this?

deb

Homemade marshmallows are terrific. They package beautifully for gifts, although the shelf life is fairly short.

Definately worth it! They taste so much better. I have a great recipe but will have to get back to you with it. All my books are packed for an upcoming move.

Oh yes, I love homemade marshmallows! Not too difficult. At Easter I spray approximately 3" duck and chick 3-D candy molds, put together (make a hole in bottom and pipe the marshmallow in the hole. Two hours later, I remove them and roll them into yellow sanding sugar! They taste so much better than store-bought chicks. Shapes can be cut out with cookie cutters too. They can also have cocoa whipped in, and when set up, cut into squares and dusted with cocoa.

I agree with the others... Def. worth it and they aren't hard to make at all..

i honestly have to say I have never heard of homemade marshmellows. I would love to try a recipe--if they're better than store bought ones--then they must be heaven.

homemade marshmellows are a lot of work but they are sooooooooooo mcuh better then the bought ones. they are sooo fluffy and yummy. if i can find my recipe i will post it.

Do any of you who make your own ever sell them? Do you recoup the cost and make a decent profit as opposed to buying marshmallows?

Deb

Here's a very informative thread on making marshmallows. Be prepared to spend lots of time reading it.

shttp://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=40358

If you are unable to open the above thread just go to www.egullet.org and go to the pastry and baking forum.

The only problem with making and eating your own home made marshmallows is that store bought ones will never taste the same. Home made are the best!

Years ago when Martha had her older t.v. show, she had a cooking segment on making homemade marshmallows. I used to tape all her shows and have it somewhere which I'm going to dig up. In the mean time I went to her website and if you scroll down to the bottom under categories and click on food then do a search for marshmallows you will find the recipe.

I teach marshmallows in all my candy classes. I do different marshmallow at different times of the year. I do the plain in the spring candy class, chocolate marshmallow in the summer candy class and a flavored marshamallow in my holiday class. For my Christmas in July class I did a pineapple marshmallow that was a huge hit. Students who have never had homemade marshmallow are blown away with how good it is. The best part of these recipes is that they are all no-cook. If you'd like the recipe I can email it to you.

I'm making 250 homemade marshmallows for my godchild's wedding favors-- I'm using a recipe from "Candy making for Dummies". The recipe on Martha Stewart is very similar. They certainly taste better than store bought. They are VERY messy to make, however.

it would be great if you could just post the recipes for all...thanks a bunch.

This is the recipe from "Candy Making for Dummies":

1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup water
1-pound box confectioners' sugar(you won't need the entire box;just keep plenty of sugar handy)
3 1-tablespoon envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract

Place 1/2cup of cold water in a mixing bowl. sprinkle 3 gelatin envelopes into the water, & put aside for about 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

Line a 9x13 glass baking dish with parchment paper, and generously sprinkle the lined dish with about 3 tbs confectioners' sugar using a sieve.

Place the granulated sugar, 1/2cup water, corn syrup, and salt in a 2-qt saucepan, and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the solution comes to a boil (about 15 min). Cover the mixture with a lid for about 3 minutes to allow any sugar crystals to dissolve from the sides of the pan. Remove the lid, place a candy thermometer on the side without allowing it to touch the bottom of the pan, and cook on high heat until the mixture reaches 240 degress (about another 11 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat.

With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the cooked syrup into the gelatin mixture. When you've poured all the syrup into the pot, beat the mixture on high speed, using the whisk attachment for about 15 minutes until it becomes white and quite thick. During the beating process, stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl because marshmallow thickens on the sides. Beat in the vanilla extract on slow speed.

When the mixture is thick like a thick creme of marshmallow, scrape it into a lined baking dish and spread it with a rubber spatula. The marshmallow is quite sticky and thick at this stage, so simply do your best to spread it in the dish. Sprinkle the top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar.

Allow the marshmallow to set uncovered overnight at room temperature; then remove the marshmallow from the dish by lifting the paper lining by the corners. Peel off the paper and cut the marshmallow into 30 to 35 1 1/2 to 2-inch squares.

These are the recipes I use in my classes. I was going to post them but can't find a category for candy. I've included the recipe for Invert Sugar since it's not available everywhere.

No-Cook Marshmallow

1/4 cup cold water      3/4 cup invert sugar
2 Tablespoons plain gelatin    3/8 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup warm water      1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar

Soak gelatin in cold water and set aside. In a saucepan, combine warm water, sugar and invert sugar. Heat till very warm and no granules remain, but do not boil. When warm, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Pour into a mixing bowl and begin to mix, adding corn syrup and vanilla. Whip until white, fluffy and doubled in bulk. Pipe immediately into chocolate lined egg molds or pour into a buttered 9"x13" pan and let set 24 hours before cutting. Squares may be rolled in toasted coconut, dipped in chocolate, made into Rocky Road Candy or rolled in powdered sugar or cornstarch.


Sugared Marshmallow Bunnies and Chicks
Use above recipe but increase plain gelatin to 3-1/2 tablespoons. Color and flavor marshmallow if desired. Keep mixing bowl in a larger bowl of very hot water to keep marshmallow from hardening. Spoon or pipe marshmallow into buttered candy molds. Set aside for about 1 hour. Remove from molds and roll in colored sugar. Dry candy for a few hours, then pack in tightly covered containers. Makes 12 to 15 molds.


Fruit-Flavored Marshmallow
Soak 1 tablespoon plain gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Meanwhile, warm together 1/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup invert sugar and 1 package (3 oz.) fruit-flavored gelatin. When warm, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Pour into mixing bowl and begin to mix, adding 3/4 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Whip until fluffy and double in bulk. Marshmallow can be molded into different shapes by simply depositing in molds that have been lightly buttered. Or, if you prefer, pour into a buttered 9â x 13â pan. Let set at least 24 hours and then unmold. Marshmallow can be rolled in colored granulated sugar, rolled in powdered sugar or constarch, or dipped in chocolate coating.


Chocolate Marshmallow

¼ cup cold water    Â¾ cup invert sugar
2 Tablespoons plain gelatin  Â¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup warm water    3/8 cup light corn syrup
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar

Soak gelatin in cold water and set aside. In a saucepan, combine warm water, sugar, invert sugar and cocoa powder. Heat till very warm and no granules remain, but do not boil. When warm, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Pour into a mixing bowl and begin to mix, adding corn syrup. Whip until fluffy and doubled in bulk. Pour into a buttered 9â x 13â pan and let set 24 hours before cutting. Squares may be rolled in powdered sugar or dipped in melted coating wafers.


Invert Sugar

8 cups Granulated Sugar
3 Cups Water
½ Teaspoon Citric Acid or the Juice of 2 Lemons (lemons may change flavors)

Combine all ingredients in a heavy 4-quart pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Lower heat and simmer for ½ hour, stirring constantly. Store in a tightly covered container.
Makes 6 cups

I made homemade marshmallows last Christmas and they were a huge hit. The recipes here are similar to the one I used. I served mine with my chocolate foundain. Yummy!!!

This may be a silly question but can you use homemade marshmallows to make MMF?

Chrisy

It should work. They both have the same ingredients. Homemade marshmallow is just much softer. You might need more powdered sugar in the MMF. I'm making marshmallow later this week for a class. If I have enough left I'll try making some MMF to see if it works.

If you try it please let me know if it works. I've never had homemade marshmallows before and everyone is raving about the taste. If they're as good as everybody says then the fondant should be to die for.

Chrisy

Where would I buy citric acid for the invert sugar?

A BIG thank you to Baileygirl....this is the recipe we learned in candy class with the invert sugar. We had to actually let the marshamallow sit for 72 hours in the buttered molds. I have never piped it immediately in chocolate molds. Does it set up if you seal the mold with chocolate? This recipe is wonderful...thanks again for your help.

I do marshmallow eggs for Easter by lining lots of molds with chocolate in advance. After I finish whipping the marshmall I set it in a sink filled with hot tap water to keep it from setting up too soon. (Keep an eye on the bowl, sometimes they like to tip over) I use a disposable decorating bag and just cut the end off, although you could use a tip if you like, and pipe the marshmallow into the eggs. I then top with melted chocolate and pop into the freezer for just a few minutes. These are one of my favorites.

I tell customers and students who have never tasted homemade marshmallow that it's like biting into a cloud. You'll never want those hard little balls from the store again.

I have made them so many times over the years. I always do something different for the gifts for the aunts and uncles at Christmas.

One year I made them all boxes of candies and Homemade Chocolate covered Marshmallows were part of the selection. I also put caramel over the top put them in the fridge to set and covered in chocolate.

They all freaked out and were saying you couldn't have made all of this stuff. My mom is still in shock that I make them. Always comments about a bag of marshmallows only costing a $1.00. But is the first person in line when I make them from scratch.

Once you make them you will be hard pressed to go back to store brand.