Who says marshmallows have to be square?  This experiment marks the kick off of a little marshmallow spree I’ll be on all weekend.  I figure once I get out the stand mixer and the gelatin packets I might as well go for it.  I think homemade marshmallow are so worth the little extra effort, the flavor and texture is much better than store bought.  One bite reminds you that marshmallows are actually candy, not the tasteless puffs we’re used to from the bag.  These remind me of vanilla taffy.

I’m going to be honest, though,  these aren’t easy to shape into perfect dollops.  You’re going to have to prepare yourself for some  slumped, misshapen heaps among the occasional perfectly swirled dollop.  But if you can muster a little dexterity and a lot of tolerance for a sticky mess, you’ll wind up with some pretty cute little treats.  The issue is that the marshmallow goo has to go inside a large zip lock baggie and then get extruded out through a hole you cut in one corner.  Sounds simple enough, but it’s a little bit of a challenge.  I used my basic vanilla bean marshmallow recipe that you can fine here.   If you want to you can just make them the old fashioned way, in neat little cubes.  I think these have  a whimsical charm, though, and are worth the sticky fingers.

Keep them for the kids’ cocoa, give them away by the bagful.  These will come in handy in the next few months, I promise.   I suppose you could sprinkle them with crushed candy canes, or dust them with cocoa powder for a variation.  Sprinkles, too.  There are lots of reasons to make these, but the main one is that making marshmallows is just plain fun.  A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and you end up with the silkiest glossiest marshmallow cream.

Have fun!