It’s December. The cold has set in and the farm markets are beginning to slow. It is the season of shorter days, longer nights, wood burning fires, and mugs filled with piping hot cocoa. To make these long evenings even cozier, cue in a homemade batch of Brown Sugar and Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, so pillowy soft.
Buoyantly bobbing in your hot cocoa, these fluffy beauties will begin to melt just so; with delicate swirls of chocolate mingling to make an already delicious treat even better. Perhaps you’re enjoying an open fire with a desire for a roasted marshmallow, you’ll only need to roast these plush little squares for a mere second for the outside to caramelize toffee-like, and for the warm, molten inside to melt in your mouth.
No corn syrup
These homemade marshmallows are sweetened only by brown sugar, vanilla bean, and raw wildflower honey. Because we are using honey, there’s no need for high fructose corn syrup. Snag yourself a high quality collagen-rich gelatin (I’ve linked the one I use below), and these bouncy marshmallows aren’t as unhealthy as one might think – and they’re far superior to any supermarket brand filled with chemicals. Sure, there’s brown sugar in this recipe. However, the amount of brown sugar used versus how many marshmallows this recipe makes, coupled with how many are shared and eaten, and all is well in my marshmallow world.
Long Lasting & Gift Giving
Brown Sugar & Vanilla Bean Marshmallows will keep beautifully for up to 3 weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They also make a fun holiday gift when packaged pretty and paired with homemade hot cocoa mix.
What you’ll need
There are a few things you’ll need on hand to make these marshmallows, I’ll link to some of the products I personally use below. First, you’ll definitely need a candy thermometer as the mixture will need to come to an exact temperature of 250 F. or you’ll risk compromising the texture and consistency of the marshmallow. You’ll also need a stand mixer to whip the mixture at high-speed for quite some time. A fine mesh strainer to shake off the powdered sugar used to coat the marshmallows. Lastly, a rubber spatula and a traditional metal spatula, as both will lend great assistance in handling the marshmallows.
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If you give this dish a go, don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram, I’d love to see! Just make sure to tag me @chasingtheseasons so I don’t miss it!
Equipment
- 9 x 8.5-inch baking dish
- Candy thermometer
- Double boiler
- Stand mixer
- Large fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup water to melt gelatin
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and pod discarded
- 1 oz gelatin high quality brand ex: Zint or Vital Proteins
- 2/3 cup water for boiling
- 3/4 cup honey raw, unfiltered, wildflower or sub with agave
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4-5 oz dark chocolate of choice optional
- powdered sugar, as needed for coating
- olive oil, for greasing
Instructions
Preparation before beginning recipe
- Grease or spray a 9 x 8.5-inch baking dish with a thin layer of oil *see cook's notes
- Prepare the double boiler and be ready to add the chocolate when needed.
- Have the stand mixer ready and fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Lightly grease a rubber spatula and keep it on hand.
- As always, have all the ingredients measured out and ready to use.
To make the marshmallows
- In a stand mixer bowl, add 2/3 cup water and vanilla. Use a fork to gently break up the seeds just a bit. Sprinkle the gelatin in a thin layer on top of the vanilla and water. Do not stir. Allow the gelatin to absorb the water and bloom (about 15 minutes), set aside.
- In the meantime, in a deep saucepan, combine the remaining 2/3 cup of water, honey, brown sugar, and salt. Cook over low-medium heat, gently stirring to help dissolve the sugar, taking care not to slosh the mixture up the sides of the pot as doing so will form sugar crystals. Continue to gently stir until the grainy bits of sugar mostly dissolve, about 5 minutes.
- Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the mixture to reach 250 F without stirring.
- Just before the sugar reaches its temperature, roughly break up the gelatin on low speed, for about 10 seconds.
- When the brown sugar mixture reaches 250 F, and not a degree higher, remove from the heat and carefully add to the gelatin, taking care not to splatter as the mixture will be quite hot and sticky. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed with the gelatin for about 30 seconds, you'll notice the consistency will thicken almost immediately. Careful not to touch the outside bottom of the mixing bowl as it will be extremely hot.
- Turn the stand mixer to low and briefly mix to incorporate, at this point you'll notice steam rising form the bowl, take care still as the mixture is scalding. Gradually increase the speed to medium, mix for a few seconds, then increase the speed to high. Whisk at high speed for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the mixture turns lighter and thicker and the marshmallow fluff begins to pull away from the sides.
- Meanwhile, begin to melt the chocolate in the double boiler while the marshmallow is mixing.
- Once the marshmallow has formed into fluff, the bottom of the mixing bowl should be warm to the touch, not hot - this is important as the warmth will keep the marshmallow pliable. Turn off the mixer and add the butter; give it a short whisk to incorporate. Be prepared to work quickly now as the marshmallow will begin to cool rapidly. Drizzle the chocolate into the mix, leaving it mostly in streaks.
- Working quickly, pour the fluff into the greased baking dish, using a lightly greased spatula to help pour it out. Don't worry about getting all of the mixture out of the bowl, you don't need to and likely won't be able to. Also note at the very bottom of the bowl there might be a small accumulation of unmixed ingredients, it's fine to leave it behind and discard.
- Cover the dish with a lightly greased piece of foil and leave at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
- Once set, lightly dust the top of the marshmallows with powdered sugar. Add a thin layer of powdered sugar to a clean, flat work surface.
- Keep a small bowl of olive oil on hand (see cook's notes) and a lightly greased metal spatula. Use the metal spatula to loosen around the baking dish, gently sliding it under the marshmallow to loosen as best as possible, greasing it after each section if needed. With a sharp and lightly greased knife, cut the marshmallow vertically into 1-inch wide strips, greasing the knife again after each cut. Using the metal spatula, gently pry the first strip of marshmallow out of the baking dish, don't worry too much about trying to keep the marshmallow perfect, but do your best - the first strip will be the hardest one to remove. Working on a powdered sugar work surface, begin to cut the strip into squares of desired size - noting that in between each cut the knife may need to be lightly oiled again. Proceed the same way with each remaining marshmallow strip in the baking dish.
- In a large bowl, add enough powdered sugar to coat each marshmallow square. Working one at a time, coat each marshmallow in the powdered sugar. Use a large fine mesh strainer to hold each marshmallow and gently shake off the excess sugar (doing this over the sink is helpful). Marshmallows will keep in an airtight container for 3 weeks.
Notes
© chasingtheseasons. All images & content are copyright and trademark protected. Please do not use my photography without prior written permission. If you would like to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.
