Malt Chocolate Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows are so much better than store bought marshmallows. I made them for the first time for Christmas, 2011, and well . . . haven't made them since. Then I kept seeing this chocolate malt marshmallow recipe on pinterest. I took it as a sign that it's time to try my hand at marshmallow making again. It not only looked delicious but was a bit more complicated than the mug recipes I've been making lately. The recipe calls for the use of a standing mixer (you need to beat the mixture for 18 minutes on high), but I don't own one. I did not let this deter me (I never do) and all that beating with an electric hand mixer paid off because these marshmallows are oh so good.

Ingredients: 
Cocoa slurry:
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa*
3/4 cup malt powder (I used Ovaltine)
2/3 cup boiling water

The base:
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt

The bloom:
4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For coating:**
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

*Use cocoa powder that has less than 1.5g of fat per tablespoon. Cocoa with more fat could result in heavy marshmallows.

Directions:
Spray a 7x11 dish with cooking spray (or lightly grease with butter). Whisk together the coating ingredients then flour the pan with roughly 2 tablespoon of the mixture. Reserve the rest of the coating mixture and set aside.

The slurry: Combine all the slurry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.

The base: Place all the base ingredients into a medium, heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Once it reaches a boil, wipe down the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush. Cover and allow to boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Remove the lid and insert a candy thermometer. Raise heat to medium-high and boil until the syrup reaches 260 degrees F.

The bloom: While the base is cooking, make the bloom. Trust me, you'll have plenty of time; it seemed to  take forever for my syrup to reach 260 degrees. Add the water and vanilla into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin across the surface and distribute evenly. The mixture will turn into gelatin, but that's okay. Set aside.

The base: As soon as the temperature reaches 260, remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin. Beware the mixture will foam up. Next, stir in the slurry. Mix until well combined and smooth. Pour into a large bowl (the bowl of your standing mixer if you have one) and attach the whisk attachment. Gradually bring mixture to the highest speed setting. The original recipe said to beat for 18 minutes. I beat my for 25 and probably could have made my marshmallows even fluffier by giving them another 10 minutes. Anyhow, your mixture should be light and fluffy like marshmallow creme.

Pour  the mixture into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with a piece of foil and leave out at room temperature overnight to set.

Remove the marshmallow from the pan (I found it easiest to just lift the marshmallow from the pan versus turning the pan over). Dust the top of the marshmallows with the leftover coating mixture. Spray a knife or kitchen shears with cooking spray and cut marshmallows into squares. Store in an airtight container.

**You can use other coating. Skip the cocoa-powdered sugar all together, then after you cut them, coat  them with sprinkles, chopped nuts, mini-chocolate chips, or even dip them in tempered chocolate.

FYI: To die for smore recipe: Malt chocolate marshmallow, cookies and cream chocolate square (I used Ghirardelli) and graham crackers.

Enjoy!


~Krissy