Peppermint Marshmallows from GUEST BLOGGER: Kitchen Meets Girl

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Hi guys! My name is Ashley, and I write about my life and culinary adventures and mishaps over at Kitchen Meets Girl. I'm a full-time working outside the home mama to the sweetest little boy in the whole world, and I enjoy spending my free-time watching football with my hubby and making more baked goodies than is good for my waist-line. I'd love if you would swing by some time and say hi! Thanks so much to Tina for giving me the opportunity to guest post today. I've been stalking
following her site for quite some time now, so I'm just thrilled to be here.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you guys today how to make homemade marshmallows just like Martha Stewart.

Except I am nothing like Martha Stewart. My days usually require near tornadic activity in getting my family out of the house on time, cleaning up sticky juice messes and wiping spaghetti sauce handprints off of the refrigerator door. By the time I finished making these marshmallows, it pretty much looked like a bomb went off in my kitchen. But the point is, I made them. They were fabulous and impressive, and if I can do it, you can, too.

Maybe many of you out there have already made homemade marshmallows and are thinking this is no big news. But maybe some of you are like me, and a little overwhelmed by the idea of making anything that requires the use of a candy thermometer. Or think--why should I make my own marshmallows when I can just buy them at Wal-Mart for $1 a bag?

Because these are amazing. And truly, not that hard. I may never go back to store-bought marshmallows again.

Peppermint Marshmallows

Author: recipe from Martha Stewart

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 16

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin

3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons red food coloring

powdered sugar, for dusting

Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and then coat that with cooking spray, too. Don't be stingy, either. These things are sticky!

Put sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high and let cook until the mixture reaches 260 on a candy thermometer.

While the sugar mixture is heating, sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 cup water and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in extract.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Then whisk your gelatin mixture into the sugar mixture.

With the mixer running, gradually add to egg whites. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into lined pan. Drop dots of coloring across the top of your marshmallow and swirl throughout using a toothpick.

Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature overnight.

Notes: Helpful tip: when cutting these, coat your knife in powdered sugar. I also rolled each marshmallow in powdered sugar after cutting to keep them all from sticking back together.

Thank You Ashley, I too have NEVER tried making homemade marshmallows, just something about it, scares me? I don't know! I guess this is my push I need to JUST DO IT!!!