I make these every year for Christmas and they’re a huge hit. Besides what else are you going to use to garnish your peppermint patty! (one of the best drinks ever!!) They’re actually quite easy!
I remember the first time I made marshmallows, I tasted them right away (they were just plain vanilla) and thought, oh, yuck. The vanilla tasted very plastic-y to me. I didn’t have the heart to throw them out, so I popped them in the cupboard. About 3 months later I was cleaning the cupboard and was going to throw them away, but decided to taste one and found they were DELICIOUS. So much better than the kind you buy. Moral of the story on this is if you make plain vanilla ones, give them 3 or 4 days to let the vanilla mellow out.
A relatively simple ingredient list. You will need plain gelatin, which you can get in a grocery story (Knox is usually the brand that you see) but it’s SUPER expensive. I typically have some bulk gelatin around for making candies and it’s much cheaper to purchase that way (and lasts basically forever).
Place the water and gelatin in the bowl of a stand mixer. You don’t need to mix, just sprinkle the gelatin over the water.
Boil the sugar and corn syrup together on medium-high heat for 9 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 238 degrees Fahrenheit.
Start the mixer on SLOW with the whisk attachment. Very slow, and carefully (so so carefully. Boiling sugar causes pain like no other burning) and gradually increase the speed until the marshmallows have cooled and they are fluffy.
Add vanilla, peppermint, and salt, and mix.
Add three to 4 drops food coloring and just spin the whisk attachment once to create swirls.
Prepare a 13X9 pan. You are going to want to use parchment paper on these (trust me on this one) and also non-stick spray.
Scoop marshmallow out of bowl and into the prepared pan. I am not going to lie…this part is a complete pain in the rear, because hey, marshmallows are STICKY.
Add crushed candy canes to the top. You can make this yourself but I usually buy it.
Allow to sit over night and cut into squares. I find that spraying the knife with non-stick spray does help, because they are very sticky. Roll the marshmallows in powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking.
And serve in hot chocolate. So festive!
Peppermint Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 ¼ cup corn syrup
- ¾ cup water
- 3 ½ tablespoons powdered plain gelatin
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder
- Red food coloring
- Crushed candy canes
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add water to mixing bowl, and sprinkle gelatin over top to allow gelatin to bloom. On medium-high heat, heat corn syrup and sugar to boiling for 9 minutes, or until temperature reaches 238 degrees Fahrenheit. Start mixer on slow and slowly pour sugar syrup over top. Beat until cool and marshmallows are very fluffy. Add vanillas, salt, and peppermint and mix. Add a bit of red food coloring and mix just enough to make swirls. Add to a prepared 13X9 pan (prepare pan with parchment paper and spray with oil). Add crushed candy canes to top and press lightly. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Roll marshmallows in powdered sugar so that they do not stick.
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