chocolate covered marshmallows...

so first a warning... you will eat these until you become sick... and even with a stomach ache... you will contemplate eating yet another one... they are that good... so you should make some... hehehe...

originally the plan was to make homemade peeps from the homemade marshmallows... i tried rolling a few in the colored sugar and i wasn't impressed... so a suggestion was made by the girlie to dip them in chocolate... well... that was a damn fine suggestion...

i have made a few homemade marshmallow recipes at this point... this time i used alton brown's recipe...

this recipe rocks and it makes delicious, fluffy marshmallows... the texture is just right and using the powered sugar/cornstarch comb is great... make these... seriously...



marshmallows

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water - divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
nonstick spray
2 bags chocolate chips for baking (or bars of chocolate)

place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. have the whisk attachment standing by.

(a little story. don't try to make marshmallows using a cheap-o hand mixer unless that is the last thing you want to make with it. apparently their motors like burn out at high speeds for 12 minutes - lame. anyway use a stand mixer to make marshmallows.)



in a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. while the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.



combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

when ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. reserve the rest for later. allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.



turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. this is the part where i used the cookie cutters. i was looking for little tiny ones. i ended up with one big bunny and one big duckie. cut the marshmallows one by one and then lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

covering the marshmallows in chocolate was pretty simple but definitely messy. i just melted some hershey's chocolate chips. i don't have a double boiler so i faked one by using two saucepans - one slightly larger then the other. i filled the larger one about halfway with water and brought it to a boil. then i added the chocolate to the smaller pot and placed it in the water. lower the heat to medium then just stir the chocolate until it melts...



i know you can melt chocolate in the microwave but i always burn it. plus i like this method because you can occasionally put the chocolate back in the water if it starts to get thick. or add more chocolate if you need it. i liked using the chips cuz they melted fast. but you can of course use the bars.

anyway. just tap off some of the extra sugar and toss the marshmellow into the chocolate. flip it around to make sure that it is covered and then pick up with a fork. scrap extra chocolate off fork by dragging on edge of bowl. place marshmallow on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. toss in fridge to harden.

so these tasted awesome. the chocolate coating did get a little melty if left out of the fridge too long. i think maybe next time i will try the chocolate melts from the candy store instead of straight chocolate for a harden coating.

but in the end... you don't care there is chocolate on your fingers... you are just sad that you hand is now empty...



so go grab another one...