Peppermint Marshmallows

I made these for the first time this year and love them! Not only do they smell great, they taste awesome alone or in hot chocolate.

What you need:
Butter for greasing
1/2 cup powdered sugar (maybe more)
2 1/2 Tbl. of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
 1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
Another 1/2 cup of water
1 tsp. peppermint extract
red food coloring
candy thermometer

What to do:
Take out a 9 x 12 glass baking dish (yes! I said glass, not stoneware this time) and grease it with butter. If you don't have that exact size, use something close. Dust the butter with powdered sugar, then set the dish aside.

I highly recommend using an eletric mixer a few steps below, so you might as well get it out now. If you have a stand mixer, even better. In a bowl (the one you'll use with your stand mixer), sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of water and let it soften during the next step.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup of water over low heat. Keep stirring everything until the sugar dissolves completely. Heat to boiling. Attach your candy thermometer to the side of the pan, and WITHOUT stirring (this is hard for me) cook it for about 30 minutes to 240'F on the candy thermometer. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature at 240'F. If it gets too warm, you will be on your way to making hard candy instead of marshmallows. When 30 minutes is up, remove the pan from the heat (if you're using a gas burner, turn off the gas; if you're using an electric burner, move it to another burner).

This is where I recommend an elecctric mixer. I don't recommend attempting this by hand. If you have a stand mixer, set it on slow speed and slowly add the syrup syrup mixture. (If you're using a hand electric mixer, add a little bit, mix; add a little more, mix some more; repeat until it's all added.) Beat the mixture on high until it triples in volume, about 8-10 minutes. At this point, it will begin to look like marshmallow cream. When you've reached this point, add the peppermint extract and beat for one more minute.

Dig out your spatula, grab your bowl and head over to your pre-buttered dish. Pour the mixture into the dish using the spatula to scrape the sides. Then, wet your hands with water and pat the mixture down in the dish until it's fairly flat (do not attempt this with dry hands). Drop a few random drops of red  food coloring on the mixture, then pull a knife or fork through the mixture to create swirls. When you're done, it will look like you bled all over the marshmallow mixture, but don't worry, it will look better tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow. Walk away from it at this point and let it stand UNCOVERED (another hard one for me) over night, or at least eight hours.

The next day, spread some powdered sugar on a cutting board. Take a butter knife to loosen the edges of the marshmallow mixture from the dish. Your goal is to remove it in one piece. If you don't, no one will know. (Personally, I loosened the edges with a knife, then flipped the dish over on to the cutting board. You can try lifting it out of the pan like the original directions say. Either way, the marshmallow mixture should end up on the cutting board.)

Now you'll need  a sharp knife, butter and a small bowl of powdered sugar. Butter the sharp knife on both sides and keep it around to re-butter the knife as needed. Cut the marshmallows into 1-inch squares (9 rows by 12 rows) or choose another sized of your liking. You could try this with cookie cutters if you're really daring. Dip each marshmallow into the powdered sugar bowl making sure you give each side a good dusting.

When you're done, store them in an air tight container for about three weeks. If you use a 9 x 12 pan and cut 1-inch squares, you'll get about 108 marshmallows, but the end amount will vary depending on how big you cut them. People will be amazed you made your own marshmallows and crown you queen of the hot chocolate!


(Adapted from Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies 74 Recipe Cards All with Photos)