I knew I wanted to make homemade marshmallows to take on our Memorial Weekend Camping Trip as a part of our Nutella S’mores. Then, as I was in the early stages of making them, I decided that orange-flavored marshmallows sounded just divine – chocolate, graham crackers, hazelnut, and Orange Cream Marshmallows. Yes. A new recipe was born. And because marshmallows can seem a little intimidating and involved, I decided to make this a step-by-step photo tutorial.
First, you boil water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt (to about 240 degrees). Meanwhile, you pour unflavored gelatin and cold water into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
With the mixer on low speed, pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Increase the speed to high and whip for 12-15 minutes.
During this stage, there will be a lot of steam wafting from your mixing bowl. Your Kitchenaid will receive a nice steam facial. I stood by with a clean kitchen towel and wiped down my mixer and she looked shiny and new.
You can also use the whipping time to zest and juice your orange. Or if you’re just making plain classic vanilla marshmallows, you can skip this step. You also need to grease and dust a 9×13 pan with a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You have time for all of these steps while mixing.
In the last minute of mixing, add your vanilla, orange zest, and freshly-squeezed orange juice. Your mixture will look shiny and pretty like this and will feel lukewarm.
Pour your mixture into your prepared pan with the help of a sturdy rubber spatula. Work quickly as the cooler it gets, the more difficult it becomes to work with.
This part can be a little messy, but oh so fun.
You want your pan to look something like this.
Then, you want to dust the top of your marshmallows with more of that powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture, using a sifter or fine mesh sieve. This ensures that your marshmallows are dusted on all sides, which makes them less sticky and easier to work with later. Let them rest and set up in a cool place 2-4 hours.
Dust your work surface with powdered sugar/cornstarch (and have more standing by). Dust a pizza wheel. Turn your marshmallow out onto the work surface in one large rectangle. Using the pizza wheel, cut the marshmallows into desired size squares. Dust the sticky edges with more of the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture. Store marshmallows in a plastic zipper bag or a sealed container to keep fresh.
Consume happily, make some s’mores or hot chocolate, and share with friends. They will be the fluffiest, yummiest marshmallows you’ve ever tasted.
Orange Cream Marshmallows
Base marshmallow recipe adapted from [Alton Brown via Food Network|http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html]
Yields: Approx. 8 dozen
- 3 packages unflavored gelatin
- 1c ice cold water, divided
- 1-1/2c sugar
- 1c light corn syrup
- 1/4t salt
- 1t vanilla extract
- zest of one orange
- juice of half an orange
- 1/4c powdered sugar
- 1/4c cornstarch
- Nonstick spray
Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, 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 if you have one) and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 more 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.
Meanwhile, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal 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.
Add the vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice during the last minute of whipping.
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 in a cool place for 2-4 hours.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a dusted cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, 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.
