Marshmallows
Let me start by saying I'm sorry the above picture is so dark. By the time I had finished making these and let them set it was dark outside. So I know it sounds odd to make marshmallows at home when they are so cheap at the store. But when you want to make something special out of them or cut them into an interesting shape it is hard to do with those perfectly symetrical qooey things in a bag. And you're lucky if you find a bag that doesn't have at least part of them impossibly melded together. So this year for Christmas I wanted to dip some in chocolate and sprinkle them with crushed peppermint. There are numerous recipes out there for producing these puffy pieces of perfection, and you can tint or flavor them anyway you want.
And in this case I wanted them to be slightly vanilla flavored but not overwhelmingly so. To start, put 1/2 cup water in a bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top. Allow it to dissolve and soften.
In a heavy bottom pan, add sugar, 1/3 cup water and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and insert candy thermometer.
While the sugar is cooking, place egg whites in bowl of mixer and beat till frothy. Add a pinch of salt and check that sugar syrup. When it reaches 210-220 degrees increase the speed of the mixer till the egg whites are are thick and puffy. When the syrup reaches 245 degrees, slowly pour the syrup down onto the egg whites while the mixer is still beating. Take care not to allow it to drip directly on the beater as it will get thrown onto the sides of the bowl and not down into the carefully beaten whites.
Once the syrup is all out, dump the gelatin into the pan and the residual heat will melt it. Pour the gelatin into the egg whites, then the vanilla. Beat for 5 more minutes.
You should already have a pan sprayed, lined with parchment and dusted with confectioners sugar. Now pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan and smooth with a wet spatula. Dust with more confectioners sugar and allow to set for a few hours or overnight.
Turn them out onto a powdered sugar dusted counter or sheet pan.
Use a sharp knife, scissors, or pizza cutting wheel to cut them into even squares. Then dust sides more powdered sugar so they don't stick together.
Now pop one in your mouth, purely for research purposes of course. Then I dipped half of each into melted chocolate and sprinkled some crushed peppermint on top. Boy were they good. Just the right amount of fluff, perfectly sweet and the crisp crunch of the peppermint made them the perfect treat and gift. Try them yourself. It will be worth it, trust me!