Failed marshmallows

[blakdove]

I attempted to make marshmallows last night for the first time. I failed. Being a first-timer, I'm not sure what I did wrong, but I now have a pan of peppermint-flavored marshmallow rubber. It tastes good, but you can't actually eat it because it's so danged messy

Comments

[cymrullewes]

Use it for anything you'd use that calls for marshmallow creme or Fluff.

So, lets troubleshoot the marshmallows themselves. Sugar syrup to 240F and the poured slowly in to bloomed gelatin with the stand mixer going on low until all the syrup is in then flip it to high and let it go until it looks like glossy meringue? Poured in to a powdered (cornflour or powdered sugar) dish, powdered on top and let set for at least 2 hours?

[blakdove]

Thank you! And thanks for being willing to trouble-shoot the marshmallows.

Yes, sugar syrup to 240 (though don't know whether my candy thermometer is calibrated). It was doing the soft-ball thing in cold water -- or at least my understanding of soft-ball. Not sure what bloomed gelatin means, but I sprinkled it into water and let it stand while I cooked the syrup, so by the time I added the syrup, it was gelatin mush. Poured in the syrup slowly down the side, beating with a hand mixer (don't have a stand one) on low with a whisk attachment. Then flipped to higher and higher until high. Beat until it started getting stringy, so I'm guessing it either cooled too fast or I just didn't beat enough (I didn't time, but I beat at least 10-12 minutes). Poured into an oiled dish (my recipe didn't say to powder it, but that makes sense) and set overnight in the fridge.

[cymrullewes]

Yup, bloomed gelatin is when the powder or leaf has softened in the water.

It's really difficult for the syrup to cool too fast. Especially with a hand mixer. You need to beat it longer than stringy. Timing isn't really an issue but the amount of air added.

I just got a bottle of cinnamon extract so I'm planning on making Aztec marshmallows soon. I'll take some photos because they're clearer than verbal descriptions.

I've seen recipes calling for oiled dish but the one time I tried it, it didn't work well.

[blakdove]

Thanks! I figured I didn't beat it long enough, but my arm was pretty much dead :P I think next time I try, if I still just have a hand mixer, I'll park myself at a table and rest my arm on it.

[softy5310]

My question would be, why would they be mint flavored? A mint flavored marshmallow, interesting. I'veverer atempted making my own, but I think that'd be fun sometime.

[blakdove]

Peppermint marshmallows are delicious! Especially in hot chocolate.

[softy5310]

Oo, that sounds fabulous!!

[kamaliitaru]

I agree what you probably didn't whip it enough, but I wanted to add my 2cents worth. I made peppermint marshmallows a year ago, and found that they got pretty strongly peppermint after they were in an airtight container for about a week. So be prepared if you don't use them all.

Yea, you can use it anywhere fluff is called for. Personally, I would make Peppermint Cocoa Krispies, with cocoa crispies cereal. That sounds really good to me...

[blakdove]

Thanks. I thought about peppermint cocoa krispies, or chocolate cheerios, but didn't have any in the house. With 2 very small kids, I tend to avoid going to the grocery store just for one thing, and had to make something RIGHT NAO, so fudge it was. Even so, I made my own evaporated milk (didn't have canned) and found a recipe with brown sugar (didn't have granulated) to avoid going to the store :)

[ufos8mycat]

I will see if I can send bluebuckeye over here for some marshmallow-making tips. I know she's done them a couple times. She might be able to offer some advice.

[blakdove]

Thanks!

[bluebuckeye]

I'm going to agree with cymrullewes in that you probably didn't mix it long enough. But it's possible your issues are environmental instead of methodological. The first time I made them it was summer and very humid out so it took mine a very long time to set (over 10 hours), and even then they weren't that stiff. Has it been humid around you recently? Give that sugar is hydroscopic the marshmallows will literally suck the water right out of the air and never fully dry out enough to set. That could definitely affect the consistency.

As to what to use it for, I'd get some chocolate cookies, and put the fluff in the middle to make cookie sandwiches.

[blakdove]

It has been humid here, for sure.

I ended up making fudge. It turned out good. The stuff was really too rubbery to fill cookies, even, but worked well for the fudge!