Recipe: Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows
Newsgroup: rec.food.recipes/Janie McKinney
Adapted from Ideals: Desserts, Candy, and Cookie Cookbook (1978)

MARSHMALLOWS (a good standard marshmallow recipe)
Makes about 80 pieces

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup hot water
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons vanilla
Confectioners' sugar (to dust the surface on which you turn the marshmallow out of the pan)
Confectioners' sugar (to cover marshmallows with -- optional)
Dipping chocolate (to dip marshmallows in -- optional)

In a saucepan, combine sugar, hot water, and corn syrup. Cover and bring to a rolling boil; uncover and cook to 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. In a mixer bowl, soak gelatin in water. Slowly pour cooked mixture into gelatin mixture, beating constantly. When mixture begins to thicken, add vanilla. Beat until marshmallow stocks to beaters (about 10 minutes). Pour into a buttered 8-inch square pan. When cool turn out on a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar; cut into squares with wet shears. Dip in chocolate, cover with confectioners' sugar, or use "as is."

NO-COOK MARSHMALLOWS
More tender than previous recipe, stays moist longer.
Makes about 100 pieces

1/2 cup cold water
4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups invert sugar*
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Soak gelatin in cold water and set aside. In a saucepan, combine warm water, sugar, and invert sugar. Heat, but do not boil. Pour into a mixing bowl and add gelatin, corn syrup, and vanilla. Whip until white and doubled in bulk. Pour into a buttered 12 x 18-inch pan and let set 24 hours before cutting. Squares may be rolled in toasted coconut, dipped in chocolate, or rolled in confectioners' sugar.

*Invert sugar is cane sugar in liquid form. It improves the quality and keeping properties of candy. If it crystallizes, place over hot water until it liquefies.