Farm Kitchen Marshmallows

The Farmer’s Wife enjoys making all things from scratch ONCE. She takes a nibble. A bite. And decides. Is it worth it? Is the time spent and ingredients used worth all the fuss? For some things, the answer is no. She buys her ketchup, because no matter how many times and ways she tries, she just can’t beat the kind from the store—that Heinz lady really knows what she’s doing! She buys her cheddar cheeses and her blue cheeses, because who has the months to wait when you want a bit of cheese right now?

And she used to buy her marshmallows.

How could she, a simple Farmer’s Wife hope to create fluffy clouds that hold their shape just until they met a cup of hot cocoa or a warm ember’s blaze? No. She was not up to the task.

Year after year, bag after bag. It would’ve continued like this for some time I am afraid, if her Family hadn’t held an intervention. They sat her down and set before her a steaming cup of hot chocolate, freshly made in that very kitchen. Next to it was the dreaded plastic bag. Her face fell into her hands in dismay. Yes. She would try. For them.

Ten minutes and twelve hours later, another cup of hot chocolate was made, this one capped with an oozing bit of marshmallow-ee delight. One taste and she knew. She’d never go back to store-bought marshmallows again.

Homemade marshmallows are so vastly different than anything you can buy, I’m sure you’ll come to feel the same as her. And they’re surprisingly easy to make.

Here’s the Farmer’s Wife’s Way:

In which one tablespoon unflavored gelatin is mixed with two tablespoons water and set aside. Following that, a quarter cup of corn syrup is placed in a pan with the same amount of water. To that pan three quarters cups sugar is added, of the white and granulated variety. Before getting that started cooking, dust generously a loaf pan with confectioner sugar and set that to the side as well. In your mixer, set two egg whites a-whipping. Now, turn the heat on the pan, stirring all the while. You want it to get to 235 degrees, or the soft ball stage. I’m not going to tell you about how that stage works or how you can test it, because really, if you’re going to make candy and make it well, invest in a kitchen thermometer. It’s worth it.

Now, back to the marshmallows: Keep your eye on those whites—don’t over whip! When the syrup gets to 235, turn the heat off and stir in the softened gelatin. It will bubble up something fierce. Keep stirring. Hopefully, by this point your whites are peaking, and if they are slowly drizzle the syrup/gelatin in, while the mixer’s still going. If they’re not peaked yet—what are you waiting for—turn that mixer up! Once all the syrup is in, turn the mixer on full and let it whirl. After a couple minutes or five, the whites will be glossy and peaked once more. Turn the mixer on low and stir in any flavors you like. For her basic marshmallow, the Farmer’s Wife adds a quarter teaspoon vanilla. But do whatever you’d like. They’re your marshmallows!

The bowl gets poured into the waiting loaf pan and the top is dusted with more confectionary sugar. Cover loosely with a towel and let set overnight. Cut in whichever sizes and shapes you like, only make sure to dust each side with more powdered sugar, or they’ll stick together. These keep for a bit sealed at room temperature, although that’s not likely.  They’re fairly addicting.