Homemade Marshmallow Recipe

You guys, marshmallows are STICKY. And MESSY. But so much fun!

I made homemade marshmallows last night as a project for work. (I got the recipe from the Martha Stewart website.) I've never made marshmallows before and honestly had never considered making them before last night. Homemade fudge? Use marshmallow sauce. Campfire s'mores? Buy marshmallows at the store. Put mini marshmallows in your hot chocolate on a cold winter night. 

From now on, I'm making my marshmallows homemade. These things are yummy!

First off, you want to definitely make sure that you have a candy thermometer before starting this project. You need to make sure that you head the corn syrup mixture to the correct temperature. Secondly, you have to know that these things can be a mess. Especially in the last steps, when you have to use powdered sugar, so I'd keep a broom hand. I had these big beautiful eyes staring at me the whole time while I was cooking, waiting to see if I'd let her lick up all the powdered sugar that fell on the floor.

Still ready to make marshmallows? Ok, let's go!

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for brushing
• 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with oil. Line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment with oil; set aside.

2. Put granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, without stirring, until mixture registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 8-9 minutes. (Make sure to check after 7 minutes and keep checking every 30 seconds to get to the right temperature.)

3. Meanwhile, put 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer; sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.

4. Attach bowl with gelatin to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With mixer on low speed, beat hot syrup into gelatin mixture. Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Set aside, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours.

Now here comes the messy part...

5. Sift 1 cup confectioners' sugar onto a work surface. Unmold marshmallow onto confectioners' sugar; remove parchment. (I used a cutting board, it's a smooth, flat surface and makes it easier to cut the marshmallows.) Lightly brush a sharp knife with oil, then cut marshmallow into 2-inch squares. Sift remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and roll each marshmallow in the sugar to coat. Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.

So... did they turn out well? Let me know in the comments below!

Dark Chocolate Baileys Cupcakes

When I'm bored and the boys are playing Pathfinder (another form of Dungeons and Dragons, for those who don't know) -- an occurrence that takes place way more often than I care to admit -- I tend to turn to baking.

The most popular amongst the boys are what I call "alcoholic cupcakes." I'll definitely be posting more of these in a separate blog. What's fun about these cupcakes is that I get to experiment with some of the alcohol that I have on hand (gin, rum, tequila, ect) to create very flavorful cupcakes.

Today, I ran across these super yummy dark chocolate cupcakes with Baileys from Food.com. Baileys is a big favorite of mine, on the rocks or in coffee, so I instantly knew that I had to try them. If you're feeling a little more daring than I was the first time around, eliminate the coffee altogether from the frosting for a nice kick of Baileys.

Ingredients:

• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 3⁄4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons coffee liqueur (Baileys)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp (1 stick)
• 1 teaspoon brewed coffee, cooled
• 2 -4 teaspoons coffee liqueur (Baileys)
• 2 -3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix together flour. cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, and egg until smooth.

4. Whisk in flour and buttermilk, alternating between the two until it has all be added and mixture looks even. Then add Baileys.

5. Scoop batter into 12 cupcake liners. (I tend to use a 1/4 cup to scoop and use for proper measurement.)

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. (Don't they look so pretty?)

Frosting 

1. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. 

2. Add the Bailey's, coffee, and beat in one cup of powdered sugar at a time until smooth.

These turned out very well! Next time I think I might make a ganache to add to the center of each cupcake. 

Try it yourself and tell me what you think!

My ultimate dream: food trucks

Someday, I'll own a food truck.

Food trucks are big right now, have you noticed? If you can't afford a restaurant, just buy a food truck and BOOM! Sensation.

The great thing about a food truck is that you can do absolutely anything with it. You can specialize in anything from tacos (most often done) or just grilled cheese to crepes or cupcakes. Actually, you don't really even need to have a specialization. Just a cool name and you're good to go.

In Chico, we have the Wander Food Truck, which is an interesting sensation. It made a huge stir when it appeared because of the unique types of meals it serves. For example: You take ordinary macaroni and cheese with bow tie pasta (simple right?) and add some toasted cheddar crumbs (still sticking with the cheese theme). Then, they add shallot jam (wait... what?) and, finally, you have a choice to add maple bacon, slow pork, or roasted vegetables.

Now, you might not think this tastes good but it's a HIT with my coworkers. The Wander Truck shows up and suddenly everyone appears with mac and cheese in hand, chowing down on the random goodness.

But back to my original statement, someday I would definitely love to own a food truck.

Until then, please enjoy the sweet and savory recipes that I post about.

Thanks for stopping by!