Recently, I’ve been on a making-things-at-home-that-you-could-easily-buy in-a-box/bag kick. It’s something that I’ve been enjoying, and especially because I have a lot of extra time on my hands…

Marshmallows are something that I rarely eat. Gelatin is actually made from boiling animal bones, so it’s a no-can-do for me… but I did my research and found that most kosher gelatins (which you can find in the natural foods section of a grocery store) are vegetarian! (I used Liebers incase you were wondering…).

3 1oz packages of unflavored gelatin
1 c. ice cold water, divided in half
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. white corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch

In a large bowl, mix gelatin with 1/2 cup of cold water and let sit. In the meantime, bring remaining water, sugar, corn syrup and salt to a boil on the stove. With a candy thermometer, heat liquid to 240 degrees. Once it immediately hits the temperature, remove from heat and add to gelatin. Use an electric mixer and whip the hot candy on high until it starts to get very thick and luke-warm (should take a full 10 minutes). Once white, add vanilla and whip for a few more minutes.

Mix together cornstarch and confectioners sugar. Lay out two large sheets of parchment paper on a table and cover with the powder mixture. Take either a ziplock or pastry bag and fill with warm marshmallow mixture. Trim end so that it’s about 1/2″ thick, then slowly squeeze dollops onto the parchment paper (have fun! I made hearts and and kinds of cool shapes). Once you’re finished, cover with more of the confectioners/cornstarch mixture. Let your marshmallows harden on the counter overnight. When you wake up in the morning they’ll be ready!

Note for making the best marshmallows: This was BUNCHES of fun! Remarkably, they taste exactly like the bagged ‘mallows and like I said, I made a bunch of different shapes… Neat idea: I’ve been sticking a couple of these in my coffee instead of sugar in the morning! These would go wonderfully with the spicy hot chocolate I made for christmas…

Stolen from my favorite, Alton Brown!