Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows

Becoming a parent has afforded me the benefit of seeing the world anew.  I love watching my daughter get such pleasure from the smallest of things. Interacting with her reminds me of all the fun I had as a kid, and all the things that brought me pleasure; like having cookouts, going to the beach with my family, eating ice cream, candy, s'mores and toasted marshmallows. I want her to have all of those same pleasures, but without all the additives, and sugar. This is every moms wish I suppose. Some of us just give in and buy the box of cookies, and others like myself let the guilt eat us and try to offer our children other alternatives. Last week I was feeling very nostalgic and I wanted to let my daughter have a s'more. I could have bought store bought marshmallows, and graham crackers, but both are super easy to make, at home. So I decided to give them both a go, (recipe for the graham crackers coming soon).  This recipe for marshmallows is actually pretty good for you.  I used an organic grass-fed gelatin, which is composed of the amino acids, glycine and proline. These amino acids are great for over all immune health, and they are required for proper skin, hair, and nail growth. They also aid in digestion. These marshmallows contain no refined sugar. I used maple sugar, but you could use, agave, honey, coconut sugar, all are great options. Even if you use white table sugar, these will still be preservative free and very, very good! If you are like me and love marshmallow fluff, then dig into the finished product right away! It's super gooey and delicious! If messy isn't your thing, then wait and let them set.

Makes
45 marshmallows

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 Tablespoons of unflavored grass-fed gelatin
1 cup of maple sugar
1/2 cup of cold  water divided
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt

Equipment
A stand mixer or hand mixer

Directions:
Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil:

Pour 1/4 cup of the water into mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let sit until gelatin becomes very firm about 15 minutes:

Meanwhile,  add sugar, the remaining water and salt to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook gently swirling the pan until the sugar has dissolved completely and the temperature reaches 240 degrees, about 6-8 minutes:

Turn the mixer on low  and slowly add the hot sugar mixture to the gelatin:

Once the sugar mixture is added, turn the mixer on high. Beat until firm peaks form, and the mixture is very thick about 10-12 minutes:

Pour out into a foil lined pan. Smooth out, and enjoy immediately, or cover and allow to set at room temperature over night.

When you are ready, you can cut out cute shapes like I did, or just squares.  I lightly dusted a cutting board with some cornstarch, and turned the marshmallow slab out onto the cutting board.  Then I spayed my cookie cutters with coconut oil, and made these lovely shapes:

These go great with graham crackers and chocolate, or in my recipe for Banana Marshmallow Split!

Do tell, what are some of your favorite childhood treats? Do you still eat them?