Homemade Marshmallows

Thank you Smitten Kitchen for this amazing recipe. When I found her blog, I completely fell in love and had to try these out. I wanted to make a fun party favor for the upcoming Activities Day Halloween party. I received an email from Katie-did Design's sent out a freebie "Ghost Poop" label and thought it would be super fun to hand these out to the girls at the party. Of course, store bought marshmallows weren't enough and so I did my first attempt at homemade marshmallows. They turned out perfect! Listen- ladies and gents, if I can do it...so can you!! They're soft, fluffy and scrumptious. Perfect for hot cocoa, s'mores and ghost poop.

Recipe:
About 1 C confectioner's sugar
3 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 C cold water (divided)
2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Large egg whites
1 Tbl vanilla

Oil a 13x9x2 metal baking pan and dust the bottom and sides with powdered sugar. I was having a bit of trouble getting the powdered sugar to stick to the sides but Kyle had a genius idea of putting powdered sugar in the pan then turning the pan and tapping the bottom while the sugar falls into place...what a smartie.

In a large bowl pour 1/2 C cold water. Sprinkle the gelatin on top of the water. Let it sit and soften.

Using a 6 quart (or 3 quart) heavy sauce pan heat the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 C of water on low until sugar dissolves.

Using a cooking thermometer, turn the heat up to moderate and boil the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees. This took about 10 minutes for me. Once it reached 240 degrees, remove from heat and pour into the large bowl containing the gelatin. Stir until gelatin is dissolved.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Set aside.

Whip sugar/gelatin mixture on high for 6-10 minutes or until the mixture has tripled in size.

Add the egg whites and vanilla beat just until it's combined. Do not overstir the mixture. Pour mixture into the oiled pan. Don't worry about scrapping the bowl, it can become messy, Just get as much as you can easily get into the pan.

Dust the top with a layer of powdered sugar. Place in the refrigerator uncovered until firm. If you're in a rush, give it at least three hours. I waited until the next morning just to be on the safe side.

Run a knife around the edges of the pan and slide the marshmallows onto a cutting board.

Using a oiled pizza cutter (or sharp knife) cut the marshmallows into 1x1 cubes. I sprayed Pam onto our pizza cutter and it worked perfectly. Using the remaining powdered sugar in the pain, roll the marshmallow cubes through the powdered sugar so all sides are covered. It helps get rid of any stickiness.

There you have it! You can kiss those jet-puffed mallows good-bye with this super simple but delicious recipe.

Thanks to Katie-did Design, I was able to print off these fun labels to make "Ghost Poop"!

Enjoy!