Heavenly Homemade Marshmallows

1. 1

   Line a 9x13 baking pan with plastic wrap. Spray with cooking spray and then lightly sift confectioner's sugar over and shake to coat the bottom and sides of pan.

2. 2

   Pour 1/2 cup of the cold water into the bowl of your mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin (both amounts) over the top and allow it to stand and begin to soften.

3. 3

   In a heavy bottomed 3 quart Dutch oven, place the remaining water, salt, granulated sugar, and corn syrup. Place over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.

4. 4

   Increase the burner to medium and heat the syrup, without stirring now, until it is boiling and registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. (This may take 10-15 minutes).

5. 5

   Remove the pan from heat and pour it over the gelatin mixture. Stir until well combined and gelatin is dissolved.

6. 6

   Begin beating the mixture on high speed until super thick and glossy white. This should come close to tripling in volume (it will take 5-8 minutes with a stand mixer).

7. 7

   In a separate bowl, beat your egg whites until they begin to form peaks.

8. 8

   Beat the egg whites and your flavoring (vanilla or other) into the thick marshmallow mixture until they are just combined.

9. 9

   Pour this into your prepared baking pan.

10. 10

    Pour 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar into a flour sifter and sift over the top of the marshmallow-filled pan.

11. 11

    Place the uncovered pan in the refrigerator and chill them until set, about 4 hours.

12. 12

    Take a clean pan and place about 1/2 cup of cornstarch in the bottom.

13. 13

    Remove the pan containing your marshmallows from the refrigerator, and invert onto a cutting board. Remove the plastic wrap from the marshmallows, then cut into 1 inch strips with a thin sharp knife, or, (what I used) a bench scraper. Use a quick, downward motion to cut each strip into 1 inch cubes (read, no sawing motions!). You may need to clean and dry your knife from time to time. As you cut several cubes, toss them in the pan with the cornstarch. Use your hands to shake the excess cornstarch off, then place them in a container and cover with plastic wrap.

14. 14

    These should keep, at room temperature, about 1 week. But I did stick some in the refrigerator because we became infatuated with the taste/texture of the chilled marshmallows!

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.