Chocolate + Vanilla Marshmallows

These are a little tricky to make, but only because you have to use glucose syrup and that stuff is super sticky!  You also need a candy thermometer.  I made chocolate and vanilla marshmallows; the recipe below makes one batch of your chosen flavour. 

My Vanilla Marshmallows turned out the best.  They were light and fluffy, and oh so dainty.  While mixing the chocolate ones I got excited about an email I received and decided to call Courtenay to share the news.  I turned the mixer off because it was a bit too loud while I was on the phone and when I get back to mixing the chocolate batch the mix had gone a bit thick and I forgot how long they still had left to be mixed.  So, I’m not sure if I over or under mixed them, but they had trouble holding their shape.  They tasted good, they just didn’t look appealing.

Icing sugar, for dusting tin
4 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1 ½ cups sugar
100ml glucose syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted (if making chocolate marshmallows)
Extra icing sugar and cocoa powder for dusting

Grease a 20 x 20cm tin.  Dust the inside of the tin with icing sugar (combined with a little bit of cocoa powder if making chocolate marshmallows), coating the the tin thoroughly.  Set aside.

Place the gelatine in a mixing bowl with 80ml of water.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Add the sugar, glucose syrup, and 80ml water to a small saucepan.  Stir over a medium heat until the sugar and syrup has dissolved.  Bring to boil until it reaches 125°C on a candy thermometer.  Remove from the heat.

With mixer on medium speed, carefully stream the hot syrup into the gelatin.  Once the mixture has become pale / white and increased slightly in volume, increase the speed to high  and add vanilla.  Continue to mix for 8 minutes.  Be careful not to over mix as this can result in a tough marshmallow (well, tough for a marshmallow).

If you are making chocolate marshmallows, add the cocoa powder to the mixture and when incorporated, turn mixer back up to high speed and mix for a few more seconds.

Pour into prepared tin and smooth out with spatula (hot water will stop this from sticking).  Cover with cling film and put in the fridge to set, preferably overnight.

Dust a bench with icing sugar (mixed with a little bit of cocoa powder if making chocolate marshmallows) and turn the marshmallow mixture out.  Transfer onto a chopping board and cut into squares (I used a hot wet knife).  Place some icing sugar (mixed cocoa powder if needed) in medium bowl.  Put the marshmallow squares into the bowl and coat the sides with the icing sugar.  Shake off the excess icing sugar.  Store in airtight container.