Homemade Marshmallows

I have been told that once I eat a homemade marshmallow, I will never buy another bag. Well, they must be really good, because as a few of my Facebook friends pointed out last night, you can buy a bag for only a dollar. But, I was intrigued by the idea of making marshmallows at home, so I searched for a recipe that looked relatively easy. My plan was to make them for our very first snow day. You know, when school actually cancels and we play until we are chilled to the bone and need hot chocolate to recover. Hot chocolate with marshmallows of course. Our plan for a snow day was a bust because we only had a 2 hour delay, but we did have hot chocolate with marshmallows for breakfast!

{Here's what you need to make these heavenly puffs of sweetness}

• 2 1/2 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup of cold water
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• another 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
• powdered sugar

1. Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of water in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. (this is not a job for a hand mixer) Allow that to stand for about 30 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the other 1/2 cup of water. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Turn the heat to high and cook the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. (about 12 minutes)

4.Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour this mixture into the gelatin mixture. Mixer set on low, with the whisk attachment.

5. Once you have added all the syrup mixture, increase the speed to high and continue beating until the mixture becomes thick and white. It can take about 15 minutes, but my mixer started making a strange noise about 12 minutes in, so I stopped there.

6. Add the vanilla. Mix it in.

7. Oil a 13x9 inch baking pan and dust it generously with powdered sugar. This is very important! The powdered sugar is the key to getting the sticky marshmallows out of the pan when they are set.

8.Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, sprinkle with more powdered sugar, and allow them to set up over night.

9. Run your knife around the outside of the pan to loosen the marshmallows and pull them out. Cut into squares and dust with more powdered sugar so they don't stick together.

 I'll admit it, they are quite tasty! I might still buy a bag or two every now and then because sometimes, I am just too lazy to make them all the time. But, I will definitely be making these again!