Since we’re doing a dessert/candy bar at the wedding, I’ve been deciding which treats we’ll be serving. Since I love baking, I thought it would be fun to come up with some foods I could make ahead of time and serve at the wedding. Since our colors are black & white, we’re sticking mostly to sweets that fit that color scheme. We have also added some green treats (mostly candy) since it’s an accent color 
However I was looking to make something white, since chocolate-anything pretty much satisfies the black color requirement. I decided on marshmallows and enlisted my good friend (and bridesmaid), Jes, to help me.
Unfortunately, and much like Jes and I when we conspire together, we didn’t fully plan things out. We came up with the great plan, and the tools to accomplish it, but we didn’t think it all the way through. Because you see, most marshmallow recipes include a 12-24 hour wait time. Hmmm. We didn’t have 12-24 hours. So we went with a version that didn’t require as much wait time and kind-of blended it with the first recipe we had.
Let’s get started!
We used Alton Brown’s recipe from The Food Network (one of my favorite channels to watch by the way).
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 3 packages unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup ice cold water, divided
- 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- Nonstick spray
First you put the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water.
Then, in a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture.
Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.
Jes is also known as the “Messy Chef.” At least, by me she is! I might even go so far as to say messy cooking is fun cooking!
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan.
Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. (Note: we actually didn’t wait 4 hours, we just waited until they cooled to the touch.)
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture.
Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
After we cut them we decided to try them! They were definitely the right consistency, and very soft, but they tasted a bit different. We concluded it was because we’re so used to the over-sugared grocery store versions that this one simply tasted not sweet enough.
We even experimented with dipping them in chocolate and other sauces, but ultimately I decided they weren’t gonna make the cut for the wedding. It was still a fun project and a half a day I got to spend with Jes & Rayah…and that alone made it worth all the effort!
