Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows
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My daughter loves marshmallows! We usually only break them out for smores and hot cocoa, but boy does she get excited when we do! I, too, love watching the marshmallow melt into a cloud on my hot chocolate. So delicious!
I feel terrible, however, giving her (and myself) a ‘treat' with such crummy ingredients. A typical store bought marshmallow can contain corn syrup, artificial color, artificial flavor, refined sugar and preservatives. Yuck!
I got to thinking, as the weather turned colder, that I needed to come up with a nourishing version of marshmallows, one that I wouldn't feel so bad about adding to our hot cocoa or warm milk.
As we were decorating our tree, after Thanksgiving, I was watching my daughter get excited over the candy canes that we were using to decorate our gingerbread house and got to thinking…why not make peppermint marshmallows?
So, I headed to the internet to see if I could find a good, healthy version of homemade marshmallows, figuring I could tweak it to make homemade peppermint marshmallows.
I looked it over and thought, with a few tweaks, I could make this recipe become my delicious homemade peppermint marshmallow recipe! And…I had success!
Now I am in no way suggesting that marshmallows are a ‘health' food. But, these are light years better than store bought and they contain gelatin which has many healing properties such as providing a great source of dietary collagen and amino acids to help tendons, ligaments and muscle growth. Gelatin also supports the joints and can aid in recovery from an injury. It also is good for hair, skin and nail growth and can act like a natural botox…tightening up loose skin! Finally gelatin is helpful for digestion and for healing the gut.
These homemade peppermint marshmallows are easy to make and last quite awhile. I hope you enjoy them this winter atop your hot cocoa!
Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water divided
- 3 tbsp gelatin orange container
- 1 cup honey
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract or 3-5 drops peppermint essential oil
- a couple drops of natural red food coloring optional
- Optional for a powdery finish and to keep marshmallows from sticking together: 1/4 cup powdered sugar, arrowroot powder or gmo free cornstarch
- *You will also need a candy thermometer and either a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Instructions
- Line 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil and dust with powdered sugar/arrowroot/cornstarch if using.
- In mixing bowl, dissolve 3 tbsp gelatin in 1/2 cup of water and set aside.
- Bring 1/2 cup of water, honey and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until it is at 240 degrees F ("soft ball stage"). Remove from heat.
- Slowly pour the hot liquid into the mixing bowl and mix on low until incorporated. Increase speed to high until consistency becomes thicker.
- Add vanilla and peppermint extracts and food coloring (if using)
- Continue to mix until it is thick and creamy looking but not too stiff.
- Pour/scoop marshmallow moisture into the baking dish and spread evenly in pan.
- Let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Dust top of marshmallows with powdered sugar/arrowroot/cornstarch if using.
- Carefully remove from pan and cut into squares. (I found kitchen shears to be the easiest for this job)
- If you'd like to keep them from sticking, put them in a pile or a bowl and dust with more powdered sugar/arrowroot/cornstarch and toss until all sides are coated.
- These will keep in an airtight container for about a week.
- They also freeze very well! You don't even really have to thaw them. Just be sure to dust them with extra powdered sugar/arrowroot/cornstarch before you freeze as they can get a little sticky coming back to room temp.
- Top on your hot cocoa and enjoy!!!
Notes
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This post is featured at: Real Food Wednesday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Old Fashioned Friday
It is not a good idea to use honey as an ingredient in foods that need to be cooked or baked. You are better off using rapadura or some other natural sugar.
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/is-cooking-honey-unhealthy/