Pop one of these homemade Marshmallows into your mouth, close your eyes, sink your teeth into a fluffy pillow of sweet delight covered in a coating of toasted Coconut, and savour the moment as they melt away in the blink of an eye;)
I can assure you that once you've tasted homemade Marshmallows, store-bought will never be good enough again.
Most Marshmallow recipes online are way too complex for me. They involve boiling a sugar syrup to just the right temperature, or until it reaches the firm ball stage; not stirring during cooking otherwise, the syrup can crystallize.
I will try the 'proper' method one day, but those who know my cooking style will know by now that my go-to recipes are quick and easy without compromising the dish in any way! Hence, I started collecting no-fuss, easy but delicious recipes soon after I married back in the 70s, a long time ago indeed!
The kitchen's always been my happy place. I loved helping my Ouma and Mom Lily before I could even read, but I was merely helping, not doing the actual cooking! Fortunately, hubby was just as kind as my Dad, and always thanked me for a delicious dinner, even when I knew it was awful;)
Along came Ella, the new secretary in the office of land surveyors where I worked as a learner draughtswoman. She was much older than me, a super-organised secretary who also excelled at cooking and baking! Her family were avid caravanners, so most weekends saw them going down the coast to a resort where their caravan was permanently parked. Naturally, being a camper, Ella was a no-fuss cook and baker. She was also generous, bringing teatime treats into the office and sharing her fuss-free recipes with me.
The heavenly, super-easy melt-in-the-mouth Marshmallows I'm sharing with you today is one of Ella's recipes. I often made them for my sons but had to hide it from hubby, who was diabetic from childhood days. He, however, could indulge if he was having a sugar low.
The mixture is perfect for making party treats. My sons used to join me for marshmallow fun; I pretended not to see them sneaking teaspoonsful when my back was turned.
I would pipe it into an ice cream cone, and the boys would sprinkle them with 100s & 1000s or chocolate vermicelli, or we'd pipe the marshmallow mixture into edible cookie cups, seal them with a Marie biscuit, and decorate them as hats.
I'm sure if I had no 'helpers', there would have been many more Marshmallow ice cream cones and hats;) But it was fun!
If the mixture starts to set, one simply places it over a bowl of hot water and beats it a little.
Marshmallows, of course, also can be toasted on the braai (BBQ), and the homemade ones are absolutely scrumptious when toasted!
I did not have all the paraphernalia to make hats and cones this time, so I only made square Marshmallows dipped in lightly toasted fine Coconut.
Ella's No-Cook Marshmallows
Simple ingredients required:
- 40ml (20g) Gelatine
- 60ml Cold Water
- 200ml boiling Water
- 500ml Castor Sugar
- 2ml Salt
- 5ml Vanilla Essence
- 1 Egg White
- Approx 125ml fine desiccated Coconut
Lightly toast coconut in 170°C oven, stirring from time to time to ensure it doesn't burn
Bloom gelatine in the cold water
Place sugar, salt, Vanilla, and the egg white into a large mixing bowl
Pour boiling water over bloomed gelatine, mix lightly, pour over sugar mixture
Beat for 15-20 Minutes in an electric mixer on high - the mixture will thicken and greatly increase in volume
Sprinkle toasted coconut in a 22 x 22cm sprayed pan, spoon thick Marshmallow mixture on top
Flatten with a spatula, sprinkle more coconut on top, and smooth the top
The Long Wait!
Leave the mixture to stand for at least 6 hours before attempting to cut into squares, or your Marshmallows will not be properly set, and you will not be able to cut neat squares!
Do not be tempted to place it in the refrigerator; simply lightly cover it with a food net and leave it at room temperature. Move it out of the kitchen if there will be a lot of steam from cooking. The Marshmallows need to dry out.
Spray the knife before cutting, clean after each cut, and spray again, till done
I used a ruler to try and cut even squares!
Carefully remove from pan, roll sides in coconut, and you're all done!
Serve on a pretty plate and see how fast these delicious light and fluffy Marshmallows disappear!
Store at room temperature in an airtight container, not in the refrigerator!
(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Not too many, or the tooth fairy will visit you ♥
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