Peppermint Marshmallows

Because I can.  There's no other explanation for why a person would make marshmallows at home except that they can.  And perhaps because you can control the flavoring and they are so much oozier in hot chocolate than the store bought kind. 

Are they easy?  Perhaps for those that are good at making candy.  Candymaking happens to be my kitchen achilles heel--I can never figure the stuff out.  This recipe didn't go so well the first time around...

This is what burnt and overcooked sugar looks like.  Worse than ruining the first batch of marshmallows is trying to figure out what to do with 360 degree sugar you know will turn to a solid mass when cooled.  Pour it in the garbage and you've melted through the bag.  Pour it in the sink and you'll have plumbing issues.  I decided the best solution was to pour it into ice water to create fabulous sugar sculpture perfect for the trash can.
One more time with the sugar...

Apparently before it burns, you should drizzle this and then some dissolved gelatin into whipped egg whites.  Whip it all together for a bit more...

I added one teaspoon of peppermint extract to mine.  This is the perfect amount to flavor hot chocolate when the marshmallows melt, but entirely way too much to make these marshmallows edible plain. Once cooled they can be cut into squares or shapes...

And then it's on to the hot chocolate.  Homemade hot chocolate is so easy, I've never understood the packaged kind.  It's just as easy to heat up milk as it is to boil water.  And when you make it yourself, it doesn't have crazy ingredients like corn syrup solids or any of those preservatives.  It's just milk,  cocoa, vanilla and a bit of sweetener.

The dutch processed cocoa makes a big difference--something about having alkali to neutralize its acids.  Sounds like science to me, so I just say it makes a much better tasting cocoa. 

Hot Chocolate
2 cups milk
5 tsps cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps of sweetener.  (The marshmallows will send you and the cocoa into sugar shock)
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and whisk over medium until hot. Pour into mugs and top with marshmallows and serve. 

Peppermint Marshmallows
Dorie Greenspan Baking from My House to Yours

Ingredients
About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar*

Preparation

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet — choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high — with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup — without stirring — until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy — don’t overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won’t fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They’ll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you’ll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you’d like — into squares, rectangles or even strips.

Gratuitous Christmas tree shot because someone mentioned they should all be coming down soon.  I say nay.