Last week I woke up early and headed to the flower market, which is one of my favorite activities. While it’s always kinda chilly and damp at the flower market, it’s also beautiful and full of life, especially during the holidays.
I decorated the kitchen with a beautiful garland, I bought gorgeous little ceramic houses and mini decorative trees. But, as of like this last weekend, I still had my fall pumpkins at the doorstep. Lol. Life is busy and this season moves so quickly for me!
I’m glad I was able to take some time this weekend and decorate the proper way. I also spent some time eating these marshmallows in a warm cup of cocoa and let me tell you they are SO good.
For this post, I teamed up with KitchenAid® and their Artisan® Stand Mixer, which is one of the tools in my kitchen that I pretty much use every single day. For years, I baked without one and life was so much harder then. Why is a stand-up mixer amazing, you might ask? Here are some things that I love about it:
1. KitchenAid Stand Mixers are really good quality. You will buy them once and they will last you a VERY long time.
2. You can make a wide-range of things in a Stand Mixer. Remember my mashed potatoes? I mix all sorts of things in it. It’s not just for baking.
3. A lot of steps are now hands-free. If you’re creaming butter and sugar together (the first step in a lot of cookies), you can just let it do its thing while you get the rest of the ingredients together. It allows you to multi-task.
In this recipe, in particular, it allows you to actually pour the hot syrup into the mixer as it’s going. You don’t need a friend or partner. The mixer is your friend.
This marshmallow is magical. The cocoa nibs really give nice texture to these marshmallows and the peppermint extract is just enough of that peppermint-y flavor—it’s not too overpowering. They’re fluffy and delicious and perfect for that cup of hot cocoa that you’ve been craving all season.
Ingredients
Powdered sugar mixture:Â
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Marshmallows:
- 3/4 cup cold water divided
- 3 envelopes of gelatin 7 1/2 teaspoonsÂ
- 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrupÂ
- 1/2 teaspoon saltÂ
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Blue and Yellow Food ColoringÂ
- 1/2 cup cocoa nibs chopped reserving a tablespoon to sprinkle over the top
Special equipment:
- Silicon spatula
- Candy thermometer or digital thermometer
- KitchenAid® Artisan® Stand Mixer with the whisk attachment
Instructions
Some prep work:
- Before you begin, let's do some prep. Start by sifting together powdered sugar, corn starch onto a large plate. Grease you 9x13-inch casserole dish or baking dish.
- Add a teaspoon of the powdered sugar mixture to the casserole dish and shake it around until the bottom of the edges are dusted. Set aside.
To make the marshmallows:
- To the bowl of your KitchenAid® Artisan® Stand Mixer,
- add the water and sprinkle the gelatin on top; allow to sit for 10 minutes. Attach the bowl to the stand-up mixer and add the whisk attachment.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, with a candy thermometer attached to its side, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining 1/4 cup of water. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up to moderately high heat and bring the mixture to a hard boil and cook for 1 minute, until the candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees F.
- Lower the whisk attachment and turn it on low. Carefully add the boiling liquid to the gelatin mixture. Turn the mixer to high and beat for 5 minutes, until the mixture has grown in volume. Stop the mixer and add 12 to 15 drops of each food coloring—this will make the perfect shad of “mint green."
- Beat again for an additional 3 minutes, until doubled in volume and until it holds stiff peaks. Add the peppermint extract and vanilla extract. Beat for an additional minute or so until the both of them are incorporated. Fold in the cocoa nibs.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish or baking pan, smoothing out the top until it's evenly disbursed (it'll be sticky!). Sprinkle the remaining cocoa nibs on top. Lightly cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow it to firm up on the kitchen counter for about 3 to 4 hours. Take a knife and run it around the edges of the casserole dish or pan and invert the marshmallow sheet onto a large cutting board, smacking the bottom of it, if needed. You also may need to use your fingers to loosen the marshmallow sheet from the casserole dish and gently glide it onto the cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the marshmallows into 2 or 3-inch squares. Store the marshmallows in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
(This post is sponsored by KitchenAid®. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep A Cozy Kitchen cozy.)
I LOVE mint chocolate anything and have always wanted to make marshmallows. Even tho I don’t have a KitchenAid, I am planning to give it a go. As far as longevity with mixers go, my Sunbeam wins this contest. My granddad gave me my stainless steel one (with bread dough hooks!-fancy!) for my wedding in 1981. He died the next year, and even tho I have purchased THREE mixers in various colors for each of my daughters at their weddings, I just can’t bear to give up the nostalgia of my one and only. Every time I use it, I think of all the batches of Christmas cookies and birthday cakes I have made with it in the last 36 years. How I wish I had thought to write down what I made—it would have been a really fun list to read now.
This is such a sweet story, Joni. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It’s so sweet. xoxo
Yum! What a fun idea!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/raspberry-mule-absolut-elyx/
This looks delicious! You mention vanilla extract in your written directions but it’s not on the list of ingredients. Did you use 1/2 teaspoon of this as well? I am a baking newbie so I don’t want to mess this up!
I made these yesterday without previewing the recipe method (woops) but having made a few batches of marshmallows this season already, I spotted the hiccups. In the first step of water addition, you add 1/2 cup of water. For the addition of vanilla, I used 1/2 tsp in addition to the peppermint extract because other marshmallow recipes have called for a range of 1 tsp vanilla to 1 Tbsp vanilla. I had to assume the peppermint was the star so I only used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. I also only found peppermint flavor at my local sprouts so I used a whole tsp and I think it was the right call. The final flavor was delightful.
These look AMAZING. Will a hand mixer (beater attachments) work to make them? I don’t have a KitchenAid mixer. (Seriously, I want to get married just to get one as a wedding gift.)
Feel you girl. Yes, you can do it with a hand mixer. It will take a bit of time but it’s definitely doable! You might have to switch arms because your arm might get sleepy but it’s absolutely achievable! xo
What do you think would be a good substitute for the cacao nibs? I have a hard time finding that ingredient usually.
Trader Joe’s has cacao nibs.
I agree about the KitchenAid mixer. For the first 20 years of my baking life, I used a Hamilton Beach stand mixer (a wedding gift in 1969) and it worked pretty well. But as I got better at baking, I really wanted a KitchenAid, but they were so expensive. When I got one for Christmas in 1989, I actually cried! I still have that KitchenAid. I even bought accessories for it (copper bowl, pasta maker, etc.), but the one I actually use is the flat beater with the rubber edge. Truly indispensable.
So I tested this first with chopped up chocolate, but it melted because the marshmallow mixture is warm, but it was actually really pretty. It kinda created a marble-effect. So feel free to use chopped chocolate but know that it will melt and won’t be “mint chocolate chip” but you know, it’ll still taste like chocolate! 🙂
As Sophie stated, you can find cacao nibs at Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Whole Foods or even another health-food store. 🙂
Oh my gosh, these look amazing! These are a must for this Christmas!
They really are xox
Is there a reason for using the peppermint instead of just mint extract? Marshmallows are a holiday gift staple for me and I’m looking forward to trying something a little different than my usual vanilla, bourbon, lavender, or peppermint ones. 🙂 thank you, these look delish!
Oh that’s just what I have in my pantry. I believe mint extract is just a combo of spearmint and peppermint so it should be pretty much the same! 🙂
Such beautiful marshmallows! And I agree about kitchenaid mixers lasting a long time, mine lasted me about 10 years with heavy use before it broke. Great investment and I can’t imagine baking without it. Also, it would be impossible to make marshmallows without it hahaha 🙂
It really is nearly impossible to make these without one! 🙂
Just beautiful!
Gemma
http://www.fadedwindmills.com
Those look divine! They would be so pretty wrapped up in cellophane for gifting too!
They would make a great gift!
I’m so excited to make a vegan version of these! I think some of the directions might have cut off though.
Oh yes that’s a great idea!! And I just fixed it 🙂