Candy · Marshmallows

peppermint stick marshmallows

If you’ve got 30 minutes, you can make these wonderful peppermint stick marshmallows. They’re wonderful by themselves but out of this world in hot chocolate.

Peppermint stick marshmallows on a red board. The square marshmallows are scattered from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. The marshmallows are slightly pink with dark pink dots.

The holidays were a whirlwind around here. Becks came home for winter break and spent time with her friends here. Fortunately she invited me to a few things so we could spend some time together.

One of the fun things we did together was going to an Elf party at Alamo Drafthouse. I love the movie Elf and Alamo throws a fun party so I didn’t mind paying theater prices to see it.

Everyone got elf hats, bubbles, scratch and sniff cards and balloons. We blew bubbles when Buddy sand the ” Baby it’s cold outside” duet. We threw balloons during the snowball fight and sniffed all the smells. Everyone also sang along and quoted the best lines.

A close up shot of a pile of peppermint stick marshmallows on a red plate. The square marshmallows are slightly pink with darker pink spots.

My kids all stopped by for Christmas day and we had our usual feast – prime rib, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. We spent the day playing a board game Matt bought for Becks and socializing. It was good to have everyone together – even if it was only 1 day.

Becks’ boyfriend, Caelum, came the day after Christmas. Poor guy was expecting warm Texas weather but a cold front blew in and it was wet, rainy and cold most of the time he was here.

So we drank a lot of hot chocolate. I had stocked up on it for Becks but I underestimated the marshmallow supply. And I just didn’t want to go out in the rain.

I dug up an old recipe for marshmallows and made a batch. I’d forgotten how simple they are. Unflavored gelatin whipped up with hot sugar syrup and then some flavoring.

Peppermint stick marshmallows on a red plate. The square marshmallows are scattered from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. The marshmallows are slightly pink with dark pink dots.

Homemade marshmallows also melt beautifully in hot chocolate and they taste better.

We had some candy canes so I changed things up and added those to my next batch.

Let me tell you, these peppermint stick marshmallows are fabulous in hot chocolate (and by themselves). Becky doesn’t like mint and even she asked for seconds.

The only downside to these marshmallows is that they absorb moisture more than the plain ones. I kept some of the cornstarch/powdered sugar coating mixture and re-coated mine when they got sticky.

Yield: 55 large marshmallows

peppermint stick marshmallows

Peppermint stick marshmallows on a red plate. The square marshmallows are scattered from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. The marshmallows are slightly pink with dark pink dots.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 packets unflavored gelatin (2 ½ tablespoons, 21 g)
  • ½ cup water
  • ⅓ cup light corn syrup
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup water (yes this is another ½ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 3 drops red food coloring (optional)
  • 1 cup crushed peppermints
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup corn starch

Instructions

  1. Put gelatin and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Let sit while you make the sugar syrup.
  2. Line a 13" x 9" pan with aluminum foil. I used one sheet that fit lengthwise and then put a second sheet that fit width wise over it (like a plus sign). When you push the two sheets into the pan, the edges line up in the corners with no wrinkles. It's OK if there's a little gap between the edges. You also want a couple of inches of aluminum foil to hang over the sides. This makes it easy to remove the marshmallow from the pan. Spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray. Also spray two spatulas with cooking spray.
  3. Put sugar, corn syrup, salt and water in a large, heavy saucepan making sure not to get any sugar on the sides of the pan. I put the water in last and use it to rinse and sugar off the sides.
  4. Bring to a boil and cook on medium high heat until the mixture reaches 240°F. If needed, stir to mix the ingredients but you should keep stirring to a minimum. Once you reach 240°F, you will need to work quickly. Turn off the heat.
  5. Turn your mixer on low to break up the gelatin. Then turn it up to a medium speed. Gradually pour in the hot sugar syrup until all is mixed into the gelatin.
  6. Then turn your mixer on high. You will beat the gelatin until it's just slightly hot (you can put the back of your hand on the bowl). Add the extracts, food coloring and crushed peppermints and beat in.
  7. Now you have to work quickly. Remove the whisk and use one of the spatulas to scrape the marshmallow into the bowl (or into the pan). Then use the second whisk to quickly scrape the marshmallow out of the bowl while you pour it into the prepared pan. You won't be able to get all the marshmallow off the whisk and bowl before it solidifies so there will be a generous beater for someone to lick.
  8. Mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch together. Dust the top of the marshmallows with some of the powdered sugar mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
  9. Turn out onto a board sprinkled with the powdered sugar mixture. Remove the aluminum foil and dust the top of the marshmallow with more powdered sugar mixture.
  10. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut the marshmallow lengthwise into 5 strips. Then cut each strip into cubes.
  11. Place the remaining powdered sugar mixture in a bowl and coat each marshmallow with it. You can shake off the excess but these marshmallows absorb humidity so I just left the extra on. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

55

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 62Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 14mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is provided as a guide only. Please consult a dietician for specific dietary needs.

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