Raspberry Marshmallows

I've been craving raspberries for the past two weeks, so everyone will have to forgive what is likely to become a series of raspberry themed posts.

I've been wanting to post a fruit flavored marshmallows for a while now. However, I had not stumbled upon quite the right recipe. I could always fall back on my regular marshmallow base and dress it up with some food coloring and flavoring oils but I wanted something that had a fresher taste. A lush homemade marshmallow that packed real fruit flavor.

I lucked out when I stumbled upon this recipe at Butter Sugar Flour, utilizing only four ingredients and needing no artificial flavors or colors. Just plenty of fresh raspberries.

So it came as no surprise when I popped a few of these marshmallows into my mouth and they tasted just like these.

All homemade candy has a somewhat deserved reputation for being difficult to make. I know a lot of folks who refuse to even try their hand at cooked syrup confections. Those of us who have, no doubt have experienced the flustered cook-rage at the sight of crystalized fudge and burning caramel. Candy isn't always forgiving but I'm going to go out on a limb and argue marshmallows are probably one of the easiest candies you can make.

Requiring simple ingredients and few steps, they come together with ease in my kitchen. Provided you have the basic tools and you don't walk away and allow the syrup to catch fire, you could be a marshmallow virtuoso.

They're worth it, too. Those Jet-Puffed confections at your local grocer have nothing on the luscious texture of the homemade variety. Even marshmallow haters like Mr. Humble will gobble them down.

I'm cutting my marshmallow into simple cubes for snacking, but they will be perfect for Valentine's day too. Just grab a small heart shaped cookie cutter and use it to cut out adorable pink heart marshmallows.

Naturally, they're delicious in a steaming cup of hot chocolate. I'm considering making some chocolate ice cream and mixing these in for a raspberry twist on ordinary rocky road.

Let's get down to how to make them...

Raspberry Marshmallows
from Butter Sugar Flour with slight modifications
300g fresh or frozen raspberries
500g granulated sugar
20g powdered gelatin
60g egg whites

Using a flavorless oil like canola, lightly grease a 13" x 9" pan.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the raspberries until soft and juicy. Mash them with a fork to help release the juices. Once soft, press the raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds and reserve the liquid (approximately 1 cup) in a large bowl. If the raspberry liquid seems very thin and watery, reduce it over medium low heat until it thickens. Set the mixture aside to cool and start the sugar syrup.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, cook the sugar with one cup of water. Stir frequently until it comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Then clip on your candy thermometer and maintain a gentle boil without stirring until it reaches 255°F.

While waiting on the syrup, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the cooled raspberry mixture and whisk. When the syrup is getting close, drop the egg whites into your mixer and beat them on medium speed until foamy.

Once the syrup comes to temp, pour the syrup into the large bowl with the raspberry and gelatin. It will bubble up, which is why I emphasized a large bowl earlier. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the gelatin then pour into your mixer with the eggs. Beat on medium-high speed for several minutes, until the mixture has cooled a bit and tripled in volume. Pour the gooey marshmallow mass into your prepared pan, smooth with an offset spatula and allow to stand and cure for several hours.

Once the marshmallows have cured, cut around the edges with a knife to release the sheet. Dust the surface liberally with a mixture of rice flour and powdered sugar (1/2 c. of each will do the trick). Lack rice flour? Substitute potato starch or--in a pinch--corn starch. As you remove the marshmallow from the pan, toss some of the dusting mixture under the sheet to aid in releasing it. Use as much as you need to keep it from sticking to everything.

Place the marshmallow sheet onto a well dusted cutting board.

Now you can cut it into cubes or pull out the cookie cutters and cut out shapes from the sheet. Toss the cut marshmallows into a bowl with the dusting mixture and toss to thoroughly coat. Transfer to an air tight container.

Raspberry marshmallows have a much shorter shelf life than the vanilla recipe I use frequently use on this blog. They are best fresh, but I would keep them for around three days at room temperature stored in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

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