It's been quite some time since we've posted a recipe, but as this was a special gift from the lovely Miss Kim of
Peaches & Pebbles, I couldn't resist sharing my new favorite sweet treat with you all! Making marshmallows is something I've wanted to try for quite some time, but I've always been reluctant to do so as I thought they would turn out a disappointment. This surprise book from Kim really inspired me, especially when I saw there was Malted Chocolate Honeycomb Marshmallow to be had!
To make a batch of these, you'll need to make a batch of plain marshmallows and add all the flavouring towards the end:
Plain Marshmallow Ingredients:
8 sheets leaf gelatine, 2 egg whites, 500g granulated sugar, 250ml cold water
Malted Chocolate Honeycomb Ingredients:
6 tablespoons malted chocolate powder (like Ovaltine), 6 tablespoons boiling water, 250g chocolate covered honeycomb sweets (eg: Maltesers or Whoppers)
You'll also need:
a good electric whisk, a heavy-based pan, a small baking tin, parchment paper (cut so you will be able to lift the marshmallows out of the tin), 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornflower.
How To:
Begin by prepping your baking tin, by lining it with the parchment paper. To make sure the marshmallows don't stick, mix the icing sugar with the cornflower in a bowl. Spoon this into the made up tin and tap it around the base and sids so the dust is sticking evenly. This combination is what's dusted over all marshmallows :D
Once that's done we can get stuck in!
Add the gelatine sheets into a bowl of cold water, one at a time so they don't stick, and set aside to soften.
Pour the egg whites into a clean bowl and using your mixer, whisk on high until they hold stiff peaks. Set aside.
Put the sugar and water into the pan and warm over a low heat and stir till the sugar has completely dissolved. I don't have a sugar thermometer, but if you do you'll want to add it in now, then bring the sugar to the boil. Allow it to bubble away undisturbed for around 10-15 minutes (until the temp reads 122 degrees Celsius). I didn't have that luxury, but the way to check if the sugar syrup is ready is to take a small teaspoon of the liquid out of the pot and pour it into a glass of cold water. If the syrup forms a firm "toffee-ish" ball that holds its shape, it's done :D Start doing this test after 10 minutes of boiling. And, just so you know, the sugar should be clear, not brown - you don't want burnt marshmallows! Once it' ready, take the thermometer out of the pan and pop it somewhere safe to cool down.
Whilst the sugar is cooking, you'll have time to make the flavouring. Do this by mixing the malted chocolate powder with the hot water so it forms a thick paste and set it aside. Smash up your chocolate sweets with a rolling pin, making sure you leave lots of big chunks. Yum yum!
Ok, now everything is ready to go... Hold onto your hat's!
Start mixing up your eggs again on a low speed again and slowly pour in the hot sugar syrup, mixing continuously as you pour. As soon as it's all added, increase the speed to maximum.
Remove the gelatine from the cold water, give them a squeeze dry, and drop them into the mixer. Combine them in and whisk on high speed for 10 minutes. It's ready when it's thick, shiny and almost pourable.
At this stage you can pour in your malted paste and whisk on high speed til it's fully combined. Pour in just over half of the smashed candy and gently fold it into the mixture. When you're ready, pour it all into your tin and tap the sides a couple of times so it's all level.
Sprinkle on the rest of the candies and lightly press them a little into the marshmallow.
The last thing you need to do is pop them in the fridge and wait 4 - 6 hours (or overnight if you can stand it!) till they're set...
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Woohoo! Now you have some delicious gourmet cupcakes to show off to your besties... if you don't eat them all first :D
We hope these marshmallows make you as happy as they did us :) They're just so delicious and easy to make you'll never want to stop!
Happy Eating!
xox
