MMMMMmmmm! Marshmallows!!

[Karon Adams]

My Christmas Gifts this year past was Marshmallows. Between Thanksgiving & Christmas, while keeping HeWhoMustObey happy (he recovering from hip replacement) and helping our newly adopted dog adjust to the household (we lost my darling Show Boy, Mayhem, at the send of September. After a few weeks, we adopted Tangle form a local shelter. I made marshmallows. I made at least 30 batches of marshmallows of varying variety. hard to believe how well so many wonderful recipes and adjustments were easy to make into different kinds. for this group, I will post the Maple Bacon Marshmallow recipe.

It is best to have some kind of stand mixer, that makes the beating FAR easier. it could be done with a hand mixer but it would be a LOT more work. Marshmallows are basically the same as meringue but the foam is created by gelatin and syrup rather than egg whites. you don't bake them but pour them into a baking pan (I line mine with parchment paper with spray oil and the powdered sugar Cornstarch mixture)
Give these a try for a gift or a party or just because you CAN! they are absolutely luscious! I am prepping to make my first bacon. That is going to be FUN!.
Meanwhile, I made the BEST bacon treat as part of my Holiday cooking, this
year! I made Maple Bacon Marshmallows! And they were OH SO hard to give away!
I’ll give you the recipe and you can see for yourself!! VERY easy to
make!
In the bowl of your stand mixer:
¾ cups water
4 ½ envelopes of gelatin
In the pot:
¾ cup water
1 ½ cup Maple syrup (grade A or B has more flavor)
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
!/2 tsp cinnamon powder (opt)
Made & set aside 12 slices candied bacon chopped
Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, one cup corn starch for
coating.
Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray
and dust with powdered sugar mixture. Reserve rest of powdered sugar for later.
Start the water and gelatin in the bowl and let it sit while you
cook the syrup. Fit the whisk attachment to the mixer.
Put the syrup in medium heat, stir to combine then just allow it
to cook. Put in candy thermometers and cook to 140 degrees (about 10-15
minutes.)
Once syrup reaches temp and with the mixer on low, carefully
pour a small amount down the side of the mixing bowl. Once the temp of the
syrup starts to melt the gelatin, start increasing speed as you slowly pour in
more syrup. Aim for the side of the bowl as you pour to minimize splatter. I
like to make a cloak of paper towels to keep splatter contained.
Once all the syrup is in the mixer, run up to top speed and keep
whipping in air until triple to quadruple volume and temp reaches lukewarm.
When mixture is topped and pulled out it should flow in a thick sticky flow,
put the mixer back in and on medium speed, put the bacon bits in the fluff.
Once the bacon is in the fluff, pour into prepared pan. You can
dust the powdered sugar over the top of the marshmallows and cut another piece
of parchment, spray it and lay it across the top of the fluff. Let stand at
least 6 hours or overnight.
Next day, peel off all the paper (should come away pretty
easily) and cut marshmallows. I find my longest, straight carving knife to be
the best. A knife long enough and straight to completely cross the short side
of the loaf. For a 9x13 pan, I cut 9 strips down the 13” side, each a little
over an inch, then, turn those strips and cut them six times the other
direction, on the 9” side. This gives a nice marshmallow, almost cubed at
slightly over an inch to a side. Roll the marshmallows in the powdered
sugar/cornstarch mix on all sides so they aren’t as sticky and enjoy one of the
tastiest treats you have ever had! they also toast very nicely!
You will have 50+ finished marshmallows cutting in this manner.
Keep them fresh in an airtight container or ziplock bag. These are just divine!
I made nearly 30 batches of marshmallows at Christmas in various flavors. Don’t
ever use plastic wrap to line your pan or top your marshmallow. Ask me how I
know ;-)
You will like these a lot! You can increase or decrease the salt
if you like, adding a little just makes it a more savory but still unbelievably
yummy snack!!

[Jerod Broussard]

Envelopes of gelatin, would that be the Jello stuff??

[Karon Adams]

you can use jello but if you do, then let the jello flavor be your marshmallow flavor. don't fight it. for this recipe, you need to unflavored gelatin.

[fuzzydaddy]

Sounds delicious. Got any pictures you can post?

[Karon Adams]

Yes, I do. I THIUNK the bug may be gone. cross your fingers. I made some Marshmallows for myself a few days ago. Here we have Vanilla and Hot Cinnamon.

[Ray]

Karon Adams This recipe sounds amazing! Pics, please...if you got 'em. Never had marshmallows with candied bacon.

[Karon Adams]

30+ batches of marshmallows in 20+ different varieties over the holidays and not one single picture! I guess I was too busy making and packing to take pictures. but, never fear, there will be more marshmallows soon. I have been noticing a distinct lack of marshmallows in my life, lately. I'm going to have to rectify that situation.

[fzxdoc]

Does the bacon have to be candied? If it isn't would it sink to the bottom as the marshmallows sit and cool?

How did you candy your bacon? Maple syrup and in the oven?

Just wondering.

This sounds way sweet, which is why I was thinking just nekkid bacon would be the ticket. But then I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

Kathryn

[Karon Adams]

I candied the bacon with brown sugar and cinnamon. 6 slices of bacon, half cup of brown sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and coat the bacon. put the bacon on a rack over a cooking pan to catch drippings and bake for 30 minutes or so at 350. I put non stick aluminum foil under the bacon. that way, the drippings become this yummy bacon flavored brittle candy as well. waste not, want not!

Once cooled, chop the bacon small as you would for bacon bits for a salad. hold them until the very end of the whipping.

When you pour the syrup into the gelatin and whip, the foam becomes very strong and it will cool as you go as well. by the time you are finished mixing the foam, it has enough structure that it can easily support the bacon bits. just before pouring into the pan, fold the bacon bits into the marshmallow. you aren't really letting the marshmallows cool (they are very close to cool by the time you pour) you are simply allowing the gelatin and sugars to set up together.

[Ray]

Karon Adams fzxdoc, so Karon, is this a really sweet outcome or do the marshmallows have a sweet and salty taste? dependent on how much kosher salt you add?

[fzxdoc]

Good question, Ray. That's what I'm looking for too, a slightly more salty than sweet flavor profile.

Kathryn

[Karon Adams]

You don't really use a lot of salt in the marshmallows. and you use salt in all the marshmallow recipes. it doesn't really effect the taste that much but it amplifies what is already there. the salty smoky & savory taste in the marshmallow is all from the bacon. I use Maple Syrup instead of Corn syrup in this recipe and so you have that marvelous maple taste under it. use the grade A or B syrup as it has stronger flavor that can carry across the heavy sweet.

There is another variety I made this year. Salted Caramel Apple Pie. that one DID have enough salt added to it to taste. of course, as the name implies, that was intentional.

[Ray]

​Karon Adams fzxdoc , I absolutely must get that 'cyber tasting' feature working on this web site! I'd love to try these..and I'm not skilled enough to make them. How's that for a bad excuse!

[Karon Adams]

By the way, and I really cannot say this enough, parchment paper, spray oil and sifted confectioner's sugar and cornstarch will be your BEST friends in this enterprise. whatever you do, NOEVER use plain plastic wrap. ask me how I know.....

[Ray]

Lol!!!! Ya' know, I've never been good at making up good excuses; only bad ones.

Now to the recipe....ever tried candied pecans in the marshmallows rather than bacon or how about candied, peppered pecans?

[Karon Adams]

Start with simple Vanilla Marshmallows. this one is a little different because it uses a different syrup and has a few other steps. but make some plain vanilla marshmallows, first. that will give you a baseline knowledge for how it works. one thing to remember. when you think the marshmallow fluff is done, let it run a little longer. My recipe starts with what looks like not a lot of volume. the finished marshmallows end up being 12 cups in volume. they will fill a 9x13 pan to about 1 1/2" deep.

[Karon Adams]

I have done spiced pecans in the past but not in my marshmallows. I was making so many I didn't make a lot with things that needed to be chopped. My personal favorites are the Vanilla (I hate people who think of vanilla as plain. it is one of THE most complex flavors out there and makes every other flavor better) and my other favorite is Hot Cinnamon. Flavored with Cinnamon candy oil and I'll take a box of Red Hots and break them up in the food processor.

[Ray]

Actually, I'm a big fan of vanilla. Love the flavor that it brings to just about everything.

[Karon Adams]

Here we go, pictures should be attached to this message:

[Karon Adams]

Is that the kind of mouthwatering pics you wanted?

[fuzzydaddy]

Yep, that'll do it. Thank-you.

[DWCowles]

Where's the BBQ marshmallows