Pepermint Marshmallows

As my final candy making project, I opted to make peppermint marshmallows. To be honest, I had originally chosen this recipe as one to make around Christmas time, however my schedule didn't allow for that to happen, so I made it now instead.

The first step to this recipe was lining a 13 by 9 inch pan with tin foil and cooking spray to prevent the marshmallow from sticking when poured into the pan (LaBau 116). I then let gelatin and water mix together to form a base for my marshmallow. In a pan, I combined other ingredients to make a sugary mixture that gives the marshmallows their flavor. Once the mix was heated to 260 degrees, I added in the gelatin and then poured the mix over some egg whites I prepared earlier, carefully following the technique described in my book, The Sweet Book of Candy Making: "Turn the mixer to low and with the mixer running, slowly stream the hot sugar into the beaten egg whites. Try to poor the syrup close to the sides of the bowl, so it doesn't hit the whisk and splatter everywhere" (LaBau 116). I then whipped the marshmallow for about 10 minuets, until it had a thick, glossy texture (LaBau 116). Next, I added in some peppermint extract to give the marshmallow flavor. After pouring the candy into the 13 by 9 inch pan I used a tooth pick to swirl red food coloring throughout the marshmallow. It turned out looking really cool! After letting the marshmallow sit for about 3 hours, I cut it up and tossed it in a bag of powdered sugar to keep it from sticking together.

This time around, my candy turned out really well! This was the best recipe I have made so far, as the texture, flavor, and presentation of this candy were all great. This is definitely a recipe I will make again; maybe I can try harder to make it for Christmas next year.

Overall, my candy making adventure was pretty rough at times. However, once I got the hang of it and found the tricks to making the candy perfect, it started to go a lot better than I had previously. Although I can't say that candy making is a hobby I would like to continue on a regular basis, I might want to do it every once in a while.  It has taught me the importance of being accurate, paying attention, and following instructions carefully and those are all skills I will need in the future, so I think that this adventure was (In general) worth it.

What is something important that you learned from your project and why?

Citation: 

LaBau, Elizabeth. The Sweet Book of Candy Making. Beverly: Quarry Books, 2012. Print.