Caty's Homemade Marshmallows
What you'll need:
- 3 packages of unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup ice cold water(divided)
- 12 ounces granulated sugar(about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup of light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract(or flavoring of your choice)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- Nonstick spray
Special tools:
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Small saucepan
- Candy thermometer
- Measuring cups
- 13 by 9- inch metal baking pan
- Small bowl
- Pizza cutter
- Cutting board/ clean hard and flat surface
- Gallon size ziplock bag
Directions:
- Put the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with ½ cup of the ice cold water.
- In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ½ cups of water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover the pan, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F(or known as softball), about 7 to 8 minutes(keep an eye on it at all times). Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from heat.(WARNING: This is a sticky and super-hot mixture, so if it gets on you it will stay and keep burning you. You will be left with a third degree burn. I would advise parental help.)
- Turn the mixer on low speed (with whisk attachment), while running slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all the syrup, increase the speed on high. Continue to whip the mixture until it becomes very thick and lukewarm, about 12 to 15 minutes(I always go till 15). Add the extract during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is being whipped, prepare the pan.
- Prepare the pan: Combine confectioners' sugar and cornstarch is a small mixing bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9- inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Completely coat all sides and bottom of the pan with part of the mixture(don’t use it all because you will need it later). If you do not coat it well you will not be able to get your marshmallows correctly.
- When the mixture is done being whipped, turn off the stand mixer and pour batter into the prepared pan. Smooth down the top of the marshmallow. Dust the top of the marshmallows with the cornstarch mixture, again don’t use it all you will need some later. Allow the marshmallows to sit for at least for an hour or till overnight, no longer or will dry out.
- Take the marshmallows out of the pan onto a clean cutting board and take a pizza cutter coated in the cornstarch mixture and cut the marshmallows into squares. Add some of the cornstarch to a gallon size Ziplock bag and put the nicely cut marshmallows in there. I normally shake the bag and put some more of the cornstarch mixture in the bag, so all sides are coated. They can be stored like this for about 3 weeks.
- Enjoy the marshmallows!!!
FOIL PACKETS
We LOVE foil packet recipes!
Foil packets are one of the best camp dinner ideas there is, they’re easy to make, they taste delicious, and they’re endlessly customizable. A foil packet meal is a popular camp dinner that usually consists of assorted vegetables and proteins that are rolled in aluminum foil to create a packet that seals in moisture and steam as it cooks over campfire coals,
Here's a fun tutorial on how to make a foil pack dinner: foil pack tutorial
Here's a link to some of our favorites.
