I was originally inspired by the recipe for Blue Bottle Coffee’s moonshine marshmallows, but after making it multiple times, and failing, I finally had to admit defeat. But that doesn’t mean I can’t use the name, now does it? A moonshine marshmallow certainly sounds much more intriguing than a bourbon marshmallow.
This is my first entry for a giftable holiday treat, and a winning one it is at that. These marshmallows look adorable, feel as soft as, no, wait, softer than pillows, and taste incredibly luscious.
Imagine creamy hot chocolate spiked with bourbon marshmallows… perfect for sipping in front of a wood-burning fireplace. Or for those of us who don’t have wood-burning fireplaces, our radiators. Actually, that’s the last place I want to be when it’s on; our apartment is hot enough as it is.
These also taste great in adult-flavored s’mores. (And if you use a 9-inch square baking pan instead of 8-, they cut into perfect-sized squares for the graham crackers.) To toast them, because again, there’s no wood-burning fireplace in my dinky little apartment, I pop them in the toaster oven where they do that funny expansion thing, bubbling and swelling like they’re about to come alive, and let them slowly turn buttery-brown. By then, the s’mores is a hot mess, melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow everywhere. It’s pretty much perfect.
Homemade marshmallows are pretty much perfect.
There’s no need to stick to bourbon. I imagine Bailey’s would work wonderfully. Or kahlua, or anything besides vodka (which doesn’t taste like anything except alcohol). You don’t even have to use alcohol at all—I imagine the recipe would work just as well with water—but what’s the point? Actually, scratch that. I’m not judging. I’m not the biggest fan of alcohol-tasting desserts. (But this one’s different, I swear!)
If you’re going to make substitutions with the sugar, I would advise against maple syrup. It tends to crystallize, and form razor shards. I cut myself on a piece, and it looks and feels like a paper cut. (They’re the worst!) I was initially uncomfortable with the idea of using corn syrup, but David makes a good case for it, and especially after my incident with the the maple syrup, I decided to just swallow my unease and pour it all in. The entire cupful.
MOONSHINE MARSHMALLOWS
Adapted from Epicurious
Makes 16 2×2-inch marshmallows or 64 1×1-inch marshmallows
Ingredients:
3 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatine
6 Tbsp bourbon, divided
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water, divided
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Tools:
candy thermometer
Directions:
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper (completely covering all the edges inside the pan). Lightly oil the sides and bottom of the pan.
In a separate bowl, sift together the corn starch and confectioners sugar. Sift enough of this mixture into the prepared pan to completely and generously cover the bottom. Reserve the remaining cornstarch mixture.
Sprinkle gelatin over 3 Tbsp bourbon and 5 Tbsp water in bowl of mixer and let soften while making syrup.
Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, the remaining 3 Tbsp bourbon, and the remaining 5 Tbsp water in a medium heavy saucepan (I used a 4-quart saucepan and it barely contained the liquid when it boiled up). Boil over medium heat, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238 to 240°F. Remove from heat.
With mixer at low speed, pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in a slow stream down side of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until very thick and mixture forms a thick ribbon when beater is lifted, 11 to 13 minutes.
With a lightly oiled spatula, scrape marshmallow into baking pan and smooth the top. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until surface is no longer sticky, 2 to 3 hours.
Remove from pan and carefully peel away the parchment paper. Dust the top and all the edges with the remaining corn starch mixture. Using a knife or scissors dusted with the corn starch mixture, cut the marshmallow into whatever shape you’d like. Dust all cut edges with the corn starch mixture to prevent sticking.
These should last for about a week or so, if kept in an airtight container at room temperature. If stacking the marshmallows, line between layers with parchment paper.
Ooh I love the name, even if they’re technically moonshine marshmallows or not. I think a bailey’s version of this sounds delicious, or even a non-alcoholic version (yeah, I wish I liked more alcohol-flavored desserts but I’m a wimp!). And I love the photographs in this post– so dark and festive.
PS I would trade you your overworking-radiator apartment for my house. 60 degrees is way too cold for me!
I’m a wimp too! I would normally not make an alcohol-flavored dessert, but did I mention how much I like the name? Haha. But seriously, they’re surprisingly good, in hot chocolate especially. A Bailey’s version would be DE-licious.
Beautiful photos! I decided this year for the holidays I want to make little homemade food packages for gifts and homemade marshmallows seem like a great option. I’ve never made them either, so all the more reason to test it out!
Trust me, if I can make them, you can too. I’ve always loved giving Christmas care packages, for all the obvious reasons, but what trips me up is the packaging! Grr. I’m definitely not creative enough to come up with creative packaging ideas.
Ever since I saw that Food52 post, I have been dreaming about all sorts of boozy marshmallows. Bourbon marshmallows sound way better to me than moonshine. (: I’d also love to try them with the Root or the Snap liqueurs from Art in the Age.
I’m so glad you linked to the DL post too. I went through a little candy-making obsession phase (which mostly involved a lot of reading and some actual candy-making). In doing so, I read a lot about corn syrup, and how sometimes it really is exactly what you need—no substitute. When I do use it, I usually buy the hippy-dippy all-natural light kind, which kind of makes me feel good…until I have to actually shell out almost $10 for it. Another thing that I love subbing for corn syrup on occasion is Lyle’s Golden Syrup (which can be kind of hard to find in the US, but they always have it in our natural foods store). It has similar properties to corn syrup (it inhibits crystallization and all that jazz), but it has a richer flavor. It’s a lot sweeter than corn syrup though, since it’s an inverted sugar, so it doesn’t work for everything. But it can be a great substitute sometimes, and it comes in an awesome tin!
I’ve read about Lyle’s Golden Syrup (yes, love the tin!) but can’t find it in any of the standard grocery outlets. I’ll have to remember to check out the natural foods store. Thanks for the recommendation! (Also, I love how you go through food obsessions—shrubs, candies, cheeses, etc. Definitely the sign of a true foodie.)
I absolutely love the idea of bourbon marshmallows. I’ve only ever made my own once for marshmallow teacakes and was amazed by how easy they were – you’ve taken them to a whole other level. Bookmarked to make asap!
If you decide to make them, let me know how it goes!
If I had gelatine, I would be making these right now!! Such a great idea!!
Hey, do you know of a way to make these vegan? What might one substitute in place of the gelatin?
Hi Jenny, I’m not familiar with vegan substitutions, but you should check out this site. It looks like it goes into a lot of depth about making vegan marshmallows (apparently there’s a vegan gelatin product you can buy at your natural foods store). And I found this recipe on Epicurious. Hope this helps! And just sub some of the water out with bourbon (I like it about 50/50).
When I was researching marshmallow recipes a few months ago, I read somewhere that adding bitter flavoring, like espresso or teas, to confections works great. Apparently they balance each other out. Just an interesting idea that I’m throwing at you (maybe you have run across this in your research already?)!
Interesting. Do you mean in the general sense, that bitterness, or savory, counteracts sweet? That makes sense.
This looks so delicious. I really love your use of the silver background in the photos – it gives such a wonderful wintery feeling, and makes me want to curl up with a mug of marshmallows and hot chocolate!