Perfect Peppermint Marshmallows
Lighter than air, wonderfully squishy, melt-in-your mouth, and customizable in a million different ways, once you try homemade peppermint marshmallows you’ll never be satisfied with a store-bought marshmallow again. These are as tasty as they are delicious and would be perfect in a cup of hot chocolate or wrapped up in cellophane as a sweet Christmas gift! Peppermint marshmallows fall into my candy category, and as with most candy recipes you will need a thermometer. For a long time I avoided any recipe that needed one, and I shudder to think of all the years I wasted not making candy because of this. Just like a whisk, a mixer, or a cheese grater, a candy thermometer is a tool that will make your life easier. I link to my favorite one in the recipe card in case you’re in the market, they’re inexpensive and invaluable. Get yourself comfortable with it and use it for caramels, peanut brittle, and more. Alright, let’s get to the recipe. I’ll warn you it is a bit of a messy one with the stickiness that comes with making peppermint marshmallows, and the sugar/cornstarch mixture is ornery and eager to dust your whole kitchen in a fine layer of powder. But it’s worth it.
What You Need
If you’ve made my homemade marshmallows already (or, maybe, even if you haven’t) none of these ingredients will surprise you. Let’s go over a few of them.
Gelatin. This ingredient is a must, and unfortunately I don’t have any suggestions for substitutes. You should be able to find the packets right beside the Jell-O in your grocery store, they’re plain/unflavored. Corn Syrup. A staple in many candies (like my honeycomb candy), it bears repeating that this is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient helps give the marshmallows their perfect texture and stabilizes them. If you live in a place where you can’t find corn syrup, glucose syrup will work instead. Sugar. The peppermint marshmallows themselves are made with granulated sugar, but you’ll need powdered sugar (AKA confectioner’s sugar) mixed with cornstarch for dusting the marshmallows, which keeps them from sticking to the pan and to each other.Peppermint extract. Not to be confused with mint extract, which has more of a spearmint flavor. Food coloring. This is optional, but it adds a nice color to the marshmallows and just screams peppermint/candy cane flavor. I recommend using gel food coloring, which is much more vibrant/potent than its liquid counterpart.
SAM’S TIP: Dress up your marshmallows even more! After preparing them, dip in melted chocolate or white chocolate. You can dip them halfway or all the way, just dust off as much excess cornstarch/sugar mixture as possible before doing so. This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Peppermint Marshmallows
SAM’S TIP: Once your mixture comes to a boil, take care to not stir. I know it can be tempting, but just put down the spoon and let the stove work its magic. Otherwise you risk causing gritty sugar crystals to form. If you find yourself looking for more ways to use your candy thermometer, check out my sea foam or marshmallow frosting! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
More Peppermint Recipes to Try:
