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Homemade Sea Salt Caramel Marshmallows

There’s no need to buy store-bought marshmallows when you have a container of gelatinin your pantry.  Use honey or maple syrup for natural sweetness, and gelatin to give them their chew.  These soft, fluffy bites have a salty swirl of caramel throughout.  They’re great for a small treat and can even be roasted over a flame.
Servings: 12 large marshmallows
Author: Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Note:  this recipe has a few technical steps so be sure to read through the instructions fully and have all your ingredients ready before beginning.
  • Add the water and gelatin to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Mix briefly and leave it to bloom for at least 3-5 minutes.  Grease a deep pan approximately the shape of a standard bread loaf pan (wider pans work but will yield thinner marshmallows).  After greasing, dust the inside completely with a light coating of tapioca flour.  Set the pan aside.
  • Add the honey or maple syrup to a small saucepan and heat over low heat.  Cook at a low simmer until it has reduced by half and turned a dark golden (but not burnt) color.  It will read about 280-300*F on a candy thermometer. (I only went to 260* because I was afraid it was going to burn!  I think that's why mine weren't as fluffy, though, see pictures below.)
  • With the stand mixer running on low speed, carefully drizzle the ¾ of the hot syrup over the bloomed gelatin.  You want to leave about 2-3 tablespoons syrup in the pan — eyeballing is ok, there is no need to be exact.  Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix until the gelatin is melted, about 2 minutes.  Then turn the mixer to high speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has doubled in volume and turned an off-white color.
  • While the syrup is mixing, make the caramel by adding the coconut cream to the remaining syrup left in the pan.  Swirl the pan gently to incorporate the cream.  Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the syrup returns to a dark caramel color and about 300* again on a candy thermometer (this happens quickly).  Turn the heat off and stir in the sea salt and butter.
  • Once the marshmallow is whipped and no longer feels hot to the touch, stop the mixer and add the vanilla extract.  Turn the mixer back to high speed and whip to incorporate, about 1 minute.  You know the marshmallow is ready when it holds a shape when you lift the whisk up from the bowl (like shown here).
  • Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and drizzle the salted caramel in.  With a large spatula, gently mix the caramel in with just a few strokes.  Pour the marshmallow mix into the prepared pan and set it aside for 2-4 hours to set up.  It’s ready when it feels firm to the touch and the entire sheet of marshmallow can be lifted easily from the pan.
  • Dump the finished marshmallows out onto a surface coated with a bit of tapioca starch.  Cut into squares using a greased knife or rolling pizza cutter.  Dust the sides with coconut palm sugar, as desired, or simply use more tapioca starch to keep them from sticking together.  Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.