Homemade Marshmallows Who doesn’t love a perfectly toasted marshmallow as it’s smushed between two graham crackers and a solid piece of Hershey’s chocolate? The first bite is unparalleled as the crunchy crackers give way to a melted, chocolatey center. And before you know it, the first perfect s’more is gone and you’re already roasting another clean white marshmallow over the roaring flames of the campfire. What can get better than the satisfaction of creating your very own s’more? How about making the marshmallow that is the staple ingredient of the summertime favorite?

Ingredients 3 packages of unflavored gelatin 1 cup of cold water 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 1 cup light corn syrup ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract Confectioners’ sugar 7 ounces of sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Steps-Ask an adult for assistance with the recipe before you begin.

1. Combine gelatin and ½ cup of cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Leave the ingredients to mix while you continue with step 2.

Science Fact: Marshmallows are essentially just pieces of foam with air bubbles that are stabilized by sugars and/or proteins. In this recipe, gelatin acts as the stabilizing sugar. Gelatin is important because it keeps the bubbles apart and prevents the air from escaping the marshmallow, but it still allows the marshmallow to be soft and gooey.

2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and ½ cup of cold water in a small saucepan. Keep the pan on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, increase the heat until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on the candy thermometer.

Science Fact: The sugar prevents water and air from escaping the marshmallow, while it also keeps heat within the marshmallow. It is important that the sugar is hot when it is becoming a part of the marshmallow because the heat is required to ‘cook’ the mixture and allow for the treat to keep its shape.

Science Fact: It is very important that the mixture reaches 240 degrees! When you boil the sugar syrup, water will simultaneously evaporate and concentrate the syrup. Therefore, the higher the temperature of the mixture, the less water that is present. Too much water will create a liquidy marshmallow, and not enough water will create a rock-solid marshmallow.

Science Fact: It is important to use granulated sugar and another form of glucose (light corn syrup) when making marshmallows. The light corn syrup has large carbohydrates in addition to glucose. The combination of the larger molecules with the pure sucrose prevents the sugar from recrystallizing after the mixture cools.

3. With the mixer still on, pour the syrup mix into the bowl with the gelatin. Increase the mixer speed to the highest setting and let mix for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick. 4. Add the vanilla extract to the bowl and continue to mix until the vanilla extract is fully incorporated.

After step four, you have two options: create traditional marshmallows or create toasted coconut marshmallows. We decided to make the toasted coconut marshmallows, however the instructions for the traditional marshmallows** are also listed below.

5. Put the coconut flakes in a dry saucepan on the stove and let cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Continually toss the coconut so it does not burn.

6. In an 8 x 12-inch nonmetal pan, sprinkle half of the toasted coconut. Pour the marshmallow batter over the toasted coconut. You can use a damp hand to smooth out the marshmallow. Sprinkle the rest of the coconut over the top of the marshmallow batter. 7. Let the marshmallows sit uncovered overnight at room temperature.

**for the traditional marshmallows:

5. In an 8x12-inch nonmetal pan, dust the bottom with confectioners’ sugar. Pour the marshmallow batter over confectioners’ sugar. You can use a damp hand to smooth out the marshmallow. Sprinkle the rest of the confectioners’ sugar over the top of the marshmallow batter. 6. Let the marshmallows sit uncovered overnight at room temperature.

Tip: When cutting the marshmallows the next morning, use a pizza cutter.

*recipe adapted from the Barefoot Contessa’s “Homemade Marshmallows” https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/homemade-marshmallows *science facts adapted from Food Crumbles “The Science of Marshmallows (and a Recipe)” https://foodcrumbles.com/marshmallow-science-explained/