Homemade Cinnamon Marshmallows

I hosted a bonfire and smore’s party back in October. I tried to make homemade marshmallows but they failed. But my friend, Laura brought some of her homemade marshmallows and saved the day. One of our Christmas traditions is include homemade hot chocolate as part of our evening festivities. I was ready to give another try at homemade marshmallow. I checked with Laura about her perfectly formed marshmallows and she shared that she uses Alton Brown’s recipe! Viola! Well, I don’t use or have corn syrup but Laura said she didn’t either. I’m happy to report that I made these marshmallows successfully using Great Lakes Gelatin and we enjoyed them in our hot chocolate. I dressed them up with some cinnamon and they add a wonderful depth of flavor.  I hope you will try making these Homemade Cinnamon Marshmallows. It will be impossible to go back to store-bought ones.

Cut them into cubes or use your favorite cookie cutters. 

Ingredients

1. 6 tsp Great Lakes beef gelatin
2. 1 cup ice cold water, divided
3. 1.5 cups evaporated sugar
4. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 1/4 cup powdered sugar
7. 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
8. 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. This Alton's recipe altered with my changes.
2. Place gelatin in mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water.
3. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, sugar, and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
4. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows

1. Combine the powdered sugar, arrowroot powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the sugar and arrowroot powder mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
2. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and arrowroot mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
3. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the powdered sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

By Alton Brown