I did and made a lot of things today, but my personal crowning achievement: making homemade vegetarian marshmallows! Not sure why I find this so exciting–perhaps because the store bought vegetarian ones aren’t quite right (good enough for s’mores, but too sweet)…and the regular ones are guilt-inducing (gelatain).

Or perhaps it was because after watching “America’s Best Bakers” (or whatever it’s called), and I declared I was making marshmallows, my husband said “you can’t make marshmallows!” Oh, is that a dare, a challenge, I hear. You lose, I win, but I’ll still share my marshmallows with you. 😉

So thank you “ Tasty trifles” for the recipe. I did tweak it a wee bit. And when it was done, I made mini s’mores.

Finished product pre refrigeration

• 1/4 c water
• 3/4 c. sugar syrup (I used “sugar in the raw” syrup. the orig called for corn syrup)
• 1 1/4 c regular sugar
• 1/2 t cream of tartar (more than the orig)
• 3 egg whites
• drizzle of vanilla (1/2 t?)
• 1 t xanthan gum
• corn starch and powdered sugar to sprinkle in the pan on top of greased parchment paper

Equipment

• Stand mixer–it really makes this a fast and easy process.

The method

1. Pour your water, sugars and vanilla into a saucepan on medium high. let it boil until it hits the “hardball stage”–ie it forms thick ropes when you lift the spoon out of the pan and when you drop a little into cold water, it forms a firm ball. Remember to keep stirring and to scrape down the sides of your pan.
2. With an electric mixer, whip up your egg whites for 3 mins to “soft peak” stage.
   

   Post whipping

3. Add cream of tartar and xanthan gum. keep whipping
4. Drizzle your sugar syrup into your whipping eggs.  (try not to let any get onto the sides of your mixer bowl…it’s hard to clean off)
5. Whip until shiny, stiff, and fluffy.

Transfer into an 8×8 or 8×12 pan. Right now it is “fluff”–i used this to make my mini s’mores. Refrigerate and cut into squares.

Bonus–if you have figured this out, you can now make italian merangue too. (who knew!). This might be what goes on my bday cake, since I can’t do dairy.

mini smore–choc not visible