During wintertime, I love gathering around the living room with my family, enjoying a classic holiday movie and drinking hot chocolate. But around my house, we don’t just drink your normal cup of hot chocolate. You want to try and make it a little more fun for the kids by adding a snowman marshmallow. It’s super simple and the kids love it!!! You make a normal cup of hot chocolate and then below I will share with you how to make the snowman marshmallow that goes on top.
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Nonstick spray
1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium-high heat and stir continually. Place a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat. This is not the time to multitask. Many things can go wrong if you leave the boiling sugar.
3. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour in the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the mixer to high speed. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 18 minutes. You definitely don’t want to under mix the marshmallow mixture. If you do the marshmallows can become weepy. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.
To make into Snowman marshmallows:
1. Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. To make the thin marshmallows you will need a large jellyroll pan. I use a 16×12.
2. Lightly spray the metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Use a sifter and dust the entire pan. Coat the bottom and the sides. Leave the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
3. 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 powdered sugar. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Then comes the fun part that your kids will love to help with, the decorating part. You want to get black and orange icing to make the eyes and nose with. This is something your kids will look forward to making every year as a family. It’s the perfect recipe for those cold winter nights that you sit around a fire and watch movies.
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