Why Marshmallows Are A Great Project For Beginner Pastry Chefs

For the aspiring pastry chefs among us, marshmallow recipes could very well be the perfect platform to practice more artisanal culinary skills. No, marshmallows aren't simply the white, pillowy ingredients used to sandwich between graham crackers or fold into batches of gooey rice Krispie treats. If you want to get creative and impress your friends, making your own marshmallows at home means the ability to create ones that vary in appearance, style, and taste. The basic recipe is simple, and once you have mastered the process, you can practice your marshmallow-making skills with few culinary restrictions.

From a variety of chocolate flavors — dark, milk, and white — to sweeter combinations like rocky road, pumpkin, cinnamon hazelnut, bubblegum, and cake batter, the options for flavoring marshmallows are endless. Plus, with a handful of readily-accessible ingredients needed to make marshmallows, amateur bakers can experiment in the kitchen and unleash the pastry chef within. 

Making marshmallows at home is a bit like making Jell-O in that the assembled ingredients need to be cooled before individual pieces are cut and served. First, gather unflavored powdered gelatin, granulated sugar, light corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and your choice of extract or paste to flavor your recipe. After boiling ingredients to firm up the sugary liquid, the mixture is cooled before gelatin is whipped in. Once combined, the mix is set into a pan or mold and left to solidify. 

Whether you decide to make batches of key lime, passionfruit, strawberry, or lemon or add in more mature flavors like Crème de menthe or Chambord to your marshmallow creations, making sugary spongy treats at home can set you on the path of culinary enlightenment. Your guests will be impressed at not only your demonstrated creativity but also your confectionary-making skills. Plus, with flavorful marshmallows to add to your recipes, a classic s'more will never taste the same.