How to make professional-quality marshmallows at home?

In 1962, marshmallows were sent into space during NASA's Gemini VII mission. Astronauts used them as snacks, proving that marshmallows could be eaten without buoyancy issues in zero gravity.

While we don't produce them in zero gravity, we make our artisanal marshmallows right here on Earth in our laboratory in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. After dozens and dozens of tests, adjustments to quantities and ingredients, and reviewing all our recipes, we decided to explain how to make the best artisanal marshmallows, just like the pros!

But what exactly is marshmallow?

Marshmallow was originally made from the marshmallow plant root, but today, in its modern and artisanal form, marshmallow is typically made from sugar, egg white, and gelatin.

In our Parisian workshop, our master confectioners have developed an egg-white-free recipe that extends the shelf life of our marshmallows and gives them an even softer texture.

Marshmallow is a soft, sweet treat that is especially flavorful. It can be imagined in all sorts of flavors: fruit, nuts, filled with praline, infused with tea…

THE RECIPE

How do you make marshmallows at home like the pros? An egg-white-free marshmallow!

The chef's secret: "You absolutely must respect the temperature; it's crucial for soft marshmallows."

Making homemade marshmallows involves 6 steps:

STEP 1. THE GELATIN

Prepare the gelatin. You can choose beef, pork, or fish gelatin. In terms of packaging, gelatin is available in powder or sheet form.

• For sheet gelatin: This is the most common type found in stores. One sheet weighs approximately 2 grams, making this type of gelatin very easy to weigh.

To use it, soften it in a bowl of cold water for about ten minutes, then squeeze it firmly before adding it to a hot preparation so that it dissolves properly.

• For powdered gelatin: This is what professionals use, as it allows for very precise weighing and for large quantities.

For fish gelatin, there are several brands: we use the Louis François brand; the Sébalcé brand also works very well! We'll explain everything.

Why choose fish gelatin rather than pork or beef gelatin?

Certain dietary restrictions on pork gelatin (due to culture, religion, or health reasons) lead to choosing fish gelatin.

Gelling power

To choose, you need to look at the bloom number (this is the unit of measurement for gelling agents. The higher it is for gelatin, the stronger it is.)

There is:

• gold gelatin (200 blooms, the most powerful)
• silver gelatin (180 blooms)
• bronze gelatin (160 blooms).

Commercial sheet gelatin is usually 200 blooms. If the recipe doesn't specify, assume it's for 200 bloom gelatin.

This recipe yields approximately 190 cubic marshmallows, 10g each.

STEP 2: THE SYRUP

The first step starts in a saucepan, where you prepare a syrup.

Pour into a large saucepan:

• 162 grams of tap water
• 420 grams of sugar

You can find it in supermarkets; it's traditional refined white sugar.

• 194 grams of glucose syrup

Glucose syrup is easily found in supermarkets, in the baking aisle. Specialty stores also offer it. You can find it online at lemeilleurduchef.com or alicedelice.com

• 258 grams of invert sugar syrup (trimoline)

You can replace it with honey. Invert sugar syrup can be found online, for example, on lemeilleurduchef.com with the brand Louis François.

Be careful, the order matters! You must first add the water, then the sugar. Otherwise, the sugar alone will caramelize. You can then add the glucose syrup and invert sugar syrup!

Heat over medium heat. For the syrup, the sugars must be heated to 117°C. Use a thermometer immersed in the liquid in the saucepan and wait until it reads 117°C, and especially, do not go run a bath or buy bread!

Here, at 117°C, the thermometer rings throughout the lab, at least we are warned.

STEP 3: INCORPORATION

The second step takes place in the mixer bowl (this is a 4.5 liter kitchen machine, brands like KitchenAid, Kenwood, or Thermomix…).

The Thermomix will also allow you to make a simple homemade marshmallow recipe; find the complete recipe at the bottom of the article!

Pour into a mixer bowl:

• 275 grams of invert sugar syrup (trimoline)
• 312 grams of gelatin mass

When the syrup is ready, start whisking⁽¹⁾ (i.e., incorporating air by beating quickly with a mixer) the invert sugar syrup and heated gelatin, and slowly pour⁽²⁾ (pour a preparation into another slowly, so that the first preparation flows along the side of the bowl) the hot syrup at 117°C.

The chef's tip for gelatin:

We use powdered fish gelatin. It must be dissolved in 5 times its volume of water (so we put 10 grams of gelatin powder in 50 grams of water, which forms a 60-gram gelatin mass).

It must then be left to swell in the fridge for the gelatinous mass to form. It is then used like classic gelatin by incorporating it into a hot mixture to dissolve it, carefully weighing the necessary gelatinous mass.

Our trick is to prepare large quantities of gelatin mass (water + fish gelatin) in our lab. As soon as our gelatinous mass is ready, we let it set and store it in the fridge. This allows us to cover all our marshmallow recipes for the week.

Before incorporating it into the preparation, you can heat it in a double boiler for about 5 minutes or 30 seconds in the microwave so that it melts and is homogeneous in the preparation.

Now, patience... Let the mixer whip the preparation and reveal that lovely airy side of the marshmallow. Depending on the quantity, this can take several tens of minutes and the temperature drops to about 40°C.

This is when natural flavorings are incorporated to give the marshmallow its taste. When the marshmallow is whipping and has cooled down (45°C), you can pour the chosen flavoring and, if desired, a natural coloring into the bowl to color the marshmallows.

In the laboratory, the sound of the mixers is more like background music to us. Our bowls hold 6 kilos of marshmallow preparation, and for the marshmallow to set, it takes about 30 minutes of mixing for our master confectioners!

STEP 4: PIPING

The penultimate step is piping. Here, let your imagination run wild...

But first, a little secret: once whipped, marshmallow sets quickly. You have to rush to put it either in a piping bag or in an airtight container.

After putting it in a large piping bag (33 cm by 45 cm) with a 10mm plain nozzle, you just need to pipe the shapes you want. You can pipe them into:

• A mold (silicone, chocolate...). To prevent the marshmallow from sticking too much, brush it with a little oil (very lightly). You can also use a grease spray.
• A lightly greased dish as well.
• A container filled with powdered sugar, making an impression, a shape with the object of your choice (a heart, a small fruit, a glass). You can then pipe the marshmallow into these impressions and cover it with powdered sugar.

Here's a final secret from our master confectioner: "Let homemade marshmallows rest overnight."

Once piped, your marshmallow needs time to set and take its shape properly. Allow one night or at least 8 hours, at room temperature.

STEP 5: UNMOLDING

After resting, you can unmold it; the grease will have prevented your marshmallow from sticking. It will unmold without problems.

STEP 6: COATING

For the final step, which will make your marshmallow soft and delicious: sprinkle your marshmallow with powdered sugar and cornstarch (this is cornflour, available in all supermarkets). This helps absorb moisture. Then remove any residue with a brush. This will coat the marshmallow and make it even more irresistible.

All that's left is to enjoy!

How to personalize my homemade marshmallow?

The advantage of our marshmallow is the invitation to surprise. It's a cube with 6 sides and a thousand facets. In terms of flavors, colors, marshmallow has one quality: to reinvent itself.

You can incorporate natural flavors, food colorings, but also dried fruits, or infuse tea and add it to your preparation, or for the more adventurous, you can fill the marshmallow with praline. Only one watchword: indulgence!

To make Christmas marshmallows at home: the tips and tricks corner:

• Filling my homemade marshmallows with praline for Christmas:

Right after the piping step into the molds and using a piping bag, pipe praline inside your marshmallow, then let it set overnight with the marshmallow.

The extra touch ? Making your own praline and especially... toasting⁽³⁾ your dried fruits in the oven (i.e. baking dried fruits to develop their aromas).

For 100g of praline:

• 72 grams of toasted hazelnuts
• 29 grams of sugar

Make a dry caramel with the sugar, then pour it over a Silpat onto the toasted hazelnuts. Let cool, then grind in a powerful blender. Praline keeps in the fridge for several months (if there's any left... which is less certain!).

• Coloring my homemade marshmallows for Christmas: edible and natural food colorings exist, and that's exclusively what we use. You can dissolve it in liquid, heated gelatin. It's added at the same time as the syrup to the preparation to be whipped.

• Flavoring my homemade marshmallows for Christmas: you can use flavors from natural ingredients, infuse tea, add dried fruits... Be careful, this is added at the very end when the marshmallow is well whipped!

We wish you delicious marshmallow moments!

Glossary:

Whip: incorporate air into the mixture using a mixer.

Pour in a stream: pour one preparation into another gently, so that the first preparation flows down the side of the bowl.

Roast: Bake dried fruits to develop their aromas. For hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans... Arrange them on an oven rack at 160°C for about ten minutes, then let cool.

Some alternatives:

Making homemade marshmallow bears with a Thermomix

Ingredients for homemade bears:

• 10 sheets of gelatin
• 1 bowl of cold water, to soften the gelatin
• 300 g of sugar
• 200 g of dark chocolate, for baking
• 50 g of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of liquid honey
• 100 ml of water
• 2 egg whites (large eggs), at room temperature
• A good pinch of salt

1. Put 50 grams of sugar in the Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds at speed 9 to make powdered sugar. You can also use pre-made powdered sugar.
2. Then add 50 grams of cornstarch and mix for 5 seconds at speed 4.
3. Put the powders into a bowl, wash and thoroughly dry the Thermomix.
4. Soften the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.
5. Place the whisk attachment in the Thermomix bowl. Add the egg whites and salt and start whisking the egg whites progressively from speed 1 to 4 and set for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, put 250 g of sugar, honey, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 7 minutes over very high heat to form a syrup.
7. Stop cooking, add the well-drained gelatin to this syrup. Stir with a wooden spoon until the syrup is homogeneous.
8. Pour this mixture in a steady stream onto the egg whites through the lid of the bowl. Leave running until the timer sounds.
9. Line a high-sided rectangular mold (30x20) with cling film. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture.
10. When the timer sounds, remove the whisk and transfer the mixture to the dish.
11. Smooth the surface. Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
12. Remove the preparation from the refrigerator and cut into cubes.
13. Put 200 g of chocolate into the bowl and mix for 5 seconds at speed 10.
14. Open the bowl and scrape down the chocolate with the spatula. Close the lid. Melt the chocolate for 5 minutes at 90°.
15. Take your silicone bear molds and brush them with chocolate. Place your molds in the refrigerator for 10 minutes (until the chocolate hardens).
16. Take a bowl, put 10 marshmallow cubes in it with 1 tbsp of water, mix well and pour off the excess water. Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at 750W. The marshmallow should be melted. Spread it in the bear molds (you need to wet your fingers well to prevent the marshmallow from sticking and to spread it more easily than with a spoon). Cover with melted chocolate.
17. Return them to the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Homemade chocolate marshmallow recipe

Ingredients:

– 20 g of gelatin sheets

– 200 ml of water

– 400 g of granulated sugar

– 200 g of glucose syrup (or corn syrup)

– 100 ml of additional water

– 200 g of dark (or milk) chocolate, melted

– Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:

1. Prepare the mold:

Line a rectangular or square mold (approximately 20x20 cm) with parchment paper and generously sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Ensure that all internal surfaces of the mold are well coated.

2. Soften the gelatin:

Soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for about 5 to 10 minutes to soften them.

3. Prepare the syrup:

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, glucose syrup (or corn syrup), and the extra 200 ml of water. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the mixture reaches 120°C (use a sugar thermometer to check).

4. Finish the gelatin:

Squeeze the softened gelatin sheets to remove excess water.

5. Prepare the marshmallow base:

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the squeezed gelatin to the hot syrup and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

6. Whisking:

Pour the hot syrup into a clean bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture at medium to high speed for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick, shiny, and triples in volume.

7. Add the chocolate:

Gently fold the melted chocolate into the marshmallow mixture with a spatula until evenly distributed.

8. Molding:

Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared mold. Smooth the top with a lightly oiled spatula.

9. Waiting:

Let the marshmallow set at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or even overnight, until completely firm.

10. Cut and dust:

Once set, invert the marshmallow onto a surface dusted with icing sugar. Cut it into squares using an oiled knife or a pair of scissors. Coat each square in icing sugar to prevent them from sticking together.

There you have it! You now have delicious homemade chocolate marshmallows!