Homemade Lemon Marshmallows

 Sweet and not sour lemmony clouds, these make for a soft and delicious treat any day of the week. This recipe contains tips for each step of making the perfect lemon marshmallows even without corn syrup.

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Think about store brought marshmallows for a minute….

While they can be nice they are often only brought to make something else right. Smores, hot chocolate, toasted over a campfire, rocky road. All delicious with marshmallows but marshmallows on their own can be kind of unexciting, a little chewy and rubbery. That is nothing like homemade fresh marshmallows. Pillowy squares of cloud like goodness, flavoured with a candy sweet lemon. Not only will you want to eat these, you will become a marshmallow convert or at least a marshmallow snob. Declaring no marshmallow better than homemade.

Corn syrup and marshmallows

Most recipes for marshmallow you find will contain corn syrup or a similar substitute and that is for good reason. The corn syrup in candy recipes helps stop the sugars from crystallizing and guaranteeing a smooth and fluffy final product.

Corn syrup is not readily available where I live and for a recipe with a light flavour such as this, I do not like using a flavoured substitute like honey or golden syrup. This recipe uses only sugar, water and gelatin to make the marshmallow base. It is then is flavoured with lemon essence and a little coloring for a final pop. I have included tips and tricks to help you make these perfect every time. Even without the assistance of corn syrup!

Setup

Bloom geletin and heat the syrup

Wisk syrup into the geletin

Add colour and essence

Whisk for about 10 minutes

Set, slice and coat

How to avoid the sugar crystallizing

To combat crystallization when you are heating the sugar syrup, you need to keep a close eye on the pot as it is simmering.

You can tell that the crystallization is beginning in two ways.

The first and most obvious, is when the edges of the liquid begin to look cloudy or grainy.

The other is when the temperature begins to drop  more that 1 or 2 degrees instead of sitting still or increasing.

When either of these things happen you will want to combat the crystallization. I usually do this by taking a silicone spatula (dipped in warm water) and running it around the outer edge of the syrup bringing it into the centre and removing the spatula quickly, avoid stirring at all. If it keeps happening you can also place a lid on the pot for a minute or two. This will catch the evaporating steam and allow it to drip down the sides of the pot  and dissolve the sugar that is building up. Keep this up through the cooking process and you will reach your temperature with little to no fuss.

Checking the temperature without a candy thermometer

For this recipe a candy thermometer is super helpful because of the sugar heating stage. However if you do not have one on hand then you can absolutely still make these delicious marshmallows. To check that you have reached the correct temperature you will need a small cup filled with cold water. Use a metal teaspoon to collect and pour a few drops of the cooked sugar syrup into the cold water. The sugar should stay together in the water and be able to be picked up using your fingertips. If you can form that into a soft ball then you have reached the right temperature.

How to know is the lemon marshmallow is whisked enough

The first time you make marshmallow it can definitely be a bit of a guessing game as to whether or not you have actually whisked it for long enough. Here are a few things that you can check if you are not too sure.

Volume – the total volume of the marshmallow will be about 3 times the size of what it was when the sugar syrup was added.

Consistency – You can check this by dipping a clean spoon or finger into the mixture. The marshmallow will stick to every part of the surface that touches it and will create a soft domed peak that sort of flattens slightly when it is upturned. You also want the marshmallow to be pour-able but the pour will be super slow and will kind of droop out of the bowl in a heavy pulling motion.

Temperature – this is not the most accurate measurement of readyness but can easily let you know if you have mixed too long. The bowl that you are whipping the marshmallow in will be very warm in the beginning and will loose most of that heat by the end of the process. If the bowl is completely cold then you may have over mixed.

Flavouring

I chose a lemon flavouring for this recipe because why not! It has a fresh and bright taste that is perfect for any occasion. For this recipe I definitely recommend the use of an essence over any other type of flavouring. With an essence you can account for the liquid levels exactly and know that the flavour will be sweet and smooth. It also means that you can easily substitute the flavouring without much fuss. I have used this recipe for vanilla and raspberry marshmallows with perfect results just by switching out the essence and coloring. If you want to use a stronger flavouring such as almond or peppermint, then you can reduce it to 1/2 tsp without any problem.

lemon marshmallow

Lemon Marshmallows

Prep Time 40 minutes
Rest time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 16 large marshmallows

Ingredients
  

Marshmallow
  • 20 grams gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon essance
  • 1 teaspoon yellow food coloring
Coating
  • 1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cornflour
For cutting
  • Flavourless cooking oil

Method
 

  1. Lightly grease and line a square baking tin with baking paper. I have used one that is approx 22 x 22 cm.
  2. In a large mixing bowl sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the water. Mix together gently and set aside while you prepare the sugar.
  3. Place the sugar and the remaining water into a small saucepan.
  4. Heat the water and sugar on a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
  5. Continue heating, allowing the pot to simmer and then stop stirring. Keep an eye on the hot liquid and use a candy thermometer to keep track of the temperature. Continue heating the sugar syrup until it reaches 118°C ( you can test for the soft ball stage if you do not have a candy thermometer). This will take about 5-10 minutes but can be slowed down by the sugar beginning to crystallize around the edge of the pot.
  6. Take your prepared gelatin bowl and place it onto a folded tea towel to stop it from slipping. Set up an electric whisk ready to begin whisking. Pour the sugar syrup in a very thin stream into your bowl. Whisk constantly until all of the sugar syrup has been added. This stage should take about 3-5 minutes.
  7. Add in the lemon essence and food coloring.
  8. Continue whisking on a high speed for about 10 more minutes or until you have reached a thick and fluffy consistency.
  9. Pour the marshmallow into your prepared baking tin. Place on a level surface and allow to set for about 5-6 hours. (you can leave it up to 1 day but I find that it starts to form a crust on top if it is left to long before being cut)
  10. Mix together your icing sugar and cornflour in a small bowl and coat a large, sharp knife with a thin layer of oil
  11. Cover the top of your marshmallow slab with sugar mixture and turn it out onto a clean, dry bench top topside down. Remove the baking pan and baking paper before coating the entire bottom of the marshmallow slab with the sugar mixture.
  12. Cut into 16 large marshmallows (like the ones I have made here) or 25 if you prefer. With each cut you will need to clean and re oil your knife, this part is tedious but it is necessary to avoid sticking. Dip all of the cut marshmallow sides in the sugar mixture so that they are fully coated and are no longer sticky to the touch.
  13. Store in an air tight container. Pour any remaining sugar mixture in to the container too. Store at room temperature for about 1 month (if they last that long).

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my recipe for homemade lemon marshmallows. I hope you enjoy trying this out for yourself. Please feel free to add any questions or comments bellow. I am happy to help out wherever possible and I would love to hear how this recipe worked out for you.

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Crystal Rose



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