Have you ever made your own marshmallows? I don’t make a lot of my own candy – but marshmallows are the exception. The homemade version is so much better than anything you get in the stores.
They are the best in a mug of cocoa because they get so nice and melty and in the summer they’re awesome for roasting and s’mores.
Continue readingNote: this post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through these links help support this blog’s content at no additional cost to you.
My love language is chocolate and peanut butter. Luckily for me, my husband loves the combo too, so it’s an obvious choice whenever I’m making something special for us.
These enormous peanut butter cups were our Valentine’s day treat this year – which was perfect, because they’re sized to share.
Note: I received complimentary products for this post. All opinions are my own.
I first made homemade marshmallows for Christmas a few years ago. They were amazing and I absolutely adored them floating in a mug of cocoa. And while vanilla marshmallows have been my go-to, I kept dreaming about chocolate ones.
Fluffy chocolate marshmallows floating in rich chocolate cocoa. Sounds heavenly, right?
It took a few tries to figure out how to make it work – trying to mix in cocoa powder never gave me the result I was hoping for but mixing the cocoa powder into a chocolate paste makes them just right.
I used gourmet baking cocoa from Choctoberfest sponsor Rodelle for this and it was such a great choice – the rich flavor is perfect for decadent marshmallows!
As we were sampling these, Jake requested making them into s’mores using chocolate graham crackers too – I’m pretty sure that will be our next project!
Chocolate Marshmallows
(a Kate’s Recipe box original)
Makes about 2 dozen
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. cocoa powder, divided (I used Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa)
Vegetable oil
2 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
In a bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 c. cocoa powder.
Oil an 8×8″ baking pan with vegetable oil and then dust with powdered sugar mixture.
Mix remaining 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 2 Tbsp. hot water to make a paste.
In another bowl, put 1/2 cup cold water and sprinkle gelatin over. Set aside.
In a saucepan with a candy thermometer, combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook until it reaches 240 degrees then remove from heat.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the gelatin mixture and beat for a minute, until broken up. Add the chocolate paste and beat until well incorporated. While the mixer is going, slowly pour the corn syrup mixture in. Beat on high for about 15 minutes, until thick and doubled in size.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and cover top with more of the cornstarch mixture. Set aside overnight.
The next day, invert the pan to remove the marshmallows. Cut into squares and then roll in remaining cornstarch mixture to coat all sides. Stir in an airtight container.
You can see today’s other #Choctoberfest recipes here:
One of the things I love about these blogging events is that they tend to push me out of my comfort zone. When I signed up for a Choctoberfest, I was imaging lots of chocolate goodies. Making my own chocolate, though? It never crossed my mind. But when Caveman Coffee Co sent a package of Cacao Butter that was exactly what I found myself doing. I did receive the product free to try, but all opinions are my own.
The process of making chocolate was actually surprisingly easy. I opted for a dark chocolate version – my favorite! – and dressed it up a bit for Halloween. ‘Tis the season and all.
I loved everything about this – especially that I could control the sweetness. I see a lot of DIY chocolate bark in my future!
Dark Chocolate Halloween Bark
(adapted from Minimalist Baker)
Makes 1 pan
1 cup cacao butter, divided
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
Candy corn, optional
Sprinkles, optional
Line a baking pan with parchment an set aside.
In a double boiler over medium heat, melt 1 cup cacao butter. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in maple syrup until thoroughly combined. Once completely combined, whisk in cocoa powder and vanilla. Taste and add more syrup if needed. Pour onto prepared baking pan.
Add candy corn and sprinkles between ghosts. Refrigerate until set – at least an hour and a half. Once completely cooled and set, break into pieces.
