Cloud-Soft Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Real marshmallows are a two-ingredient magic trick — hot sugar syrup whipped into bloomed gelatin until it triples into glossy white clouds. Flecked with scraped vanilla bean and cut into fat cubes, they're squishier, creamier and far more fragrant than anything from a bag. One batch fills a 9x13 pan, and they toast over a flame like a dream.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral oil or softened butter, for the pan
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 3 packets unflavored powdered gelatin (about 2 1/2 tbsp)
• 1/2 cup cold water

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Lightly oil a 9x13-inch metal baking pan, including the corners. Whisk the powdered sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl, then sift about 3 tablespoons of the mixture over the oiled pan, tilting to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Reserve the rest for cutting.
2. Pour the 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes; it will swell into a firm, wrinkled pad. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and stir them into the bloomed gelatin with your fingertip or a small spatula so they disperse.
3. In a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup water and salt. Stir just until the sugar is moistened, then set over medium-high heat. Do not stir again once it boils.
4. Clip on a candy thermometer and boil until the syrup reads 240°F (firm-ball stage), 8 to 12 minutes. If sugar crystals climb the sides of the pan, wash them down once with a wet pastry brush. Immediately remove from the heat.
5. With the mixer running on low, pour the hot syrup down the inside of the bowl in a slow, steady stream, aiming between the whisk and the bowl wall so it doesn't splash. Once all the syrup is in, increase to high speed.
6. Whip on high for 10 to 12 minutes. The mixture will go from translucent amber to opaque bright white, triple in volume, and thicken until the whisk leaves clear ribbons; the outside of the bowl should feel just barely warm, not hot. Add the vanilla extract in the last 30 seconds.
7. Working fast, scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan with an oiled silicone spatula. Oil your hands or the back of a spoon and press the surface roughly level — it will not be perfect, and that's fine. Sift 2 tablespoons of the sugar-cornstarch mixture over the top.
8. Leave uncovered at cool room temperature for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until the slab is fully set and springs back when pressed. Do not refrigerate — the fridge makes them weep.
9. Sift a thin layer of the coating onto a cutting board. Run an oiled knife around the pan edges, invert the slab onto the board, and dust the top. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares with a long knife or pizza wheel wiped with oil, re-oiling as needed.
10. Toss the cut marshmallows a handful at a time in the remaining sugar-cornstarch mixture so every sticky face is coated, then shake off the excess in a mesh strainer. Let them air-dry 1 hour before storing.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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