Serves 25
- 50 ml (3½ tbsp.) gelatine
- 250 ml (1 c) boiling water
- 750 ml (3 c) sugar
- 330 ml (1 ¹/³ c) glucose
- 160 ml (²/³ c) water
- 5 ml (1 t) vanilla
- pink food colouring
- 2 m (500 ml) icing sugar
- 80 ml (¹/³ k) corn-starch
Line a 24 x 34 cm pan with baking paper and spray with non-stick spray.
1 Mix the gelatin and boiling water gently with an electric beater, and set aside.
2 Heat the sugar, glucose and water in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Do not stir. Cook until it reaches a softball stage on a sugar thermometer.
3 Turn on the mixer and add the syrup in a thin stream. Add the vanilla and food colouring and beat for 12-15 minutes until the mixture is light, thick and glossy.
4 Spoon the mixture into the pan and quickly smooth the surface as it sets almost immediately.
5 Sift the icing sugar and corn-starch together and sprinkle on a clean work surface. Turn the marshmallows out of the pan. Cut with a cookie cutter into the desired form. Store in an airtight container.
Remember …
• The syrup of the marshmallows should be cooked to the soft ball stage at 112-116 ° C on a sugar thermometer.
• Put the sugar thermometer in boiling water before you put it in the syrup. If you put it directly into the boiling syrup, it can damage the thermometer. It also shortens the time it should be in the sugar syrup and reduces the chance for crystallization.
• The sugar thermometer should not touch the bottom of the pot. This will measure the temperature of the stove plate and instead of the temperature of the sugar.
• If you do not have a sugar thermometer yet, test the syrup in cold water. Add a few drops of warm syrup in cold water to form a ball. Remove from the water. If the ball immediately loses its shape, it is in the soft ball stadium.
• Cook the syrup for a few minutes after it reaches the soft ball stage. If the sugar syrup is not cooked long enough, the marshmallows will be soft.
• To avoid getting the marshmallows sticking to the surface, sprinkle a bit of icing sugar and cornflour on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
• Spread the knife or cookie cutter with a little oil before you cut the marshmallows.
