Monday, February 13, 2012

Valentine's Day, Home-Made Marshmallow Hearts Tutorial

Hi folks! Sorry for being MIA. I've been really busy, so I have a whole backlog of posts coming out really soon!!! Here's a few photos of some of the Valentine's Day treats for the Valentine's Day party.

Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese icing:

I even made the heart-shaped fondant toppers!! Fondant toppers have terrified me for the longest time, but they are shockingly easy to make--tutorial coming soon!


Heart-shaped sugar cookies with royal icing:

These are from my favorite local cookie boutique--Lily's Cookies



Home-made marshmallow pops:

I decided to make marshmallows from scratch! They taste amazing!! I'm never using store-bought marshmallows again!! The recipe and a quick tutorial is below. 



My little helper was having trouble waiting until the party!!




Home-made marshmallow pops (tutorial):

To make these heart-shaped marshmallow pops, you'll need:
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 3 packets of unflavored gelatin
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 12 oz regular sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Red food coloring
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • Nonstick spray
  • Heart-shaped cookie cutter
  • Lollipop sticks
  • Red/pink sugar sprinkles
Here's how:
  1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) along with 1/2 cup of the water. Let sit.
  2. Meanwhile, combine 1/2 cup water,  sugar, corn syrup and salt in a medium pot, with a candy thermometer clipped to the side.  Place over medium high heat and cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes.
  3. Turn the mixer on (low speed ) and slowly pour all of the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Increase the speed to high. Whip on high speed until the mixture becomes very thick, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. The mixutre will still be lukewarm. Add the vanilla and food coloring during the last minute of whipping.



  4. While the mixture is whipping, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13x19 inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch powder and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining powder to the bowl for later use.


  5. Pour the whipped mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a lightly oiled spatula. Dust the top with the sugar/cornstarch powder to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the pan to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.


  6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board, dust cookie cutter with remaining sugar/corn starch mixture ans use it to cut the hearts. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each heart with the remaining powder, using additional if necessary.


  7. Insert lollipop sticks into the marshmallow hearts. Dip the tops in a solution of one part water and one part corn syrup, shake off exceed liquid and dip in sugar sprinkles.
  8. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Enjoy!!

Here are photos from the party, using Bird's party printables!








    2 comments:

    1. OMG!! I was just lookign for a fool-proof recipe yesterday!! YOU ROCK!! Will have to try this one! ;)

      can't wait ti see the pics!

      ReplyDelete
    2. How beautiful!! I love those cupcakes! They look so tastey, and look like they were fun to make. I always wanted to try decorating cakes! Great way to spread creativity!! Great job. You are sooooo good at your craft. I can see you are very passionate!

      ReplyDelete

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