Marshmallows! Real, delicious, vegetarian marshmallows!

For me, I think the saddest realization about going vegetarian was that marshmallows, containing gelatin, were now off-limits. I could deal with never eating lime Jell-o again, but marshmallow Peeps? S'mores? So sad.

I'd heard about people making their own squishy, sugary puffs of yumminess at home, but the recipes always contained gelatin. I found some vegan marshmallows you could order online or buy in select grocery stores, but they were expensive. I did find some vegan marshmallow recipes, but the reviews were disheartening. Finally, on the verge of giving up, I stumbled across a blog which referenced the marshmallow recipe in this cookbook (page 65). It uses xanthan gum rather than gelatin -- but vegans beware: it also uses egg whites to give it the firm, fluffy texture.

Upon seeing the picture of the homemade vegetarian "Peep", I felt renewed hope. But excited as I was, I also felt intimidated, as chocolate fudge was the whole of my previous candy-making experience. Plus, xanthan gum is expensive. And I don't have a stand mixer. Basically, I made a lot of excuses. But months later, as Christmas approached, I knew I had to try it. Assuming I succeeded, homemade vegetarian marshmallows would make the ultimate addition to the holiday treat line-up.

With the help of a friend (and her stand mixer), we set about making marshmallows. Turns out that it wasn't so hard after all! It was, however, extremely messy! By the end of the night, I was covered in marshmallow, corn starch, and sugar.

But...















...it was totally worth it!

They're not exact "Peep" clones, but according to a few taste-testers, they were even better! They have a wonderful soft texture and sweet, lightly vanilla taste.

A few notes for anyone who wants to make some of their own:

1. The ingredients in the recipe are measured by weight. While this is more precise (important for delicate recipes such as this), most casual cooks and bakers probably don't have a kitchen scale. I went to the trouble of looking up conversions for all the ingredients listed into cups, tablespoons, fluid ounces, etc. If you need this information, let me know and I can email you my notes. There is also this nifty website I wish I'd known about before. Either way, my marshmallows turned out well by my conversions.
   
2. MARSHMALLOW IS STICKY! Use more corn starch or powdered sugar than you think you will need to control the stickiness, then use some more. Cover the pan with it, the cutting board, the utensils, your hands, the newly cut marshmallows, your face, your dog, your kids...
   
3. If you want to try shaping with cookie cutters, use simple shapes. If the cutter has a lot of points or details, they'll get distorted as you try to push the sticky mass out of the little corners.
   
4. I've found that the best way to store them is spread apart on covered plates or storage container in the refrigerator. I had put some of them in a plastic bag, and within a couple days they had kind of melded together into one giant, gooey blob that was difficult to remove from the bag. :(

These squishy sweets have passed the taste and texture tests, but they have yet to be subjected to two other important marshmallow tests: the Hot Cocoa Test, and the Fire Toasting Test.

Allergens: Egg, corn
Vegetarian