Did you know that the Egyptians made marshmallows by hand with sap from the marshmallow plant, not gelatin? Yes, there really is a marshmallow plant. Here is a recipe for making marshmallows using marshmallow root for those purists among my readers.
Did you, also, know that you can make marshmallows from the juice from a can of chick peas? This was news to me. I asked my girls what aquafaba was? They cried out in unison the juice from chick peas. If you want to know all the amazing things aquafaba can do look here. Wow!! My daughters have been studying veganism for a long time and I appreciate their efforts to learn and then to teach me.
My first attempt at making marshmallows turned out to be quite an unfortunate event. I switched recipes and found a YouTube video that showed a recipe that worked. I do not have a mixer so this was all done using a whisk. It was not as hard as it was imagined.
My daughter leaves for her camping trip tomorrow and I promised her that I would make her vegan marshmallows. It is already 10:00 p.m. when I started my second attempt not knowing if it would be profitable. Homemade Vegan Marshmallows Ingredients 1 C sugar 1/2 C white corn syrup 1/2 C water + 1/4 C water 1/2 C aquafaba 2 t agar agar 1/2 t xanthum gum 1/2 lemon or lime juice cornstarch and icing sugar mix for dusting Step 1 In a small saucepan place 1/2 C water and agar agar, stir gently and set aside. Step 2 In large heat-proof bowl mix aquafaba, xanthum gum, and lime or lemon juice. Blend with hand mixer or whisk for just a couple of minutes until the mixtures fills out and sticks to the beaters/whisk. Step 3 Add 1 T of your sugar and beat/whisk until stiff and shiny. Set aside. Step 4 In a second small saucepan put the remainder of the cup of sugar, white corn syrup, and 1/4 C water. Place over high heat until boiling then turn down heat to medium and let cook until the soft ball stage or, if you have a candy thermometer boil until temperature reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit/120 degrees Celcius. Step 5 Place agar mixture on high heat and turn down to medium once boiling and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Step 6 Slowly add the sugar mixture to the aquafaba mixture while continually beating/whisking. Trust me this does work, even though the sugar mixture is still hot. Beat well for 2 or so more minutes. Step 7 While continually mixing add the agar mixture - this will be more of a challenge because it is more solidified. Get someone to help spoon it in for you. Keep beating until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Mixture will form ribbons when the beaters/whisk are lifted. Step 8 Line a small 8" baking sheet with parchment paper (up the sides, too) and dust with cornstarch/icing sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan and smooth the top. Dust the top with cornstarch/icing sugar. Allow to cool overnight. Step 9 Turn onto dusted cutting board and slice with dusted knife. Step 10 Enjoy!! Note Hover over the pictures to see what step is represented. For more details watch the video below.
10 Comments
5/26/2017 05:12:18 pm
Kim, that is exactly why my daughter wants them. She wants to enjoy s'mores like everyone else. Do you know anyone who is vegan? If so, what are some of their favourite sites?
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Lila Gaertner
5/26/2017 09:14:39 am
I had no idea marshmallows could come from a plant! That is so cool Tanya! I bet those marshmallows taste great! :)
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5/26/2017 01:19:56 pm
Lila, I did not know that marshmallow plants existed. There were lots of facts I learned doing this recipe. It was fun, too. Maybe you could try making them and tasting your own creations? They are not that hard to do.
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Jacquie Walbaum
5/26/2017 11:33:29 am
Wow Tanya,I am impressed. I actually never put thought into how things that I buy are made. I actually should do this. I am going to show my daughters this and maybe we will try it out. My middle daughter loves trying new things out.
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5/26/2017 01:24:24 pm
Jacquie, I am sure that you and your daughters will have a lot of fun making these. Do your daughters like to cook? This would need parent assistance because there are very hot ingredients to mix together.
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5/27/2017 12:59:43 am
Hello, Tanya
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5/27/2017 11:00:31 am
Arlene, this was news to me, too. I wonder what the other uses of the marshmallow plant are? Hmm, time for a google search. https://tinyurl.com/ydffsegq shows us many more uses for the marshmallow plant.
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