Chocolate-Filled Vanilla Marshmallows

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Leigh Beisch

Marshmallows are magical. That squishy, bouncy texture, the lightness, the air of fun that they exude—they're the kind of candy that brings out the inner kid in pretty much everyone. But when you figure out that you can make them yourself they become all the more magical.

These Chocolate-Filled Vanilla Marshmallows from Shauna Sever's Marshmallow Madness is the perfect way to ease into the wonderful (and not all that difficult) world of marshmallow making. The recipe is three in one: Classic Vanilla Marshmallows, powdery coating, and a creamy chocolate ganache filling.

It's about as simple as whipping up a batch of meringue, but the results are far more thrilling. All you really need to do is bloom the gelatin, boil a sugar syrup, combine the two in a stand mixer, and mix until you're left with marshmallow fluff.

Once your base is made you can add all sort of flavors and colors. In this case the base is scooped into a piping bag, piped into mini-muffin tins, dotted with chocolate ganache, finished off with more fluff, and dusted with a coating of confectioners' sugar and cornstarch to curb the stickiness. Impressive? Totally. Difficult? Not too much. But delicious and so much fun.

Reprinted with permission from Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever. Copyright © 2012. Published by Quirk Books. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Recipe Details

Chocolate-Filled Vanilla Marshmallows

Active 60 mins
Total 5 hrs
Serves 36 servings

Ingredients

Classic Coating:

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 1 cup potato starch

The Ganache Filling:

  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped

  • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) heavy cream

The Bloom:

  • 4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin

  • 1/2 cup cold water

The Syrup:

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

The Mallowing:

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup Classic Coating plus more for dusting (recipe follows)

Directions

  1. For the Classic Coating: Sift the ingredients together in a large bowl or combine them in a food processor. I tend to make several cups’ worth at a time and store it in an airtight container; it keeps forever.

  2. Whisk together the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and let soften for 5 minutes.

  3. Lightly coat 36 wells of mini-muffin tins with cooking spray. Fit a large pastry bag with a large round tip. Have at hand a small plastic pastry or zip-top bag and a pair of scissors.

  4. Stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 240°F. Meanwhile, pour remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Microwave gelatin on high until completely melted, about 30 seconds. Pour it into the mixer bowl. Set the mixer speed to low and keep it running.

  5. When the syrup reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. Increase to medium-high and beat for 5 more minutes. Beat on the highest setting for 1 to 2 minutes more and beat in the vanilla; the finished marshmallow will be opaque white, fluffy, and tripled in volume.

  6. During the beating stage, beat the batter on medium speed for 5 minutes and then increase to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes more, beating in the vanilla during the last minute. You want the marshmallow batter to be just slightly warm to the touch, somewhat fluid, and barely holding a soft peak.

  7. Make the ganache. While the marshmallow is beating, place the chocolate and cream in a small heatproof bowl. Microwave on high for 20 to 25 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Load the ganache into the small pastry bag and set aside (if using a zip-top bag, snip a small corner off the bag before piping).

  8. Quickly scrape beaten marshmallow into the large pastry bag. Pipe the batter into the wells of the mini-muffin tins, filling them only halfway. Pipe a dab (about 1⁄4 teaspoon) of ganache in the center of each marshmallow. Immediately pipe the remainder of the marshmallow batter into tins, covering the ganache and filling the wells to the tops. Sift coating evenly over top. Let set for at least 4 hours. Use the tip of a small knife to loosen and remove the marshmallows from the tins and immediately roll them in coating, patting off the excess.

Special equipment

Mini-muffin tins, pastry bag

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
57 Calories
1g Fat
12g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 36
Amount per serving
Calories 57
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 6mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 27mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)