Ultra-sweet, one-dimensional candies aren’t my thing. However, toast a marshmallow to golden perfection, pair it with graham crackers and Hershey’s chocolate, and I’ll come running before your campfire toasting twig has a chance to cool. Yet when I was getting ready to host a s’mores-making party a few years back, I couldn’t pull the trigger on the JetPuff purchase.
My awareness of what goes into processed food has grown exponentially since my days around the Camp Longhorn fire, and tetrasodium pyrophosphate and Blue 1 (aren’t marshmallows white?) aren’t things I want in my marshmallows. Homemade aren’t just better because they’re additive free; they’re also fun to make and toast like a dream.
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About the Author: Louise Emerick
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Hi Louise -
Is there a good substitute for gelatin in case I want to make a vegan version?
Thanks.
Hi jbf, I checked in with Marcus Walser, who is our resident candy-making expert (and IT guy) and he sent me this link:
http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/10833/is-there-a-vegetarian-gelatin-substitute-that-is-as-strong-as-gelatin
In a nutshell, you could give agar a shot (you can buy it off Amazon for pretty cheap). Agar has a different gelling power than gelatin, so it wouldn’t be 1:1 substitution. Its gel is also shorter-textured, so it’s going to be a different final product. As Marcus says, “Probably still worth making, but not a marshmallow.” In my opinion, it’s worth an experiment or two (plus, you can use the agar to make Marcus’ very awesome orange jelly slices, which are in the DIY book that’s out now).
Louise, thanks for the info. I think the test kitchen would be a perfect place to perfect a vegan marshmallow.
I’m currently in the process of reading the DIY book cover-to-cover, sweet!
What about carrageenan based gelatin? You might try something like Ko-Jel unflavored gelatin which is not made with animal products. Just keep in mind that there are other kosher gelatins that are made with fish. So check the ingredients first.
Hi, Im in the UK and cant get corn syrup. We have something called golden syrup which is partially inverted refined sugar… would this work as a substitution or a diy cornsyrup?
Hi Abby, golden syrup should function the same, it will just impart a little color and taste slightly malty. My colleague Andrea says that when she lived in Scotland, she subbed either golden syrup or glucose (purchased from a drug store) for corn syrup. I’d suspect the glucose would be fine if you can get it!
Thanks Louise! I used the glucose and the marshmallows turned out amazing! Thanks so much for your reply, we’re making a second batch tonight