First valued for medicinal properties by the ancient Egyptians, extract from mallow plant roots was sweetened with honey and used as a remedy for sore throats. By the early nineteenth century, French confectioners whipped and sweetened the sap to make the first marshmallows. Dusted in powdered sugar, these easy-to-make confections are plush, chewy, sweet, and of course, pleasurable with hot cocoa. Floating marshmallows over a steaming cup is a particularly American notion.
Ingredients
- Powdered sugar
- 2 envelopes Knox gelatin
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
How to Make It
- Dust the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square pan with powdered sugar. Set aside. In a small bowl, soak gelatin in ½ cup of the cold water. Set aside. Combine granulated sugar and the second ½ cup of water in a large heavy saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Add gelatin mixture and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let stand until partially cool. Add salt and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until double in volume, at least 10 minutes.
- Pour into prepared pan to about ½-inch thick. Set to cool and firm-up. Cut into 1½-inch squares, and roll each sticky marshmallow in powdered sugar to coat.
