These Rhubarb Marshmallows are the best I’ve ever tasted – and they’re easier to make then you might think!
Decadent, fluffy, vanilla marshmallows, swirled with tangy rhubarb.
and a very surprised Nicky.
I’ve never tried making marshmallows before, and expected it to go horribly wrong. After all, those beautiful little piles of artisan Rhubarb Marshmallows that come in tiny little bags of 7 or 8 pieces cost a fortune! Surely there must be some secret, complicated skill involved?
Well, I’m here to tell you that there isn’t.
Amazing marshmallows are easy!
I got the recipe for the basic vanilla marshmallow here. It’s a really good tutorial that talks you through each step with pictures. I made a couple of changes:
- I used gelatin sheets instead of gelatin powder
- I made my own rhubarb paste to swirl on top – to give colour and flavour.
They’re a little messy to make. The initial swirling of the rhubarb paste into the marshmallow mixture also looks a little gross – in a blended brains kind of way:
They look a lot nicer once they’re cut and coated in a little cornflour/confectioner’s sugar mix though:
And yes, you get 60 marshmallows!! That’d cost, like, £30 in the shop! (plus guilty looks as you murmur at the cashier that they’re not all for you and you’re buying presents for friends).
Save yourself the embarrassment and the cash and make these at home. No one will judge you for eating 15 in a row.
If you you are a little more restrained than me when it comes to eating marshmallows, they also keep for at least a week in a sealed container. They’d probably last an additional week too. I did try to test that theory, but it was just too difficult…..
The Rhubarb Marshmallows Recipe:
Rhubarb Marshmallows
Ingredients
Rhubarb Paste:
- 1 stick (about 125g) rhubarb washed and chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp water
- 1 sheet gelatin 1.7g or ¾ tsp of unflavoured gelatin powder
- A drop of red food colouring optional
Gelatin mix:
- 12 sheets of gelatin they normally come in packs of 15 – weighing 25g, so 12 sheets = 20g OR 3 tablespoons unflavoured gelatin powder
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract
Marshmallows:
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups corn syrup
- Pinch of salt
Also:
- 1 cup confectioners/powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup cornflour/cornstarch
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Start with the rhubarb paste. Place the rhubarb, sugar and water into a small saucepan. Cover and heat on a medium heat until the rhubarb breaks down. It should take about 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Use a hand blender to blend the rhubarb in the pan, then add in the gelatin and food colouring and heat slowly, whilst stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
- Next, prepare the gelatin: If you’re using sheet gelatin, place it in a small pan with the water and vanilla extract. Heat slowly for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the gelating has dissolved. Then take off the heat and pour it into the bowl of your mixer. OR If you’re using powdered gelatin, pour it straight into the bowl of your mixer and add the water and vanilla extract. Whisk with a fork until the gelatin has dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
- Take a medium sized saucepan, place a candy thermometer in. Pour in the water, and then the sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Do not stir. Heat the mixture on a medium-to-high heat until boiling. If you notice any sugar crystals on the side of the pan, you can dip a pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pan. This will prevent the sugar crystals falling into the mixture, causing it to crystallise. Continue to heat the mixture until it reaches 119c/247f – 121c/250f (still no stirring!). Once it reaches this temperature, turn off the heat, and carefully remove the thermometer.
- Go back to your mixer, and start whisking the gelatin mix at a medium speed using the balloon whisk attachment. Whilst whisking, very slowly (and carefully) pour the sugar mixture into the bowl (down the side of the mixing bowl – so it doesn’t splash you) in a thin stream. Once all of the sugar mixture is in, cover the mixer in a clean kitchen towel and turn up the speed to high. Whisk for 10 full minutes (you can take the towel off after a couple of minutes – once the marshmallow mix has started to thicken)
- Whilst the mixer is on, prepare your baking tin. Take a tin approx. 9”x13” and spray with cooking oil. Wipe it around with a kitchen towel, so all the corners have a thin coating of oil. Put to one side.
- Once the 10 minutes is up, take a stiff spatula and immediately scrape the marshmallow mix into the prepared tray. It will be very sticky! Once it’s all in, spray your hands with cooking oil, and flatten the marshmallow down and push to the edges.
- Working quickly, dot your cooled rhubarb paste on top of the marshmallows. Take a cocktail stick and swirl it around – so there are no large pools of rhubarb (just gentle swirls).
- Leave the marshmallows to set – uncovered – for at least 4 hours (up to 24 hours)
- After the marshmallows have set, mix the confectioners/powdered sugar and cornflour in a small bowl. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of this mix on top of the marshmallow, and tip the marshmallow out onto a cutting board. Sprinkle again with more of the cornflour mix and cut the marshmallow into chunks using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. It’s a good idea to dip your knife in the cornflour mix after each cut to stop the marshmallow sticking to the knife. Also, after each cut, move the cut pieces apart (or they’ll meld back together again). Once the marshmallow has been chopped into chunks, toss each chunk in the cornflour mix to cover all sides.
- Serve straightaway or place in an airtight box until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these gorgeous beauties on Sat, what a fab combination. Had to pass them around the neighbours, to save me eating them all.
Okay then I will try
Hey I’m allergic to rhubarb can I substitute it for orange
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work. Personally I’d just heat 1/2 of a cup of orange juice with the gelatin – rather than adding sugar and water.
I’ve always been so scared of marshmallows too! These are so pretty though, I may have to get over my fears an make them! They look so puffy and soft, better than shop bought!
You should definately make them! They were so much easier than I expected. I’m dying to try a few other flavours now, but I also want to make these ones again. Terrible dilemma 🙂
Wow what pretty little confections! Love the pink swirls of rhubarb 🙂
Thanks June 🙂
These would be great to set out when entertaining! The rhubarb was an excellent idea.
Thanks Julie. I’ve already go orders place for more from the family 🙂
Mind blown! I NEVER would have thought to combine rhubarb with marshmallows. Wow! They look absolutely incredible!
Thanks Megan 🙂 I love rhubarb, always looking for ways to include it in recipes!!