I found another excuse for making homemade marshmallows more often than I should. Besides the fact that they are sinfully easy to make, I found out that they can sooth a sore throat. Doesn’t that sound like something a child would invent? Either way I like this remedy. Just the idea of popping marshmallows in your mouth instead of choking down on an awful tasting cough syrup is making me feel better about staying home sick. The next time I have a sore throat, I will try this remedy, one marshmallow at a time.

Even though I can’t vouch for its success at soothing a sore throat, I can tell you that making marshmallows is a pretty simple thing to do. This surprised me because I would not expect myself to make something so close to the store-bought product so fast (I made homemade twix bars before and they were time-consuming). Of course minus the waiting time of four hours. I am still scratching my head, but believe me I am delightfully surprised. The one thing you may be annoyed with is how sticky the marshmallow mixture is. Be ready to lose some marshmallows because there is just no way you can win a battle with a sticky bowl. Don’t worry. By the time you cut up all the marshmallows, you will be wondering how you will ever finish nine dozen marshmallows by yourself. Make yourself a mug of hot chocolate and they will start disappearing.

Homemade Marshmallows- recipe from Alton Brown

Place 3 packages unflavored gelatin ( 3 tbsp. and 1  1/2 tsp.) into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup ice cold water. Have a whisk attachment standing by.

 1/2 cup ice cold water, 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and , while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans.

Combine 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a small bowl or plate. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled flat spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up t overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Serves: approximately 9 dozen marshmallows