Vanilla Marshmallows with Lyle's Golden Syrup (Corn Free)

I really love Lyle's.  Funny, I don't remember having it when I visited England about 20 years ago.  But it's become my go to corn syrup replacement and I love that golden syrup is more widely available now right here in the US than it was even a couple years ago.  I can find it in just about all our local grocery stores now.  Usually in with the pancake and corn syrups.  It is cane sugar derived and has a unique caramely flavor like a light hint of brown sugar.

Now I've mentioned the book, Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats before many times.

It's my single most favorite cookbook over the past two years.  It solved my corn syrup dilemma for marshmallows for my kiddo.  And I used the homemade invert syrup in the book for other confections in the place of corn syrup as well.  It gives a wonderful clean flavor that really is just whatever flavor you want the confection to be because it has no flavor of its own.  But sometimes I get lazy don't really need the special quality of the syrup or don't have time for the extra step of making it.  Like needing marshmallows for a special camping trip with the grandparents.  It was one of many specialty items I needed to send with them to have safe food options for R.  So with a week of baking and special trips to the store for the best hotdogs ever* (one of only two brands that are corn free), among other sundry items, it was nice to be able to take just a half hour to throw together some marshmallows instead of one and a half for the two steps otherwise required.  Really, less than half an hour.  Maybe five minutes to measure out ingredients and prepare the pan, ten or less to boil and reach temperature.  Ten to twelve minutes to beat the batter to good marshmallow stiffness and another couple to spread it in the pan.  Yes, they must cure for a few hours or overnight before cutting, but getting them to the pan takes less than 30 minutes.  This batch was made for camping s'mores.  R enjoyed helping coat them the next morning and put in the bag for the trip.  These marshmallows have a slightly richer flavor from the caramel notes of the Lyle's.   I'll bet they would work fabulously for the dulce de leche variation!  (Pour out half batter, drizzle softened dulce on top, swirl with knife, pour other half batter, drizzle, swirl.)

Marshmallows freeze wonderfully by the way.  Just be generous with the coating so they don't get sticky while thawing.  They will last for months in the freezer and thaw just as good as new.  Or just take a few out at a time for hot cocoa!

Remember to calibrate your thermometer!

Recipe may be halved.

Vanilla Marshmallows with Lyle's Golden Syrup

adapted from Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats

makes a 9x13" pan of candy

For the bloom:

½ cup + 2 tbsp water

1½ tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp unflavored gelatin

For the base:

¾ cup water

1¼ cups Lyle's Golden Syrup (Update: it is possible to make these with 1 cup syrup and they still turn out fine and plenty sweet if reduced sugar is desired.)

pinch salt

1½ cups granulated cane sugar

Coating mixture**

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and wipe it lightly with a paper towel, leaving only a thin film of oil.  Set up a stand mixer with whisk attachment in place.

Make the bloom:  Measure the cold water into a measuring cup and add the vanilla.  Place the gelatin into a small bowl and pour the water mixture over it, stirring until there are no lumps.  Set the bowl near the stove.

Make the base:  Place the ¾ cup water, the golden syrup, salt, and sugar, in that order, into a 4-quart pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover the pan with a lid and allow it to boil for 2 minutes to wash down the sugar crystals on the sides.

Remove the lid, place a candy thermometer in the pan, and continue boiling until the syrup is 250ºF 240-245ºF.  Once the lid is removed, do not stir the mixture!  Remove the thermometer and gently stir in the bloomed gelatin.

Update: I have found that having the syrup too hot can result in a somewhat gooey or stringy texture in the finished marshmallows because the high temperature degrades the gelatin.  Best to let the syrup cool to around 212º before adding to the gelatin.

Pour the batter into the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat it on high for 10 to 12 minutes. At first the batter will look very watery, but as it beats, it will become thick, white and glossy and will increase in volume by two- or threefold.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and spread the batter into the prepared pan.  Smooth the top with a spatula.  Let the pan sit uncovered at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight.

**For the coating:  Sift together ¾ cups powdered sugar (Whole Foods carries powdered sugar made with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch if corn is an issue) and ¼ cup arrowroot or tapioca starch.  Lightly sprinkle a work surface with the mixture.  Ease the marshmallows away from the sides of the pan and flip the pan over, releasing the marshmallows onto the cutting surface.  (Flip again - it is easier to get clean lines while cutting if cutting down through the outer cured side first.)  Cut the marshmallows into squares, or use cookie cutters to cut fancy shapes.  Toss the cut marshmallows in the powdered sugar mixture, shaking off any excess.

Place the coated marshmallows in an airtight container, with waxed paper between the layers, and leave a corner of the lid slightly ajar.  They will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.  They will also freeze for months.

* If you are fortunate enough to live in Washington or a couple parts of Oregon and Idaho, you can find Hempler's products.  Their bacon is the absolute best.  And their Uncured franks are totally awesome and corn free.  Only the uncured ones though, the cured have corn syrup in them.  They are huge, fat, ballpark sized dogs and seriously tasty.  Nana remarked that she had never had hotdogs that good before and happily absconded with the extra package I had hidden in the freezer.  (They live in Oregon not near a distributor.)