Homemade Marshmallows

Thanks to my cooking pal Mrs. Ina Garten and her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook, I was able to make these unbelievably delicious homemade marshmallows! They're absolutely delicious and will have you dying to have a big cup of cocoa and maybe even a cookie to go with it!

Here's what you do:

You will need:

• 3 packages of unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of light syrup
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 T pure vanilla extract
• Powdered confectioner's sugar for dusting

Combine the gelatin and1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment and let it sit while you make the syrup.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves (the syrup will be clear then). Raise the heat to high and cook the until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

This is what the syrup looks like before it dissolves

Syrup is dissolved and at 240 degrees

With the mixer on low, pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high and whip till the mixture is very thick (shown below). It takes about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Dust an 8x12 non-metal baking dish with powdered sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture in the pan and smooth the top. Dust it with powdered sugar on top and let it sit uncovered overnight or until it dries out. Waiting is the hardest part!

Finally, you can cut them up into squares and enjoy!

They're so good! They're the perfect topper to your favorite hot holiday beverages and after tasting these you'll never want to go back to the store bought kind!

Is there snow where you are this holiday? CHICAGO NEEDS SNOW please! Mother Nature, please be nice and send some our way!

~Susan