rice crispy treats with homemade marshmallow.
January 15, 2010
I am NOT a marshmallow fan. It may have something to do with a distant memory of popping mini-marshmallows at great quantity while watching a scary movie about a single girl on a sickening roller coaster ride. That nauseous feeling, we’ll call it marshmallow-induced-nausea, is just around the corner every time I take a bite of one of those giant white puffs. But melt down a bunch of those puff-balls, mix it with some crispy rice puffs and butter, and I’m SO on board for that goodness.
In honor of it being Rice Month, I wanted to make a rice crispy treat that would have a little extra sumfin-sumfin to it, and the way I saw it, there was only one way to do that. Homemade marshmallows. Which are an amazing food to whip up, especially with kids, because they’re like an edible science project. You essentially have a clear liquid that gets whipped into a warm, white froth (a stand mixer is an essential component here) and then hardens into a foamy disc, not dissimilar to a NERF toy.
Still, I have to admit: the homemade marshmallows, while they’re LOADS better than the puff-balls that live in plastic bags, are still a little strange. I mean, the texture is completely bizarre – puffy yet airy yet boasting a substantial chew. I enjoyed them best before they set, when I could pull a hunk of whip out of the bowl of my mixer and lick it off my finger, like so:
The rice crispy treats turned out yummy and gooey, and considering how simple it was to make both a homemade marshmallow and the rice crispy treats, I’m not sure I’ll ever buy a bag of puff-balls again. Oh, and a quick note about using Rice Krispies brand cereal: this cereal DOES contain malt flavoring, and some Celiacs I know can tolerate it while others cannot. You can substitute any cereal you like (or can tolerate) for the rice cereal called for in the recipe below.
. . .
Marshmallows (Alton Brown’s recipe)
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup potato starch
Nonstick spray
Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and 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 degrees 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 the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. If you are going on to make rice puff treats, set aside half of the freshly whipped marshmallow and proceed to instructions for Rice Crispy Treats. With the remaining half, prepare the pan as follows.
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and potato starch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 9 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and potato starch 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 half the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled 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 to 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.
Rice Crispy Treats
3 tablespoons butter
half a batch of marshmallows, recipe above
10 cups rice puff cereal
Nonstick spray
Melt butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add fresh marshmallow and stir until the consistency thins and the marshmallow combines with the butter. Add rice puff cereal and stir until thoroughly coated with marshmallow mixture. Press into a 9×13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Use a greased spatula to help smooth. Allow to harden at room temperature, 20 minutes or more, then cut into squares and serve.
Filed under: flour of the month,recipes
