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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Oreo Marshmallows

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Marshmallows are a curious sweet treat for me. When I was younger I wasn't crazy about them, I loved to heat them up in the microwave and watch them expand, but I never ate them straight out of the packet that much. But ever since Sweetness The Patisserie opened up near me I found out how good handmade marshmallows could be. It was a revelation, and I have been making my own marshmallows ever since. I only ever use store-bought ones when I need to use marshmallows as part of another recipe and I'm too lazy to whip up my own.
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Now that I have a KitchenAid, marshmallows are a so quick and easy to make and the mixer does all the work to make them super fluffy. All I have to do is stand back and watch the magic happen. It's been a while since I made a batch of marshmallows, I've been waiting to come up with a fun new flavour and I finally came up with Oreo Marshmallows. These Cookies & Cream flavoured marshmallows are made up of three layers; two chocolate layers with a vanilla layer in the middle and they're rolled in Oreo cookie crumbs, rather than dusting them with snow sugar.
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I was undecided about the best way to present these marshmallows. Originally I was just going to cover marshmallows all over with cookie crumb, but the three different layers of marshmallows were so pretty it seemed like a shame it cover it up! So I did half the marshmallows completely covered in crumbs and only crumbed the top and bottom of the other half so you can still see the layers. Obviously covering the whole surface of the marshmallow is more practical if you're going to put them in to bags and then people get a nice surprise when they bite into the marshmallow and see the layers, but if you're serving them on a plate then just covering the ends will work. It's entirely up to you which way you cover them.
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I was really happy with how the recipe turned out. I used my usual marshmallow recipe which I love since it uses glucose syrup instead of corn syrup and uses powdered gelatine instead of leaves. I just added some rich dark cocoa powder to the two chocolate layers expecting the cocoa to only lightly tint the marshmallow, but was pleasantly surprise to see the colour seemed to darken overnight, giving it great contrast against the white vanilla layer in the middle. I love the lovely crunchy outside that the layer of crumbs give the marshmallows, as well as giving it a slight dark bitter chocolate flavour. It's definitely an interesting twist on a normal marshmallow.
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Marshmallow making is definitely a lot easier when you have a stand mixer; there's a lot of whisking involved and pouring hot sugar syrup at the same time that can be tricky. I have made it before with a handmixer, but it's hard work and I would definitely recommend you make it with the help of someone else in the kitchen. But trust me, it's worth all the effort to make your own marshmallows and you'll never want to eat store-bought marshmallows again. P.S. these particular ones go great with a glass of milk or hot chocolate.
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Oreo (Cookies & Cream) Marshmallows
(adapted from this recipe, makes about 40 marshmallows)
3 x 250g (about 1 cup) caster sugar
3 x 2 tsp liquid glucose (usually available in baking aisle at supermarket, you could probably replace with light corn syrup if you can't get this)
3 x 1 tbsp gelatine powder
3 x 1 large egg white
2 x 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil (or melted butter)
1 packet Oreo biscuits

This recipe requires making three layers of separate marshmallow, one chocolate layer, then vanilla and then another chocolate layer. Note: if you want to simplify things, you can just make the whole thing just vanilla (or just chocolate) marshmallow and do the entire thing in one go (though your mixing bowl may not have the capacity for this, so you may need to use 2/3 the ingredients). Grease and line the base and sides with baking paper in a 24x32cm lamington tray, or two 20cm square cake tins. Prepare one of the chocolate layers first - place 250g caster sugar, 2 tsp glucose and 100ml water in a small saucepan. Place on low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place 100ml cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle 1 tbsp gelatine powder over it and set aside to soften. Increase heat on saucepan to medium-high and insert a sugar thermometer. Boil for 3-5 minutes, until sugar thermometer reaches 120°C (250°F). Remove from the heat and carefully add gelatine to mixture and whisk until gelatine dissolves and no lumps remain (if you are worried about this step you can heat the bowl of gelatine over a pot of simmering water first to make it smoother).
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Place egg white in a large mixing bowl and start beating with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed. Gradually add hot sugar syrup to the egg white while mixing, if you are using a hand mixer you should beat your egg whites to a stiff peak before you start adding the syrup, but it works fine to add it as soon as you start beating the egg in a stand mixer. Beat until mixture is glossy and white, about 5 minutes on a stand mixer and closer to 10 with a hand mixer. Sift in 1 tbsp cocoa powder and beat again until combined. Before mixture starts to cool too much, pour mixture into prepared tin and use a spatula to quickly smooth top. Try to keep it as smooth as possible so you have nice, neat layers. Repeat process for second and third layer, replacing the cocoa with vanilla extract for the second layer. Leave to set at room temperature overnight. Remove filling from Oreo cookies, I used a knife to scrape it off. Place in a food processor and pulse or smash in a ziplock bag to a fine crumb. Using a round 3-4 cm cutter to cut out marshmallows, or cut into squares. I found it was best to lightly grease the cutter with some vegetable oil before cutting each marshmallow, cutting with a twisting motion. Roll marshmallows in cookie crumbs, or just dip each end in the crumbs depending on how you prefer to present them. Place on a piece of baking paper to dry for at least a few hours, then store in an airtight container. Best eaten within two days.
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37 comments:

  1. oh wow, these look dangerous! and i didn't know you could make marshmallows in a kitchenaid! how interesting. just another reason to get one, i suppose! :)

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  2. Eeeee! These look so great! Such a cute idea and I bet they tasted awesome :)

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  3. This is such a brilliant idea, I love it! You're a genius Steph :)

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  4. Omg! Love this so much. You're so clever to cover it with biscuit crumbs. I love making marshmallows with my Kitchen Aid too, too easy!

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  5. you always come up with the most creative and delectable goodies!

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  6. They look so cute and yummy! What a great idea!

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  7. So cute! I never bothered with marshmallows until I got my Kitchenaid, I would have had to beat them by hand! Ouch!

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  8. Didn´t know I could make marshmallows with the KA. I have to try these. They look so cute!.
    Love from Spain
    Marialuisa

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  9. Ohmygosh these look amazing. How strong is the cocoa flavor?

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  10. wow! these will take smores to a new level. genius!

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  11. Super gorgeous little things! Flufffffffffffyyyyyy! Love your kitchenaid color too :-)

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  12. gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme.

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  13. That presentation is amazing and those look so freaking good! I'll definitely be coming back to see what else you're baking up! :)

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  14. wow, we are the same. I never ate those bag masrshmallows but handmade ones are so fab...I love one in my coffee

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  15. these are beautiful!!! love the pics!

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  16. wow - they look absolutely fantastic! love the pics!

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  17. What a great idea.. were do you come up with these recipes??

    Great presentation :) love it

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  18. I've never made marshmallows - never completely sure about their texture either, but combined with oreo cookies these look amazing! I've got some egg white in my fridge after making a really rich ice cream yesterday so am going to give this a go!

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  19. This is a brilliant idea! How creative -- nice work!

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  20. Lovely presentation! Love chocolate marshmallows! Yum!

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  21. I love your recipe, idea more brilliant and exquisite, the only danger is the kilos, but he has to go, patience. Congratulations from Madrid.

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  22. Oh, these are so cute! And a nice alternative for those who don't like plain marshmallows.

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  23. You always have such creative recipes :D so cute~

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  24. I could quite happily devour all of these lol. They looks so delicious!

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  25. you have no baking powder in there so it doesn't matter whether the cocoa powder is dutch processed.

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  26. have_knowledge - Thanks for being a know-it-all but that has nothing to do with why I used dutch process. I used it because it has a smoother flavour and better colour.

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  27. I'm wondering what happened to all the Oreo filling... =p

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  28. love this idea and your creativity! i've been dying to make my own marshmallows.. everyone raves about how great they are when they make them at home.. but i don't have a stand mixer :( and i'm scared of all the sticky mess, haha.

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  29. I'm addicted to Oreo cookies so this is gorgeous! I don't know if I'll ever have the patience to make my own but you do make it sound doable! :D

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  30. How funny, as a kid I only liked marshmallows if it meant watching the expand (blow up) in the microwave. And as an adult, same thing, I buy them for recipes, but homemade is SOOO much better. Amazing idea for cookies and cream mallows!

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  31. hamburgereatsme - Haha you can make marshmallows with any electric mixer! But stand mixers do all the work for you :)

    Lisa - Thank youuu! They were very tasty :D

    Jacq - Thanks Jacq!! Haha they were so fun to make!

    Phuoc'n Delicious - Thanks Phuoc! The biscuit crumbs were the best bit! <3 KitchenAids so much!

    shaz@feedingmykidsbetter - Aw thank you!

    Kimberley - Thanks so much!

    Hanna - Yeah I didn't really bother making them til I got my KA, it takes all the work out of it!

    decocinasytacones - You can do it with any electric mixer, but stand mixers are the easiest for it!

    the traveling cupcake - It's distinguishable but not super strong

    chocolatesuze - :D why thank u

    Hayley Daen - Haha I hadn't even thought of smores, but you're so right!

    Sneh | Cook Republic - Thanks so much! So much love for the KA

    Emily - Hehe :) *gives*

    Stephanie - Thanks so much! I bought the glass especially for them!

    Jennifurla - Yay! Glad it's not just me. Marshmallows in hot drinks are the best.

    sugarswings - Thanks!

    gastronomous anonymous - Thank you! xx

    La Roquette - Haha in my crazy brain!

    thelittleloaf - Try making some! Homemade ones are the bomb.

    Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes - Thanks so much!

    Susan - Thanks so much!

    Dharma - Haha thanks! They're not too bad for you ;) In moderation.

    Julia @ Boredom Abounds - I like my marshmallows fun and fluffy!

    Vivian - vxdollface - Thanks!

    Nic@diningwithastud - Haha I had a lot of trouble limiting myself to a few of them!


    mademoiselle délicieuse - Oh ho ho...we'll never know :P

    Christine - Thanks so much! You have to try them! It can get messy but not if you do you prep well :)

    Gummi Baby - I'm addicted to oreos too!

    Julia - Hehe we're the same! Thanks!

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  32. I love your creative brain! You are continually coming up with such incredible creations. These are so sweet!

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  33. Makes me want a KitchenAid

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  34. These look fantastic! Definitely wanna dunk that in a cuppa!

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  35. These are such an ingenious idea! I'm not crazy about store-bought marshmallows, but I love the homemade kind, and while I don't care too much about Oreos either, I love the way you used them here! I definitely need to take some time and try this recipe. :)

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