These big pillowy Vanilla Marshmallows will absolutely melt in your mouth.  Eat them as a snack or drop one into your favorite cup of hot cocoa.  They are easy to make & simply delicious!

Vanilla Marshmallows.

Nothing beats a homemade marshmallow when you’re wanting to add a touch of pillowy sweetness to your favorite cup of hot chocolate and the season is here for hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows.  These Vanilla Marshmallows are so pillowy and soft, and they start melting into a creamy blissful white cloud, the minute you add them to a cup of hot chocolate.

Ingredients needed for this recipe

Cornstarch & Powdered Sugar: Cornstarch is used to coat the outside of the marshmallows to keep them from sticking together. Powdered sugar is combined with the cornstarch to create a sweet coating.

Gelatin: Gelatin is hydrated with water, then added to corn syrup and sugar. It thickens the marshmallow mixture and sets it, by giving the marshmallow mixture stability, structure and a chewy, spongey texture.

Water: Needed to hydrate the gelatin.

Light Corn Syrup: Prevents crystallization in candy and helps to keep it creamy, not grainy.

Salt: Enhances the other ingredient flavors and balance out the sweetness.

Granulated Sugar: Used to make a simple syrup to sweeten the marshmallows.

Pure Vanilla Extract: This is the star ingredient in vanilla marshmallows. Make sure to use a good quality pure vanilla extract, not imitation.

If you’ve ever tasted a homemade marshmallow you already know that there’s no turning back to those store-bought marshmallows.  There’s simply no comparison.

If you think that making homemade marshmallows is difficult you’re wrong.  They are super easy to make, and after you make your first batch, you’ll be wanting to make them in every flavor and color of the rainbow.

I love adding a couple of homemade vanilla marshmallows to a cup of my favorite hot chocolate, (pictured below). Ahhh the perfect combination!

There are four steps to making delicious homemade marshmallows:

  • Bloom
  • Syrup
  • Mallowing
  • Classic coating

The Bloom

The bloom – The bloom is the simple process of mixing the gelatin with some water and activating it. 

The Syrup

The syrup – This is the process of simply bringing water, sugar and corn syrup to a boil and cooking to a soft ball stage.  This step does two things.  It dissolves the sugar, so you don’t end up with grainy textured marshmallows and it allows you to determine how spongy and soft you want your marshmallows to be.  Cooking the mixture until it reaches a soft ball stage, allows the marshmallows to set up and be stable but not too stiff or firm. The hot syrup gets poured into the mixing bowl and whipped until the mixture is tripled in volume and slightly glossy.

Vanilla Marshmallows.

The Mallowing

The mallowing – The mallowing is the simple process of adding the syrup mixture to the gelatin mixture and beating it until it mallows.  In other words, it triples in volume and turns into this blissful pillowy stuff that when left to rest, turns into marshmallows.

The Classic Coating

The classic coating is simply a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch.  Once the mallow mixture gets spread into a dish, it gets dusted with the classic coating.  This keeps the marshmallows from becoming sticky.

Vanilla Marshmallows.

Now that you see how easy it is to make these delectable pillowy soft marshmallows, go make some.  You’ll be glad you did!

Check out these other delicious marshmallow recipes…

Peppermint Marshmallows

Strawberry Marshmallows

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love hearing from you!

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Vanilla Marshmallows

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  • Author: Cindy Gibbs
  • Prep Time: 25 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 Minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Cook
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Description

These Vanilla Marshmallows are pillowy soft and flavored with pure vanilla extract. They are perfect in hot chocolate or by simply eating as a sweet indulgence.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Bloom

  • 5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (2 standard 1/4 ounce packets)
  • 1/2 cup cold water

For the Syrup

  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Mallowing

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup classic coating

For the Classic Coating (large batch recipe)

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup cornstarch

Instructions

Coat an 8 by 8 baking pan or dish lightly with cooking spray and set aside.

For the Bloom

  1. Whisk together the water and gelatin in a small microwave-safe bowl and set aside. It needs to set for at least five minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.

For the Syrup

  1. Add 1/4 cup of the corn syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside while cooking the simple syrup.
  2. Make the simple syrup: Meantime, add the remaining 1/4 cup of corn syrup, the sugar, water, and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover with a lid for 2 minutes, to allow the steam to prevent any sugar on the sides of the pan from crystalizing.  Cook until mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage) and remove from heat.
  3. Meantime, place the bowl of gelatin and water in a microwave and heat for 30 seconds to soften the mixture. Add the mixture to the corn syrup in the stand mixer bowl. Turn the mixer on low and allow it to continue running on low while you’re waiting for the syrup mixture to reaches 240 degrees.

For the Mallowing

  1. With the mixer running on low speed, slowing pour the hot syrup into the mixing bowl, fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn mixer to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes. Turn mixer to high speed and mix for an additional 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix on highest speed for 2 minutes. The mixture should be thick and slightly glossy. If it’s not thick, keep whisking until it is. The mixing bowl should also be cool to the touch when it’s thick enough. If using a hand mixer it will take longer.
  2. Spread the mallow mixture into the prepared pan, using an offset spatula to spread it into the corners. Liberally dust the top of the mallow mixture with the classic coating. Allow the mallow mixture to rest in a cool dry place for at least 6 hours.
  3. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the marshmallow slab onto a counter or piece of parchment paper. Sift some of the classic coating over the top. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into desired shapes. Dip any sticky edges in more of the classic coating. Shake off any excess coating.
  4. Store marshmallows in an airtight container for up to one week.

For the Classic Coating Recipe: (This makes enough for several batches of marshmallows)

  1. Whisk the powdered sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. Store in an airtight container. Use as needed for dusting marshmallows.
  2. For this recipe…Use 1/2 cup of the coating mixture or sift together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of of cornstarch. I make the large batch, because I use it often.

Recipe adapted from the book Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever

Notes

  • Yield equals 24 if cut into 1 1/2 inch marshmallows.