Hot chocolate is the winter equivalent to ice cream. There is never a wrong time and always room for a cup. I have shared how to amp up your hot cocoa game with this homemade hot cocoa mix, but we are going to take it up a notch again with homemade marshmallow toppers.
Homemade marshmallows are SO easy. They are a little intimidating, mainly because you need a candy thermometer, and you be prepared to powdered sugar your life away. But I promise you are totally capable of doing it yourself, and they make such a big impact.
Homemade Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Toppers would make great gifts for family members or friends. Or throw together a fancy little hot cocoa bar for movie night! There are so many ways to dress up your homemade marshmallows.
HOW TO FANCY UP HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW HOT COCOA TOPPERS
- COOKIE CUTTERS – Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and use cookie cutters dipped in powdered sugar to cut out shapes. Snowflakes, Christmas trees, candy canes. Just make sure your shapes will fit in a mug!
- SPRINKLES – After pouring your marshmallow mixture into your baking dish, top with fun sprinkles!
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS – Top with chocolate chips before the marshmallow has set. You can even do layered marshmallows, by pouring half the marshmallow, a layer of chocolate chips, and then more marshmallows!
- DRIZZLE MELTED CHOCOLATE – This is what I did for my marshmallows! I cut out squares, filled a piping bag with melted chocolate chips, and sprinkled them with crushed candy canes.
- DECORATE – You could also decorate your marshmallows like cookies! Make cute snowman faces, use royal icing to pipe on candy canes, or color your marshmallow with food coloring. The options are limitless!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
I’ve made homemade marshmallows every year for a while now, and they really are super easy. But here are a few things I have learned that will help you have more success with your marshmallow hot cocoa toppers.
- BE PREPARED – Get all of your ingredients set up and ready to go. It will make the process a lot less intimidating once things start to get sticky.
- FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS – I am usually a wing it kind of girl, not going to lie. But this recipe needs a bit of precision. Make sure you get that corn syrup and sugar mixture up to temp. Get those soft peaks whipped from your egg whites. Taste your mixture before calling it good.
- MORE IS MORE – When I say you are going to use a lot of powdered sugar, I am being serious. The more you sprinkle, the easier the marshmallows will be to work with. Be generous. Think of it like the stickiest cookie dough you’ve ever worked with. Parchment and powdered sugar are your BFF’s here.
HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW HOT COCOA TOPPERS
Makes approximately 20 large marshmallows
Recipe originally from Smitten Kitchen.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (or more) powdered sugar
- 3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup cold water, divided in half
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup (must be light)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large egg whites (be sure to get no yolks! I had to redo mine)
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla
- Optional – Peppermint extract
Grease the bottom and sides of a nonstick 9×13 baking dish VERY well. Line with parchment if you want to use cookie cutters. Sprinkle powdered sugar all over the bottom and sides to prep. Be overly generous here to make your life easier later on. Alternatively, you can use a sheet pan for thinner marshmallows.
In a large sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix 1/2 cup cold water and gelatin. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, pour in 1/2 cup cold water, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and and salt. Add your candy thermometer or have it on hand. Let boil until the temperature reads 240 degrees. Mine took about 10 minutes, but could be longer.
Pour sugar mixture over gelatin. Using the whisk on your stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat on high speed until it has trippled in volume and forms soft peaks. Smitten Kitchen says 6-10 minutes, and mine took exactly eight minutes.
While the sugar and gelatin mixture is whipping, whisk your egg whites to stiff peaks. I just used a whisk!
Beat the soft peaks into the sugar mixture along with vanilla. Add in any additional extract you may be using, like peppermint.
Pour into your prepped baking pan. Sprinkle the top generously with powdered sugar and cover with plastic wrap. Let set for a few hours or overnight.
Remove from the baking sheet by running a knife around the edges and flipping out onto a well sugared surface. Or dip a spatula or cookie cutter into powdered sugar and cut out.
Be sure to roll all sides in powdered sugar after cutting so they don’t stick together.
Now it is time to decorate and get your hot cocoa game going!
