These Toasted Coconut Vanilla Bean Marshmallows are delicious and pillow soft, with vanilla beans speckled throughout the marshmallows. Generously coated with toasted coconut.
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Toasted Coconut Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
Ever since my 2nd Foodie Penpals package arrived with a mahoosive amount of homemade goodies, I’ve been desperate to try making my own marshmallows. This is the first time ever making marshmallows so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and decided to adapt a basic marshmallow recipe from Martha Stewart.
I had some desiccated coconut remaining from making my English Coconut Macaroons so had already decided I was going to put it to good use to create vanilla bean marshmallows with a generous coating of toasted coconut on top of the marshmallow whilst it was sticky and tacky and hadn’t set yet. I was excited, like, too excited!
The recipe called for corn syrup. Corn syrup isn’t readily available in the UK and therefore imported = costs a lot. I had intended on getting my hands on some before creating these marshmallows but the only shop that sells it in my city, is smack bang in the city centre and since my disability badge had expired, I decided to use the English substitute of golden syrup.
I have to admit there were a few moments when I thought it wasn’t going to come together. Golden syrup is, well, gold. A deep rich golden colour that stayed this way throughout cooking the syrup and mixing with the gelatin mixture. I really thought I’d end up with gold mallows (they do look a bit yellow-y) but thankfully everything came together during the whisking process at the end. *wipes sweat from brow*
If you haven’t made homemade marshmallows before, you’re missing out. I can’t believe just how much nicer homemade mallows are compared to shop bought mallows. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, they’re just fresher, tastier and don’t seem to have that stale mouth feel that shop-bough marshmallows have.
And of course, the bonus advantage of knowing exactly what’s in your marshmallows too.
Toasted Coconut Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
Yield: 24 large marshmallows
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Delicious homemade pillow soft vanilla bean speckled marshmallows with a generous coating of toasted coconut.
Ingredients:
- 4 sachets (3 tbsp + 1½ tsp) gelatin
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1¼ cups golden syrup or light corn syrup
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1½ cups icing (powdered) sugar
Directions:
- Brush a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with oil. Line with parchment paper allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment with oil, set aside.
- Put granulated sugar, golden/corn syrup, salt, and ¾ cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook without stirring until mixture reaches 228°F/110°C on a candy thermometer -around 9 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put ¾ cup cold water into a bowl of an electric mixer; sprinkle with gelatine. Let soften for 5 minutes.
- Attach bowl with gelatine to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer on low speed, beat hot syrup into the gelatine mixture. Gradually raise the speed to high; beat until mixture is stiff, about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dry toast the coconut in a frying pan/skillet, stirring often, until slightly browned, set aside to cool. Beat in vanilla bean paste into the stiff mallow mixture. Pour into the prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the top with the toasted coconut completely covering the sticky mallow surface then set aside, uncovered, until firm, approx. 3 hours.
- Sift 1 cup confectioners’/icing/powdered sugar onto a work surface. Unmold marshmallow onto confectioners’/icing/powdered sugar; remove parchment. Lightly brush a sharp knife with oil, then cut the marshmallows into 2-inch squares, wiping and adding more oil to the knife as necessary. Sift remaining ½ cup confectioners’/icing/powdered sugar into a small bowl, and roll each marshmallow in the sugar to coat.
Notes:
I prefer not to use the icing sugar to coat my marshmallows as they're perfectly sweet without adding further sweetness. Instead, I used a flour sifter and filled it with ½ icing sugar and ½ corn flour (starch).
I also found using a flour sifter so much easier to coat the marshmallows instead of the roll in a bowl method.
Adapted from Martha Stewart.
Finger licking good!
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Hurray! – you made them!
Now you can have fun playing with the ingredients 🙂
I’ve made some with a couple of tablespoons of fresh fruit purée added at the end, which
were lovely but took a bit longer to set, and obviously don’t last as long. Not that they last long in our house anyway.I love them dipped in chocolate and coconut, but I must admit there’s something about the simple vanilla ones…so good on hot chocolate, and AMAZING in rocky road!
Becca X
These look YUMMY! I am glad you shared this recipe, I will be making these. Thanks for sharing!
Oh man, girl. I’m swooning! Coconut is my jam and I’m game for anything it’s sprinkled on, espesh if that ‘anything’ is homemade marshmallows as puffy and fluffy and gorgeous as these are! I don’t know why I’ve never made my own mallows before, but that’s about to change now.
I’ve never attempted to make my own marshmallows before! What a delicious spin on them, I feel like they pair up wonderfully! I can only imagine how tasty one of these would be in a smore!
Oh my gosh Lisa, I love this! It’s so amazing, and even better? It just gave me the most awesomest idea. You’re a bloggy inspiration!
I love toasted coconut and with homemade vanilla bean marshmallows?! I want!
Looks yummy!!
Hi! Stopping by from MBC. Great blog!
Have a nice day!
I intend to make homemade marshmallows as soon as I get a stand mixer—these look so good! I’m so happy your sub work and I love that they’re vanilla bean with toasted coconut!
Your homemade marshmallows look incredible my friend, absolute perfect 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I’m so glad you were daring enough to make these without having the called for corn syrup. Just look how wonderful these look. I can imagine how delicious they tasted:)
wow….these look great! I gotta make marshmallows at home one of these days. Glad you said they really do taste different….i’m afraid i won’t be able to keep them away from me.
I’ve always been afraid of homemade marshmallows – maybe I’ll give it a try – thanks!
Wow do these look good!! So gorgeous!!
These marshmallows are inspiring….
Coconut is divine…
YUM!
Yum! These would be dangerous for me to have around the house – I could eat a plate full!
These look divine! I’ve never made marshmallows, but I want to now 🙂
Homemade marshmallows are the best! I love the coconut and vanilla bean combo in these!
Wow! I may sound crazy, but I haven’t thought about making my own before! I should!! These look divine. I’m totally jealous! ;0P
I love that you’ve used golden syrup with these. I’ve seen so many recipes for homemade marshmallows that use corn syrup and could never be bothered to try them because it always seemed like too much effort. I’m glad you’ve done the hard work for me! Lol.
And I’m loving that you still use those napkins in your food shots. 🙂
I’ve been meaning to email you for a catch up lately. Will send you a lengthy essay soon.
Lots of Love,
Han. x
Coconut anything gets my taste buds going, but on top of a fluffy homemade marshmallow? I bet those are so absolutely divine!!!