Barnmouse Blitherings

OR: HOW TO MAKE MARSHMALLOWS!

Okay, this part isn’t about making marshmallows, but stick with me.  We’ll get there shortly.

I’m at the middle stage of making truffles, thanks to my pal Rhiannon!  (So if they don’t turn out right, Rhiannon, I’m sending them all to you! LOL)  Okay, I don’t know what happened to those last few.  I think I just got lazy.  There’s a whole ‘nother plate full of them in the fridge (actually, they’re both in there now) so those last two are like number 66 and 67.  After 50 I got sorta bored.  Anyway, now I just have to wait for them to harden up and then coat them in MORE CHOCOLATE.  Is there anything better?

Also!  I made fudge!  Like I said…MORE CHOCOLATE!  YAY!  This is only the first batch.  The second is still firming up in the pan.  There’s really more there than it looks.  That’s a LARGE rubbermaid box thingy (actually, I think it’s Glad, but really…who cares?).  Oh…and I might have eaten like…one piece….or ten….who’s counting?

NOW ON TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MARSHMALLOWY-TYPE PROGRAMMING

First, you put some sugar, corn syrup, and salt into a heavy saucepan and bring it to a boil until it hits 240 degrees F.  Here you can see me bravely burning my hand with hot steam to get a picture for y’all.  Yes.  You are welcome!

I didn’t take a picture of the gelatin, water, and extract because that would be a picture of a big lump and that’s just boring.  Instead, I took a picture of my stand mixer.  Woo!  Once the sugar mixture is up to temp, pour it over the gelatin mixture and mix on high (with the whisk attachment) for 10 minutes.  Be SURE to cover at least the front with plastic wrap because HOT SUGAR WILL BURN OFF YOUR HAND OMG OUCH.  I am speaking from experience….and I just got it on my pinkie!  Youch!

Line a 13 x 9 inch pan (I actually use a sheet pan with high, straight sides because otherwise you end up with really tall marshmallows and they’re kind of hard to eat). Spray the pan WELL with cooking spray.  Now is not the time to be stingy with the spray.

Here is the first picture of the marshmallows in actual marshmallow form.

I had a little brainstorm the night before I made these and decided to cut them into bars instead of squares so that each marshmallow could be 2-3 bites!  These are the things that keep me up at night.  So here’s a picture of them cut into bars.  I know they’re kind of hard to distinguish from each other so….

and…..

Hello hand.

Here they are all lined up on wax paper.  I like to go ahead and line them all up so I can make sure they’ll all fit instead of running out of room while I’m in the middle of coating them.

So pick the chocolate you want to coat your marshmallows in (you don’t actually have to coat them.  I’m going to make some peppermint marshmallows in a day or so and right before I pour them out of the pan, I’m going to mix in a few drops of red food coloring to make them all pink and white swirly!  They look great even uncoated!), and melt it over a double boiler (you can do it in the microwave, but I have had mixed results doing that.  I’m using a raspberry dark chocolate by Nestle.  Just too yummy!  And my mom is a raspberry fiend! 

Here they are half coated.

And here they are fully coated.  But was I done yet?  Ooooh no.  Not me!  Not yet!

A little white chocolate drizzle and NOW they’re done.  I had to go ahead and put them in the bags so I wouldn’t eat them all.  SO TASTY!

So there you have it!  What I’ve been promising to do for about a week now.  But with pictures!  And that’s better, right?  I’ll post more pictures of the truffles when I get them coated.  Hopefully they will look better then?  Hopefully.

I CAN HAS CHRISTMUS PREZUNT NOW?

(That’s upside down, torn up wrapping paper he’s sitting on.  Bad kitteh!  I can’t even put ribbons on the presents now because Winston will chew on them and eat them and then come running into whatever room Rat and I are in and act like he’s dying and freak us all out and then hawk up a big chunk of ribbon.)