Raspberry Marshmallow Hearts are a sweet, yummy, and deceptively simple way to say I love you!
Now that we have our four-legged people covered for Valentine’s Day let’s take care of human people, too! Because if you spend all your time with animals and have your groceries delivered by drone you’ll get a little weird. Or so I’m told. But really, that’s kind of my goal in life.
Anywho, it’s been SO (intermittently) gray and rainy down here in the last few weeks that I feel like I’m living in Eeyore’s brain. The feeling is so extremely unpleasant that I want to bring out my old Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals and hug them. Life isn’t so bad, little donkey! I promise!
I’ve been repeating that San Diego mantra we need it, we need the rain but it isn’t helping me. I still just want to hide under the covers and not emerge till summer, or at least a nice and sunny day toward the end of March. Can’t do it though; I have a dog that needs walking and a life that needs living. I haven’t gone full drone-delivery yet so my life still requires some human contact. Ugh.
(I’m really not a misanthrope. I like people. Gray skies just do weird things to my brain.)
Is this the most depressing Valentine’s Day post of all Valentine’s Day posts? Don’t worry. It’ll pick up. Because. . .RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOW HEARTS!!!
How perfectly cute are they? Pale pink, lightly fruity, and little rays of sunshine on the bleakest February day, they are as delicious as they are fun. They’re perfect for snacking, gifting, or tossing into a mug of hot chocolate for a movie-on-the-couch day. Really, raspberry marshmallow hearts are the surest way I know to bring joy into my life, and maybe yours too.
And (to repeat what I’ve said in my kajillion other marshmallow posts) they aren’t difficult to make at all. You just boil a sugar syrup and let the mixer do the rest of the work. Be sure to pour the syrup SLOWLY into the gelatin mixture. This is key; if you heat the gelatin too quickly it won’t set up properly. Easy peasy. And no candy thermometer required—for real. I’ve made literally hundreds of batches of perfect marshmallows following the method below and have never used a candy thermometer.
And P.S. you don’t actually have to cut your marshmallows into hearts, if you were wondering. It’s a wee bit more time consuming than just cutting them into squares. But if you do go the cookie cutter route, I recommend slicing the scraps into mini marshmallows. They’re so cute and cute food is yummy food.
P.P.S. Are you following me on instagram? I’m gonna guess no. . .’cause even though I’ve had an account for more than a year I just started posting to it late Saturday night when my noisy neighbors were keeping me awake and OHMYGOSH I didn’t know what to do with myself. The world of hashtags is new and exciting and I think I should post a bunch of pics of Cookie to make up for lost time. What do you think? Yes? See you there! (My user name is theitsybitsykitchen.)
So make a batch of raspberry marshmallow hearts (or squares) for your loved ones this week. Your friends will love you for it—even more than they do now.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam
- 1 cup water, divided
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar, as needed for coating marshmallows
- red food coloring, if desired
- Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat the jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until the jam becomes runny, 2 or 3 minutes. Pour the jam through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds, reserving the seedless jam in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour 1/2 cup of the water and sprinkle the gelatin over the water’s surface. (Try not to pour the gelatin in a big clump, as it can be difficult to get it to un-clump.) Set aside to allow gelatin to soak.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Turn mixer to low and mix gelatin and water a couple of times. Carefully pour the sugar-corn syrup-water mixture down the side of the bowl with mixer still on low. (Do this slowly to avoid splashes.) Add jam.
- Turn the mixer to high and continue beating for 10-12 minutes, until the marshmallow is very thick, glossy pale pink, and about tripled in size.* Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary to keep batter from overflowing.
- Sprinkle several drops of red food coloring (if using) over the top of the mixture, then turn mixer back on low briefly to combine.
- The marshmallow will begin to set up and become difficult to work with so quickly pour the mixture onto the prepared baking and spread out to about 1 inch thickness. (An off-set spatula dipped in water is helpful here, as the marshmallow can be difficult to spread.)
- Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and lay, greased-side down, across the marshmallow. Press firmly.
- Leave the marshmallows to set for at least 5 hours. Overnight is better—they need some time to dry out or they’re too difficult to cut.
- After marshmallows have dried out, sprinkle a cutting board with powdered sugar. Invert the pan onto the cutting board and cover the marshmallow with more powdered sugar. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the marshmallow (or use a sharp knife to cut the marshmallow into 1-inch squares). Roll each marshmallow in powdered sugar to cover every side. Serve and enjoy.
- *At this point marshmallow bits may fly out of the mixer. I sometimes drape a rag over the mixer to prevent this but it isn’t necessary. Warm water and the scrubby side of a sponge dissolve any marshmallow that makes its way onto your countertops.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
I have never made homemade marshmallows but I’d say it’s high-time I start! These are precious! My family will love them! Thanks for sharing!
Kelsie says
Thank you, Annie! They’re so much fun to make–and eat! 🙂
3igj says
I made these tonight! So much fun! Thank you for always making such amazing things and the pictures you take are perfect!!
Kelsie says
Awwww you’re so sweet! Thank you! I’m glad you had fun with them. Making marshmallows is one of my favorite things!
Laura says
So freakin cute!!
Kelsie says
Thank you!