Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Chocolate Covered Beer Marshmallows (with crushed pretzels)
Yes, you read that correctly.
Chocolate.
Covered.
Beer.
Marshmallows.
(with crushed pretzels)
Go big or go home, that's what I say.
Sometimes, you need to spoil yourself.
Like on your one year wedding anniversary.
Or when the average temperature for the month of June (so far) hovers in the mid-60s and not the mid-80s like you crave (and involves a lot more rain than you care for).
The crushed pretzel topping is an extra little bonus.
Thats for you, because you rock. Thanks for being so awesome.
Adding beer makes everything better, don't you agree? Especially dark, thick, foamy Guinness. Actually the foam was kind of a pain this time because you need to have flat beer, but I digress.
Yum.
I found these superstars on the wonderful blog How Sweet it is. I kept the ingredients as is but changed the method of combining the ingredients slightly to match the previous time I made marshmallows. You can follow whichever way you like, whatever is easiest for you. But whatever you do, make these as soon as humanly possible. The are SO light and SO delicious and SO...SO...AMAZING I can't stop thinking about them. I'm crushin' on these marshmallows like whoa.
Chocolate Covered Beer Marshmallows (with crushed pretzels)
Adapted from How Sweet it is
I like my marshmallows to be a little dry, so I let my marshmallows sit out overnight loosely covered with a towel before covering them in chocolate. You can certainly dip them right away if that floats your boat (or your schedule).
3 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold, flat beer, divided in two (I recommend Guinness or your prefered stout)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1 tbsp vanilla extract (go ahead, use the good stuff!)
400 grams chocolate (I used 2/3 dark chocolate and 1/3 milk chocolate, but mix and match as you see fit)
crushed pretzels
- Make sure the beer is flat before you begin. You can do this one of two ways: open the beer and leave it out overnight until flat OR pour into a cup and whisk until most of the carbonation is gone.
- Oil and dust your baking pan with powdered sugar to coat all sides (you can use whatever size baking pan you like, I used and 8x8 square pan).
- Pour the gelatin into a small bowl and pour half of the beer on top. Stir gently and leave to one side.
- In a medium pot heat together the sugar, remaining beer, corn syrup and salt over low heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then crank the heat up to medium and let the sugar mixture come to a boil. It will bubble up a lot so keep an eye on it and slightly adjust the heat if necessary (use a big pot if you can). Let the mixture boil until it reaches 240*F, about 10 minutes.
- Once the sugar hits 240* turn off the heat and let it sit for one minute (to let the bubbles and foaming calm down). Stir the gelatin mixture in until it dissolves.
- In a separate bowl place the egg whites and salt and beat with an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla and then slowly pour in the hot gelatine sugar syrup in a steady stream. This works best if you have a stand mixer but can be done if you only have a hand mixer - be prepared for for lots of hand/eye coordination. Continue to whisk for another couple of minutes until the mixture holds a ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, gently tap out any large air bubbles and leave to set for a few hours.
- Once the marshmallows are set (at least 3 hours), dust some powdered sugar on top of the marshmallows and onto a cutting board. Tip out the marshmallows and with a clean, sharp knife cut in to squares. Dredge all sides of the marshmallow in the powdered sugar so that they are lightly coated, tapping off any excess.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second bursts until fully melted. While the chocolate is melting crush the pretzels and keep in a small dish close by. Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper. Once the chocolate is fully melted, dip the marshmallows using a fork or skewer. You can coat all sides in chocolate or only dip them halfway. Whatever your little heart beats for will work. I say go all the way, but you don't have to. Make sure to tap off any access chocolate so it doesn't pool at the bottom once finished. Sprinkle with crushed pretzels and then do a little dance around the kitchen because you just made the BEST candy EVER.
- Let set until room temperature and then ENJOY!
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