Fluff

Once upon a time, ancient Egyptians used extracts from the roots of the marshmallow plants as a remedy for sore throats. Leave it to the French to whip and sweeten the marshmallow sap to make a squishy confection, which was modified in the late 1800s to use gelatin and egg whites in place of the marshmallow sap.  I love the history involved in the development of foods - and I'm sure that's going to be a question on Jeopardy at some point...

With that said, I've never been a huge fan of marshmallows. Of course, I've never turned down a s'more or three, but the chunks of white, vaguely squishy stuff that you buy at the supermarket have never seemed all that appetizing by themselves. However, I kept seeing marshmallow recipes pop up on food blogs and in magazines - and kept hearing about how amazing the homemade version was. When I found a recipe for marshmallows flavored with Bailey's Irish Cream, the deal was sealed. With my new candy thermometer in hand, I ventured into unfamiliar territory with boiling sugar, corn syrup and gelatin.

The end product was fantastic - light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth perfection flavored wonderfully with a hint of irish cream. I can't wait to try melting one in my hot chocolate and infusing the flavor into the drink.

Homemade Bailey's Marshmallows 
From My Adventures in Food

Powdered sugar
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 C plus 2 Tbsp cold water
1 1/3 C plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 C plus 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
large pinch of salt
9 Tbsp cold water
1 1/2 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions: Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by spraying with nonstick spray and sprinkling powdered sugar over the bottom and sides.

Place gelatin and 1/3 C plus 2 Tbsp cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer and let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 9 Tbsp cold water in a saucepan. Partially cover and heat over medium until sugar is dissolved. Uncover, attach candy thermometer and bring heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook without stirring until thermometer reads 250 degrees. When it reaches temperature, turn off the heat and remove the thermometer. Mix the gelatin and water on low and then slowly add the heated syrup. Increase speed to high and mix for 3 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add Bailey's. Bring speed up to high again and beat for 7 minutes. The mixture will turn shiny and white and greatly increase in volume.
Pour the finished mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar along the edges where the marshmallow meets the pan. Let sit at room temperature for 8 hours. Once it's ready, use a sharp knife coated with powdered sugar to separate the marshmallow from the edge of the pan. Pull out the sheet of marshmallow and place on a cutting board. It will take some wrestling, but the square will reshape itself easily. Cut into squares, and toss each in powdered sugar to keep the edges from sticking.

Throw in hot chocolate, make a Bailey's s'more, or just snack on them plain!