Homemade Cinnamon Marshmallows

With those of you with young children, what do you do on Halloween? I allow my son to have the occasional piece of candy. He does not have any food allergies or sensitivities and he eats a balanced, whole foods diet.

Plus...sweets just taste damn good...I of all people totally get this! Last year we were going to do the "candy swap for a toy". Luckily for us, he ate a few pieces of candy then completely forgot about them.

This year might very well be a different story as he's in his "Fabulous 4's" (HA!) and will likely remember his bag of loot. We did chat about the toy / candy swap again and he seems to be interested. So, if all goes well, we'll allow him to keep a handful of candy of his choice in exchange for a Transformer. I might even throw in a few of these homemade Marshmallows as an added bonus ;)

Marshmallows are an occasional occurrence at our house, like Halloween! The base contains only 4 ingredients and are a healthier alternative to conventional marshmallows which contain highly processed ingredients like corn syrup, refined sugars, preservatives, artificial colours and flavours. Try experimenting with different foods like cocoa powder, toasted coconut, crushed nuts, chai spice, ginger powder and natural peppermint, lemon, orange and hazelnut flavours.


Homemade Cinnamon Marshmallows
Ingredients:

1 cup water, divided
2½ tablespoons grass-fed beef gelatin
1 cup honey or maple syrup (or combination of both)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1-2 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca powder

Equipment:
Standing or handheld mixer
Candy thermometer
Mixing bowl
Medium saucepan
8-inch x 8-inch baking tray or pan
Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Grease an 8-inch by 8-inch pan or line with parchment paper.
2. Pour ½ cup water into a medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin into water and stir to remove any clumps. This will harden.
   
3. In a medium saucepan combine ½ cup water, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. If using a natural flavour or cocoa powder, add here.
4. Turn heat to medium to high. Bring mixture to a boil and stir constantly.
5. Place a candy thermometer in the pan. Bring mixture to 240’F, soft ball (approx. 12 to 18 minutes). Remove from heat.
6. Pour honey mixture into the bowl with the gelatin which will soften with the heat.
7. Turn your standing or handheld mixer to low for 2 minutes. If you’re using a natural dye, add here.
8. Turn mixer to high until mixture becomes creamy and forms peaks, approx 6 to10 minutes, depending on your mixer.
9. If using a topping (toasted coconut, crushed nuts or seeds, cocoa powder), sprinkle half the amount evenly over entire bottom surface of pan.
10. Pour marshmallow cream into greased pan; jiggle around until the top becomes flat.
11. Add the remaining topping over surface of marshmallow cream.
12. Place in the fridge and allow mixture to set for at least 3 hours.
13. When marshmallows are set, gently remove from parchment paper. Flip onto a cutting board with a greased, sharp knife and slice into squares or use fun shaped molds.
14. If the marshmallows do not have any toppings, it is optional to dust their surfaces with arrowroot or tapioca powder to prevent them from sticking to each other.
15. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.