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Dessert

Cheap Marshmallow

A sweet confection made from gelatin, sugar, glucose, and water, cooked and beaten until stiff.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Cheap Marshmallow

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the gelatine

  1. Soak the gelatine in enough water to cover it overnight.

  2. Heat the gelatine in a steam pan, stirring until melted.

Make the marshmallow

  1. Cook the sugar and glucose with enough water to dissolve to 246°F (119°C).

  2. Pour the sugar mixture into a steam beater, add the melted gelatine, and mix on slow speed for 15-20 minutes.

  3. Increase the speed and beat until the mixture is white and stiff.

  4. If too thick, reduce with warm water until it can run through a funnel dropper.

Cast and dry

  1. Ensure the starch for casting is thoroughly dry and heated before use.

  2. After the marshmallow has been poured out, let it dry for 2-3 days away from steam or damp air.

  3. Remove the marshmallows from the starch, brush off excess, and pack between wax paper.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Gelatine
Forms the elastic gel network that gives marshmallow its structure and chew.
Sugar
Provides sweetness and bulk, and helps set the texture as the mixture cools.
Glucose
Inhibits sugar crystallisation, keeping the marshmallow smooth rather than grainy.

The step that matters

Cooking the sugar and glucose to 246°F (119°C). This temperature sets how much water remains in the syrup. Undercooked syrup leaves the marshmallow soft and sticky, while overcooked syrup makes it hard and stiff once whipped.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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