by Abby Morrison
March 22, 2022
Spring is here, which means it's time for flowers, sunshine, and new life. And what better way to celebrate this season than with light and fluffy, lightly floral, Teaster Marshmallows (releasing in only a few weeks!)? Possibly none, so let's dive in.
Making homemade marshmallows (dare I say *March*mallows?) can sound intimidating at first. It involves cooking sugar at high temperatures, which can be dangerous, and working with gelatin, which, if you're not familiar with it, can be a little intimidating. Thankfully, making homemade marshmallows is a lot easier (and less stressful) than you'd think!
There are two resources I'd like to point out that were really helpful in making this recipe. The first one is from
The Flavor Bender, which had a very detailed walkthrough and troubleshooting tips. The other is from
My Baking Addiction, which had the recipe I used as a base for mine. You'll find tips and tricks from both of these throughout this post.
There are two steps you'll want to complete before starting. The first is to grease all of your utensils with coconut oil. You can use a different oil, just be careful the flavor isn't going to bleed through into your marshmallows. This step is crucial as marshmallows are extremely sticky. By greasing everything beforehand, you'll ensure the cleanup is much easier.
The second step is to grind up some extra Teaster,
Strawberry Banana Split, or your favorite tea, which you can use to dust the top of your marshmallows. I suggest removing the dried fruit pieces from the tea before you do this step, as they can be harder to grind. If you're looking for a good grinder, try the
gritTea tea grinder.
A note about the dusting tea: Since Teaster includes rooibos, some of the pieces have a really thin, stick-like texture. This can be unappetizing when you're eating a nice fluffy marshmallow, so if you're going to dust with Teaster (or similar teas), make sure it's finely ground and that any larger pieces have been sieved out. If you're still worried about it, just skip this step, though the Teaster flavor won't be as strong in your finished product.
Once these steps are complete, you can begin making your marshmallows.
The first step will be steeping your tea. I started at triple strength, which means using three times the amount of tea (not steeping for longer!), and found that gave our marshmallows a nice light flavor, though you can use more tea if you'd like something stronger.
Once your tea is done, let it cool just a little to make sure you don't scald your gelatin. Pour 1/2 c. of your tea into a large bowl and add 1-2 drops of rose extract. You can also swap out rose water for the rose extract, you'll just have to use more as rose water is more diluted.
For your remaining tea, place it in a saucepan with your cornstarch and sugar, heating over medium-high until you get to 'hard ball' stage. Hard ball stage is a term used in candy making. If you buy a candy thermometer for this project, it should tell you the exact temp for this stage. Alternatively, there is an easy test you can do to make sure it's the right temp (I actually advise doing both). To test your sugar mixture, drop a little into some cold water. If it dissolves or is super pliable, your sugar isn't ready. If it makes a ball that is not pliable, you've gone too far. If it makes a slightly pliable ball, it's perfect. Keep a close eye on your sugar as these stages can come quickly.
Once your sugar is ready, remove it from the heat and let the bubbles subside. Break up the gelatin in your bowl and start mixing on low. Slowly add your sugar mixture. Pouring it down the side of the bowl can keep the gelatin from scalding. Whip your mix until you have stiff peaks, about ten minutes.
Pour your mix into your pan. Some recipes suggest just greasing your pan really well, but I actually preferred the tip from My Baking Addiction, which was to lay two pieces of plastic wrap across the pan at perpendicular angles and then spray that down with non-stick baking spray. That way, when your marshmallows are set, you can simply pull the whole block out of your pan before cutting.
Dust your marshmallows lightly with confectioners' sugar and the ground tea. Let them sit for six hours or overnight, lightly covered. Once they're set, cut them up using a greased knife or pair of scissors. Lightly dredge them in a 1:1 mix of corn starch and confectioners' sugar and then store in an air-tight container. Do not refrigerate or freeze.
Tea Marshmallows Recipe
Looking to replace your yearly supply of Peeps? These fluffy homemade marshmallows feature any tea of your choosing! But, with Teaster Marshmallow being released soon, this recipe features that tea.
Makes: One 9"x9" tray
Time to make: 30 minutes, plus six hours to set
Ingredients
3-6 tsp. Teaster Marshmallow, or any year-round tea like
Strawberry Banana Split
Plus extra tea for dusting, finely ground (optional)
3/4 c. water, divided
3 packages unflavored gelatin (~.25 oz. per package)
2/3 c. light corn syrup
2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
Rose extract (optional)
Coconut oil
Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Grease all utensils you intend to use with coconut oil, including your pan, whisk, spatulas, and bowl.
Optionally, finely grind extra tea for dusting, making sure to remove the dried fruit pieces first, if applicable.
Steep 3-6 tsp. of tea in 3/4 c. of water. Allow to cool slightly.
Pour 1/2 c. of tea into a large bowl and add 1-2 drops of rose extract. Sprinkle gelatin over the top to bloom. Mix gently if there are dry clumps on top.
Place remaining tea in a saucepan with the corn syrup and sugar and start heating over medium heat.
Heat sugar mixture until the sugar reaches hard ball stage. To test, drop a little sugar mixture into cold water. If it forms a ball that is only slightly pliable, that is the correct stage. Remove from heat.
Break apart the gelatin with the whisk attachment on your mixer. Start to mix the gelatin on low and slowly add your sugar mixture along the side of the bowl, being careful not to scald the gelatin.
Mix on medium-high for about ten minutes or until you have stiff peaks. You may add food coloring at this stage if you like. If the mixture starts to cool, stop mixing.
Spread the mix into your 9x9 pan using your spatula. Sprinkle the top with a mix of ground Teaster (optional) and confectioners sugar.
Let the marshmallows set for six hours or overnight. Do not refrigerate.
Using greased scissors or a greased knife, cut your marshmallows. Lightly dredge them in a 1:1 mix of corn starch and confectioner's sugar. Store in an airtight container.
Tea Chef
Check out this month's
TeaChef recipe competition! Head over there to submit your own creations to potentially win a $50 gift card to Adagio!