Marshmallows: Vanilla, Chocolate Cinnamon and Jack-o-lantern

        
What do you do when you know you’re going to a kid party and you know the kids like marshmallows?  Why you make them of course!  So the annual carving of the pumpkins is going to happen this Saturday and we’re bringing the marshmallows…and not just plain white mallows.  We will walk in with regular, coco-cinnamon AND pumpkin shaped, jack-o-lantern, orange-ish ones.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. (see last post for gory details) Yet one must be an adult when one is the pumpkin carver at the traditional carving of the Halloween jack-o-lanters .  So the Broads are bringing it.  I had lunch with Cinemon Girl the other day and she directed me to Joy the Baker’s white honey recipe. Then I jumped over to my go to recipe site Food 52 and found this coco-cinnamon one from Notlazy.rustic.  Both of these recipes are easy and fun.

Feeling confident I thought jack-o-lanterns would be something the kids would like, Nahid agreed.  Plus a pumpkin cookie cutter is just sitting in the kitchen drawer feeling abandoned, unused since last year’s fondant topped chocolate chip cookies.

Here’s Not Lazy Rustic’s recipe I deleted the chocolate and added orange food color.

• 1 cup water divided
• 3 packets (.25 ounces each) unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cup ranulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 large pinch kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon orange food color

1. Lightly grease a 9×9-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray or oil; set aside.
2. Place 1/2 cup water in bowl of electric mixer; sprinkle gelatin over water, distributing well. Let stand while you prepare the syrup.
3. In medium saucepot, combine remaining water, sugar, corn syrup and salt; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium; bring to a boil without stirring. Add candy thermometer; cook, without stirring, but brushing down sides with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until the mixture registers 240˚F (soft-ball stage). Let sit 1 minute.  Add orange food color.
4. Turn electric mixer on, on low speed. Carefully pour hot sugar mixture in a stream into mixer bowl; once the mixture is incorporated, gradually increase speed to high. Beat 12-14 minutes, or until mixture is opaque and very thick. Turn mixer off. Add vanilla extract; beat 30 seconds.
5. Immediately transfer marshmallow to the greased pan (use a greased spatula to transfer any that sticks to the bowl). Lightly wet your hands and smooth top of marshmallow. Set aside, uncovered, until firm (about 2 hours).
6. Using pumpkin cookie cutter dipped in confectioners’ sugar , cut marshmallow into pumpkins.  Decorate with melted chocolate.
7. Eat.