What Are Marshmallows and How Can I Use Them?

Wondering what to do with marshmallows? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 152 recipes to put them to work.

Key Points

Marshmallows are whipped sugar set with gelatin, mostly air, built to toast and melt.
Melt over low heat; high heat seizes the candy and sets the treat hard.
Toast at the edge of the flame so the inside softens before the shell scorches.
About 7 ounces of marshmallow cream replaces roughly 4 cups of miniatures.
Store sealed at room temperature, never the fridge, which dries them out faster.

What are marshmallows?

Marshmallows are soft, springy candies of whipped sugar syrup set with gelatin, dusted in cornstarch and powdered sugar so they do not stick. They are mostly air, which is why they toast and melt the way nothing else in the pantry does.

Modern marshmallows trace back to a French confection thickened with sap from the marshmallow plant; today gelatin does that job. The result is sweet and vanilla-scented, a candy built to change under heat.

A standard bag holds large campfire-size pieces. The bite-size miniature marshmallows are the same candy in a smaller cut that melts faster.

Cooking With Marshmallows

Heat is where marshmallows earn their keep. Toasted over a flame for s'mores, the outside caramelizes and crackles while the inside slumps into molten goo. Keep them at the edge of the fire rather than in it, or the sugar shell scorches black before the center softens.

Melted with butter, they become the glue for crisp-rice treats and no-bake bars. Low heat is the rule here.

Marshmallow goes soft and fluid over gentle heat, but pushed too hot it turns stiff and grainy as it cools, so use a heavy pan over low heat and pull it off the moment it flows.

Whole marshmallows also bake into a melting layer, as in Marshmallow Crescent Rolls, where the candy all but disappears into the dough. They drop into Frozen Hot Chocolate to soften, and fold into fudges and cookies like Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies for chew.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Marshmallow loves chocolate and graham, the classic s'mores pairing. It also tames bitter, roasted flavors such as coffee or dark cocoa, since its plain sweetness works as a blank canvas more than a flavor of its own.

The biggest mistake is rushing the melt over high heat. Marshmallow scorches and seizes fast, and a treat made from overcooked marshmallow sets up hard and chewy as it cools instead of soft.

The second is using stale marshmallows for a melted recipe. Dried-out ones never melt smoothly and leave lumps, so save the old bag for hot chocolate and buy fresh for treats.

Substitutes

For a melted application like crisp-rice treats, marshmallow cream stands in: about 7 ounces of cream replaces roughly 4 cups of miniatures, and it skips the melting step since it is already soft.

There is no clean swap for a toasted whole marshmallow; the puff and char are the point. In a baked recipe where the marshmallow just adds sweet softness, a few caramels or a spoon of marshmallow cream gets close.

To make your own, whip a hot sugar syrup into bloomed gelatin until thick and glossy, then set it in a cornstarch-dusted pan. Homemade ones are softer and taste strongly of vanilla.

Buying and Storing

Squeeze the bag before buying. Fresh marshmallows give and spring back, while a bag that feels hard or clumped is stale. Press out the air and seal an opened bag tightly, since exposure to air is what dries them out.

Stored sealed at room temperature, marshmallows keep several months and well past the printed date, though they slowly stiffen. Do not refrigerate them; the cold draws out moisture and hardens them faster.

If they have gone hard, a slice of bread or an apple wedge sealed in the bag overnight gives back some moisture. Marshmallows also freeze for up to three months, dusted with extra cornstarch so they do not fuse into a block.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup of miniature (50g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 159Calories from Fat 0

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.1g 0%

Saturated Fat 0.0g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 40mg 2%

Total Carbohydrate 40.7g 14%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 28.8

Protein 0.9g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 0% • Iron 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find marshmallows: Marshmallows are usually found in the candy section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Marshmallows are a member of the Sweets US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 棉花糖
British (UK) term: Marshmallows
en français: la guimauves
en español: malvavisco

How much do marshmallows weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup of miniature	50 grams
10 miniatures	7 grams
1 regular	7 grams

Sweets

Butterscotch chips 89 Caramels (candy squares) 101 Chocolate unsweetened 769 Chocolate chips 694 Chocolate, semi-sweet 994 Mini chocolate chips 76 Chocolate chips (semi-sweet) 635 Chocolate, bittersweet 123 Chocolate curls 28 Chocolate 384

Recipes using marshmallows

There are 152 recipes that contain this ingredient.

S'more Tacos

A playful twist on s'mores: a warm corn tortilla smeared with peanut butter and folded around a fire-toasted marshmallow. Three ingredients, about five minutes, no graham crackers required.

St. Patrick's Day Grasshopper Pie Cupcakes

Indulge in the irresistible flavors of a classic grasshopper pie in cupcake form! These delightful treats feature rich chocolate cupcakes topped with a silky mint mousse and a luscious chocolate ganache, all dressed up in festive green. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations or any occasion that calls for a minty, chocolaty dessert, these cupcakes are as beautiful as they are delicious.

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