Hot Chocolate on a Stick with Marshmallows

Williams Sonoma puts out an incredible holiday catalog. After drooling over the cooks tools in the first half, I flip through to the back, where they have cheeses, hors d'oeuvres, and edible gifts perfect for the holidays. I've had the opportunity to sample their marshmallows, and they are just as good as I hoped they were. They're light, fluffy and melt perfectly in a hot cup of cocoa. The problem? They cost the earth.



Luckily, homemade marshmallows are incredibly easy (and inexpensive!) to make and yield just as decadent results as those from Williams Sonoma.

Many people haven't had the chance to experience fresh, homemade marshmallows, so I thought that for holiday gifts this year, I would give my family, friends and colleagues a gift set of hot chocolate on a stick with some homemade marshmallows. Though Cory thought the square marshmallows were a bit odd, luckily, they were a huge hit!

A few tips for the hot chocolate:

• Wilton party/nut cups are great vehicles for the hot chocolate -- they're they're lined with wax so that the molded hot chocolate is shiny and it can be easily remove from the cups. They're also just over 1 oz., so it makes measuring and serving easy.
• My chocolate completely seized when I added the confectioner's sugar/cocoa powder mixture and only became workable after adding a few tablespoons of canola oil.
• Use wooden stir sticks instead of lollipop sticks. They're a bit studier and hold up better to hot milk. For a more festive choice, a peppermint stick would be fun also!
• This recipe as written below yields ~15 servings. I doubled it and it worked fine.

Ingredients:
For the marshmallows:
From Alton Brown

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 c. ice cold water, divided
• 12 oz. (approximately 1-1/2 c.) granulated sugar
• 1 c. light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• Pam spray

For the hot chocolate:
Adapted from Givers Log

• 12 oz. chocolate, chopped into small, even chunks (I used semisweet Guittard chocolate. The chocolate should have a relatively high percentage of cocoa butter so that it melts easier.)
• 1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
• 3/4 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
• Pinch of salt

Directions:
For the marshmallows:

• Add the gelatin to 1/2 c. of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Don't turn the mixer on yet. Spray the whisk attachment with Pam, then attach it to the head of the mixer.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the remaining 1/2 c. of water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cover the saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Uncover the saucepan and attach a candy thermometer (this is the one I use and love). Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees (this took me ~10 minutes).
• Once the mixture reaches 240 degrees, remove from the heat. Turn the mixer on low speed and drizzle the corn syrup mixture down the side of the bowl, then increase the speed to high. Whip the corn syrup mixture until it becomes quite thick and fluffy, yet still lukewarm (~14 minutes). Add the vanilla during the last minute of mixing.
• While the corn syrup mixture is mixing, spray a 9x13" baking pan with Pam spray. Combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, then coat the baking pan with this sugar-cornstarch mixture. Reserve the rest of the sugar-cornstarch mixture.
• When the corn syrup mixture is finished mixing, spray a rubber spatula with Pam and pour the marshmallows into the prepared baking pan. Dust the top of the marshmallows with the rest of the sugar-cornstarch mixture, then allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• After the marshmallows have set, turn the marshmallow slab out onto a cutting board. Spray a knife or pizza cutter with Pam and slice into 1" squares. Dust each side of the cut marshmallows with the leftover sugar-cornstarch mixture (there should be a ton left in the baking pan) and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

For the hot chocolate:

• Sift the cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Melt the chocolate over a double-boiler. To preserve a shiny finish, avoid letting the chocolate get too hot.
• Once the chocolate is melted 2/3 of the way (with just some pieces of the chocolate unmelted), remove the bowl from the double boiler and continue stirring until chocolate is fully melted (to prevent the chocolate from getting too hot).
• Add cocoa powder mixture to the melted chocolate and stir until fully combined. This is the point at which my chocolate seized and became quite difficult to stir. If yours does, adding a bit of canola oil little by little should loosen up the chocolate again.
• Spoon the chocolate into the party cups, tapping the mold on the counter to make sure all the chocolate settles into the mold. Add a stir stick; the stir stick should stay upright in the chocolate without any trouble.
• Let the chocolate cool either at room temperature or in the fridge.
• Stir the chocolate into 1 c. of hot milk, then top with the marshmallows and enjoy in a festive mug!

If you're giving these as gifts, package the marshmallows and hot chocolate in cellophane bags or a mug, then affix instructions letting the recipient know how to enjoy the hot chocolate with a pretty ribbon.