Kahlúa marshmallows...a little bit of a flop

Two days ago we had some snow.  OK, it was more than just some snow.  I think in the end, New York City got over 6 inches.  But what was worse was how cold it was the next day.  It was so cold, in fact, that B and I stayed in that night and cooked a delicious Italian dinner with some red wine.  There was no way we were going to venture out -- the predicted low overnight was 0 degrees -- zero.  degrees!

It's hard to read, but under "Kahlúa Marshmallows" it says "The first time they fell a little flat (pun intended)"

So when I thought about what I might make this weekend, I figured some marshmallows might be a good option....for hot cocoa....because it's cold out there!  And why stop at just marshmallows when I could make flavored marshmallows (the first time I made marshmallows were those toasted coconut marshmallows, which were delicious, but weren't really flavored -- they were vanilla marshmallows dipped in toasted coconut.  The second time I remade that same recipe, skipping the coconut and instead coating them in some corn starch and powdered sugar (which I saw on another recipe)).  Plus, I've been kinda craving making marshmallows again.  It's a win-win situation!

I found a recipe for Kahlúa marshmallows a while ago and had been holding onto it for the right time.  It used flavored Kahlúa, but I figured I'd stick with the original (partly because I like the coffee flavor, and secondly, because I have another recipe I want to use it for).  Plus, alcohol + hot cocoa = extra warmth for the cold weather!  The original recipe called for egg whites, whipped, and then added to the marshmallow mixture.  I have to admit, I was a little weirded out by that.  So I figured that I'd try to substitute the Kahlúa into the original recipe I made and see if that worked.

These marshmallows were kinda a flop.  I'm not completely sure if it's that there was too much Kahlúa in them and, since Kahlúa has some sugar in it, it threw off the balance of ingredients, or if it's because my Kitchenaid made a big clunk, and then the head wasn't at the proper angle on the base, and, well, my kitchenaid seems to be a bit busted right now :-(, or if I should've gone by temperature (like the original Kahlúa marshmallow recipe called for) instead of by timing (like the coconut recipe called for, and I followed).   I debated adding a little vanilla to them, but when I tasted them as they were mixing, I realized they didn't need any vanilla.  They're uber-Kahlúa-y, so I think they'd be best in hot cocoa or even a cup of coffee, but I found them a little strong to be eaten alone.  Again, it could also be because they fell a little flat, and had they been whipped up well, maybe the flavor would've dissipated a little.  I'm already thinking about when I can make them again to test out my theory, but I think I'm going to be on a marshmallow-making hiatus until I figure out how to fix my kitchenaid -- or buy a new one!

So "WHY??" you may ask, am I sharing this story with you when it clearly fell flat (fine, pun intended!).  Well, for two reasons.  First of all, we're all human and we all make mistakes.  Even I have a baking error or two in my past.  Secondly, I'm not sure entirely why the recipe flopped, and I want to investigate that and try to figure out if it was a mechanical error (did I add the sugar recipe too quickly?), a cooking error (did the sugar mixture not get hot enough?), or if it was just a recipe failure.

So once I get my kitchenaid fixed (or, gulp, get a new one), I will be back at it, trying to perfect these Kahlúa marshmallows!