Raspberry marshmallows

I've been wanting to make marshmallows for a while now, but the last time I attempted them (with the failure that was the Kahlua marshmallows), my Kitchen-Aid broke :-(  It was a sad, sad day.  But, today, my innovation, improvisation, and downright perseverance prevailed, and I used the Kitchen-Aid once more.  And this time, the marshmallows came out super fluffy!  It just involved putting a pen strategically in a cylinder in the Kitchen-Aid, and then I just had to stand there holding the head of the Kitchen-Aid for 12 minutes while it whipped on high speed.  But it was totally worth it.  Did I mention those super fluffy marshmallows??

I wanted to make flavored marshmallows this time (I still have 8 of those vanilla marshmallows that I've been saving for hot chocolate!).  To add some color and flavor and variety to the (growing) list of marshmallows on the blog.  Plus, I had another idea for these that I thought I might be able to test out for a later date (you know me, always planning ahead!).

So why did I decide on raspberry marshmallows?  First of all, I wanted to make something with color and was leaning towards pink (to test out that other project).  And secondly, I had raspberry jam in the fridge already.  And let me tell you, a quarter cup of raspberry jam goes a long way!  Even though I needed to use a little red food coloring to make them a bit pink, the raspberry flavor is huge!

Raspberry Marshmallows
From this link, which has ideas for a bunch of flavors!

Ingredients:

1 cup of water, divided
3 envelopes gelatin, unflavored
2 cups sugar (granulated)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla (which I forgot to add, oops....I guess that's what I get for being preoccupied holding the Kitchen-Aid in place for 12 minutes)
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 drop red food coloring (I ended up using about 3 drops)

Generous amount of icing sugar to coat the marshmallows, about 2 cups (icing sugar = powdered sugar)

Butter for pan (I used Pam)

Directions:

Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan with butter (or Pam).

In a small saucepan over medium heat (I was lazy, I microwaved it in 30 second increments), warm 1/4 cup raspberry jam (or any other flavor) until it becomes runny, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat.
Place a fine sieve over a small bowl and pour the warm jam through the sieve to catch any seeds and create a puree.  Set aside for now.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour in 1/2 cup of the water and sprinkle with the gelatin.
Set aside to allow the gelatin to soak in.

In a medium sauce pan over high heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, remaining 1/2 cup of water, and salt.
Bring to a rolling boil and continue to boil for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat.
I pour my sugar syrup into a 2-cup measuring cup, which makes it easier and safer to pour into the mixer bowl.

Turn the mixer to low and mix the gelatin once or twice to combine it with the water.
Slowly add the hot sugar mixture by pouring it gently down the side of the bowl, and continue to mix on low.

Add the raspberry puree and one drop of red food coloring.
Turn the mixer to high and continue to whip for 10 to 12 minutes until the marshmallow batter almost triples in size and becomes very thick.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to avoid overflowing batter.
Add additional drops of red food coloring, if needed, until desired color.
Stop the mixer, add the vanilla, and then whip briefly to combine.  Oops, I forgot that.  It's all good, they're super tasty.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and use a spatula or bench scraper to spread it evenly in the pan.
Work quickly, as the marshmallow becomes more difficult to manipulate as it sets.

Grease a piece of plastic wrap with butter (again, I used Pam) and lay it across the top of the marshmallow.
Press firmly on the plastic wrap to seal it smoothly and tightly against the marshmallows.

Leave the marshmallows to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours, or -- even better -- overnight.
The marshmallow will be too sticky and soft to cut before then.

Sprinkle work surface or cutting board with icing sugar.
Run a knife along the top edge of the pan to loosen the marshmallow slab.
Invert the pan and flip the marshmallow out onto the work surface.
Scoop handfuls of the icing sugar and rub all over the marshmallow slab.

Using a large knife, cut the slab into 1 x 1 inch squares.
It's sticky, so I tried coating the knife with Pam, but that left a weird discoloration right where the knife hit the marshmallow, so instead I just coated the knife with some powdered sugar, and that got the job done :)
Roll each of the freshly cut marshmallow squares in the remaining icing sugar to coat them completely.