Vanilla Marshmallow Ropes

These make fluffy ropes sturdy enough to tie into knots but soft enough to melt in the mouth. These are a lot of fun and can easily be made into whimsical colours with a dash of food colouring.

These are my attempt at recreating the classic Flumps, but a lot longer and more fun to play with. They are fairly easy to master so a good starting point if you have never made marshmallows before. Unlike some mallow mixtures that set almost immediately after whipping, this one gives you a little bit of time to pipe it before setting into a pillowy, melty, chewy dream. These marshmallows require a bit of organisation to make, but are not as messy as you might think.

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

Piping bag with 1.5cm nozzle (if you don't have one, I find a ziplock bag with the corner cut off works very well)

Electric Whisk

Mixing Bowl

Saucepan

INGREDIENTS

In a Small Bowl

10g Powdered Gelatine (240 bloom)

50g Water

In a Saucepan

150g Caster Sugar

30g Golden Syrup

30g Water

Pinch Cream of Tartar

In a Large Mixing Bowl

1 Egg White

Pinch Cream of Tartar

1) Bloom the gelatine by adding the water to the powder and stirring to make sure there are no lumps. Leave to the side for a few minutes. Prepare your surfaces by laying down a decent sized area of reusable non-stick sheets or grease-proof baking paper and sieving a substantial layer of cornflour over it.

2) Heat the sugars and water in a saucepan. First, use a low heat to dissolve the sugar. It is important you take the time to do this or your marshmallow may end up grainy. When there are no sugar granules remaining, turn the heat up and boil the sugar to 121°C.

3) Add the gelatine to the hot sugar and stir well. Start whisking the egg white and pour the sugar in a slow, controlled stream avoiding both the edge of the bowl and the beaters. The mixture will start off thin and foamy, but thicken up into a billowing meringue texture after a few minutes. Add the vanilla extract and ensure it is well mixed through. When the marshmallow is stiff enough to hold its shape (or when you can take a big scoop on a spatula and have it remain in place) then it is ready to be piped.

4) Transfer your marshmallow to a piping bag and pipe a line as long as you can on top of the cornflour, staring around the edge and coiling inwards like a snail shell. Avoid sharp turns as this could make weak points in your rope, so keep the angles broad. Leave the marshmallow to set for an hour, then gently roll it in the cornflour so that it is completely coated. Leave it a further 5 hours to fully set.

5) Your ropes will now be soft, stretchy and flexible so you can coil them, drape them or tie them into knots. Oh, and eat them, of course.