Warming Gingerbread Mallows

These are completely delicious and pack far more of a flavour punch than you would think! This deceptively unassuming marshmallow is the ultimate seasonal sweet treat and makes instant Christmas in a cup when added to a hot drink, like hot chocolate or cappuccino.

If you have never made marshmallows before, then the key is to be really organised about it. I have divided the ingredients to help make this a bit easier. It is absolutely essential that you properly prepare your tray before you begin, as once the marshmallow mixture is whipped it will start to set quite quickly. Another important thing to remember when making marshmallows is that cornflour is your best friend - you WILL need it, probably in larger quantities than you expect. It is the only thing stopping the marshmallow from sticking to everything it touches, so use it liberally. Some people people prefer to use icing sugar, but I think marshmallows are sweet enough and cornflour is better at taking up moisture in the air without clumping.

Assuming you don't eat them instantly, marshmallows will keep for quite a long time. Even though the recipe has egg whites, they are cooked by the boiling sugar and are safe to eat and keep at room temperature, much in the same way an Italian meringue can be eaten without baking.

The treacle in this recipe really helps take the flavour from 'spiced' into 'full blown gingerbread' territory. The treacle will make the boiling sugar look very dark and might trick you into thinking it had burnt, but trust the recipe and the sugar thermometer and you will be ok.

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

Cornflour (or Icing Sugar if you prefer)

Cling film

A dish or tray with sides, roughly

Sieve

Electric Whisk

Heat-Proof Spatula

Sugar Thermometer/ Digital Probe

Scissors

INGREDIENTS

In a small bowl (1) -

10g Powdered Gelatine (240 bloom)

50g Water

In a small bowl (2) -

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Festive Spice Blend (or mixed spices)

In a Medium Sized Saucepan -

150g Light Brown Sugar

50g Dark Brown Sugar

50g Caster Sugar

60g Treacle

60g Golden Syrup

50ml Water

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

In a mixing bowl -

2 Egg Whites

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

1) In your first small bowl, add the water to the gelatine and stir it to make sure there are no lumps. Leave this to the side to bloom for now. It will go from a runny mixture to the texture of wallpaper paste.

2) Prepare the other ingredients in their receptacles as described in the ingredients list. Line your tray with cling film and sieve cornflour over the cling film to put down a substantial layer.

3) Dissolve the sugars in the saucepan on a low heat. When there are no detectable grains of sugar remaining, turn the heat up to medium-high and boil the mixture to a temperature of 121°C. This will bubble up and try to climb the sides of the saucepan. If it threatens to overflow, gently stirring the mixture a few times will help to deflate some bubbles and bring it back under control. As the water evaporates and the temperature rises it will settle down to the bottom of the saucepan again. Take the sugar off the heat and wait a few seconds for the bubbles to die down, then add the now bloomed gelatine. Mix well to evenly melt and combine the gelatine.

4) Start whipping the egg whites. When they are lightly frothy, start pouring a slow, controlled stream of the hot sugar into the egg whites. Try not to hit the beaters as this can cause the sugar to set too quickly and splinter into crystals. The mixture will look very dark but will lighten as you carry on whipping. Keep whipping for a few minutes until it is light brown in colour, incredibly fluffy leaving billowing trails behind the beaters and holds small peaks. Add the contents of Small Bowl 2 and beat a minute longer to ensure it is evenly incorporated. It will only be about lukewarm by this point.

5) Quickly pour the marshmallow into the prepared dish and scrape down the edges of a mixing bowl with a spatula. The marshmallow should settle out into a soft pillow.

6) Leave the marshmallow to cool for around 30 minutes. By this point the mallow will be semi-set. You will really want to poke it, but try to resist because it has not fully set yet. Sprinkle a spoon of cornflour over the mallow and very gently with as little pressure as possible smooth it over the surface. This will help it to form that satisfying outer layer. Leave the mallows a further 6 hours to fully set. They may feel done before this time, but they will be very difficult to cut and you risk squishing the air out of them in the process.

7) Remove your now set marshmallow from its dish and peel away the sides of the clingfilm. Keep the cornflour close from now on and sprinkle every time you see a sticky edge. Make sure the surface of the mallow block is well dusted and use the scissors to cut a strip about an inch wide. Dust the edge and cut this strip into cubes. Dust again. Repeat this process until the entire block is in lovely dusty cubes. Wipe down the scissors from time to time to remove any stickiness.

8) You can now tuck in to your wonderful gingerbread mallows! Store these in an airtight container NOT in the fridge or in a hot place. Room temperature is just right. If packaging these up for gifting, add a bit of extra cornflour to the bag or box to help keep all of the marshmallows separate.