Homemade Maple Marshmallows are all natural, no corn syrup marshmallows made with maple syrup ~ instantly upgrade your hot cocoa and other cozy winter sip-ables with these easy refined sugar free treats!
Put some homemade maple marshmallows in a cellophane bag and pop them in a cute mug for a sweet gift.
At least once every winter season I love to immerse myself in a real deal holiday kitchen project. It might be making authentic gingerbread cut out cookies, or maybe graham cracker gingerbread house votives. One year I created a homemade version of Ferrero Rocher truffles. Making marshmallows is that kind of fun holiday project that isn’t hard, but it’s so festive, and in the end you’re left with something delicious and giftable. (Note: mug is from Cost Plus World Market.)
What you’ll need to make maple marshmallows
- Ideally you need a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. If not, you’ll need electric beaters. Why? This recipe is easy but requires an extended beating time.
- a clip on candy thermometer
- maple syrup
- powdered gelatin
A simple substitution of maple syrup for corn syrup makes a lovely flavored marshmallow.
Regular marshmallows are usually made with corn syrup or refined sugar syrup, which adds no flavor. But if you simply substitute maple syrup, which is a natural sugar, you get a flavor payoff. You can just barely see the golden tint in the insides of my marshmallows.
How do you make maple marshmallows?
It’s surprisingly simple, really.
- You boil maple syrup to the ‘soft ball’ stage using a candy thermometer to monitor the heat.
- Then drizzle the hot syrup into softened gelatin, while whipping.
- The mixture slowly blooms into a pale sticky marshmallow ‘fluff’.
- You spread out the sticky stuff into a lined pan, and wait for it to firm up.
- Once firm you can slice the marshmallow into strips, and then into cubes. Dust all exposed edges in confectioner’s sugar to prevent sticking, and you’re done!
How long will your marshmallows last?
Your homemade marshmallows will last about a month in an airtight container.
What to do with your maple marshmallows
- Pop them in all your hot cocoas, lattes, and steamers
- Snack on them like candy
- Make extra special s’mores
How to Make Maple Marshmallows
Equipment
- candy thermometer
- saucepan with deep sides
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin
- 1 cup maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Lightly butter a 9x13 pan and line with a sheet of parchment with long ends. Lightly dust all with powdered sugar. The paper will allow you to lift out the marshmallows for cutting, later.
- Put the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attatchment. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let sit.
- Put the maple syrup in a relatively deep saucepan, because as the syrup cooks it will foam up. Bring the syrup up to a boil and let cook over medium heat until it reaches the soft ball stage, or 235F on a candy thermometer. There is no need to stir the syrup, just make sure it doesn't boil over. Watch the temperature carefully as it nears the soft ball stage, you don't want to over heat it because it can burn. Be patient, and make sure to get the syrup up to the correct temp.
- Remove the pan from the stove, and turn the mixer on low to mix the gelatin and water. While the machine is going, drizzle in the hot syrup, slowly. When all the syrup is in, raise the speed of the mixer and beat on high until you get a thick, glossy mixture that holds stiff peaks. Add your pinch of salt at this point. Many recipes say to beat for as much as 10-15 minutes, but I find it never takes this long.
- Immediately spread the mixture into your prepared pan. It's sticky, so take the time to get it all out and then spread it as evenly as you can. An offset spatula works well for this.
- Let the mixture sit at room temperature to firm up for several hours or overnight.
- Remove the marshmallows from the pan using the parchment paper sling, and invert onto a surface that has been covered with sifted confectioner's sugar. Carefully peel off the paper. Dust the whole surface with more confectioner's sugar.
- Slice the slab of marshmallow into strips using a long sharp knife. Then cut the strips into cubes. Dust all exposed edges with confectioner's sugar to prevent sticking. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
How can I turn this into marshmallow fluff? Less gelatin?
I’ve been meaning to post a marshmallow sauce recipe for a while. I haven’t experimented with that yet, so I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think you’d need any gelatin at all.
These look amazing! Do they work well for toasting over a campfire? Looking for a substitute for my kids with intolerances to corn…
I assume they’d toast wonderfully but we haven’t tried.
Thanks Sue for directing me to this recipe! I’ll swap the water for bourbon instead. 😀
I don’t know what happened but these were unfortunately a total bust for me. They didn’t inflate at all, even when I got peaks. I ended up with 1/4″ thick marshmallow that wasn’t nearly enough to spread across a 9×13. 🙁
Sorry you didn’t get the volume you needed, Coryn. You do need to get the maple syrup up to the correct temperature for this to work, did you use a thermometer? And it really does help to use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, that’s the best way to get all that air incorporated.
I also just made these and did not get thick marshmallows, had to quickly transfer to a smaller pan. I also used a candy thermometer which reached the recommended temp. Not sure what happened. Tastes good though!
The past couple times I tried marshmallows with maple syrup they looked and felt perfect the first day, but then it’s like the sugar inside them crystallized and they became grainy and gritty tasting. Do you know what I might be doing wrong? Is there a certain type of syrup to use?
Hi Sue,
I just made the delicious peach cobbler today! Yum! I want to ask, just in case, but can the maple marshmallows be frozen?
I’ve never thought of that Karen, but I checked into it and apparently you can!
These turned out exceptionally! I appreciate the simplicity of ingredients and instructions in this recipe, no unnecessary steps.
Thanks for this, definitely a keeper.
Now you need to make s’mores!
Hi Sue, do you know whether this recipe would work as well using Agar Agar instead of the gelatin powder? As you may have guessed, I am a vegetarian. Many thanks. Merry Christmas and a happy 2020!
People do make marshmallows with agar agar, so I think it should work. Merry Christmas!