Those big fat squishy marshmallow cubes coated in stalks of lightly toasted coconut are one of the best of my childhood memories.
Mum used to buy them from Darrell-Lea on a Friday afternoon, and it was sheer bliss to cozy down on the couch and pass the bag around.
I make my own now, and they're still a melt-in-the-mouth treat, and even better, gluten free so my daughter can have them too. They're so much nicer than the pink and white ones we've come to expect marshmallows to look like, and they're really well worth setting aside 30 minutes to whip them up.
To make these you need:
2 cups of desiccated coconut, lightly toasted in a dry frypan, and set aside
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
2/3 cup hot water
2 tablespoons gelatine
2/3 cup cold water
Optional: 1 teaspoon flavoured essence such as coconut, vanilla, peppermint, lemon, orange flower, rosewater and so on.
A small shallow pan about 20 x 16cm, lined with baking paper, with an overhang at each end to enable you lift the set marshmallows out.
An electric mixer
A deep bowl and two forks
Large bowl for mixing
Then just:
Put the sugar and hot water into a small saucepan, and place over a medium heat. Stir constantly till the sugar dissolves.
Mix the gelatine and cold water with a fork. and pour it into the hot sugar syrup. Stir this over the heat until the gelatine dissolves.
Remove the mixture from the heat, and set it aside to cool for about half an hour.
Pour the cooled mixture into your large bowl, and beat on high until thick and voluminous. This can take up to ten minutes.
Add the flavoured essence if you're using it, and beat for one minute further.
Pour the mixture into the lined pan and spread evenly, smoothing the surface.
Allow to set at room temperature for about an hour.
Once set, use the overhang to lift the marshmallow out onto the bench. Use a large wet knife to cut the marshmallow into large cubes.
Put the toasted coconut into your deep bowl, and using two forks, pick up each marshmallow and toss it in the coconut until it's well coated.
Set the coated marshmallows aside on a platter, and allow them to dry out for about an hour.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Like that's gonna happen....lol! Ours disappear in about two days!
Enjoy!
