Chocolate-Drizzled Coconut Marshmallows

Here is a recipe for home-made marshmallows. I was first introduced to making marshmallows by my friend Adam and fell in love with the idea once I saw how easy and good they were to make! You can experiment with different colors and flavors but the basic recipe stays the same.

Note: You will need a counter-top mixer for this. A hand mixer will not work!

Step 1: Mix 3 packets of gelatin powder with 1/2 cold water in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: In a medium sauce pan mix together:

1/2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup water

Stir on medium heat until the sugar melts in the mixture. Then raise the heat and keep heating mixture until the temperature reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Step 3: Once temperature is reached, carefully pour the hot mix into the mixing bowl with the gelatin and water. Have the mixer going (with the whisk) on low speed. You may want to use a guard so it doesn't splatter on you.

Step 4: After all the hot mixture is in the mixing bowl, turn the mixer up to high and whisk the mixture for about 15 minutes adding 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract about halfway through.

Step 5: As this is mixing, toast a bag of shredded coconut. After it's toasted, spread 1/2 of the coconut on the bottom of a 8"x12" pan (I like to use a Pyrex or ceramic one).

Step 6: After the 15 minutes is up, take a WET spatula and scoop the mixture into the coconut covered pan. Wet your hands and use them to smooth out the mixture in the pan, covering the whole bottom.

Step 7: After the mixture is smoothed out, take the rest of the coconut and sprinkle it over the top of the marshmallow, pressing down so they stick.

Step 8: Take a handful of semi-sweet chocolate and melt it in a double boiler with about 2 tablespoons of milk. This will make a nice chocolate glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the marshmallows and coconut mixture.

Step 9: Leave pan out in the open air for 24 hours. After, wet a knife and begin cutting out the marshmallows. Keep wetting the knife so the marshmallows don't stick to it. After you cut a marshmallow, roll the sides in confectioner's sugar so they aren't sticky.

Step 10: Serve & Enjoy!

Note: Seem like a huge mess to clean up? Not at all! Everything dissolves super easily in warm water. Barely any scrubbing required.

Marshmallows before being cut into pieces. Looks like a Jackson Pollock painting!