I need to share a little backstory before sharing my chocolate marshmallow recipe.
Growing up, I’d never had a chocolate marshmallow. I had no idea they even existed. Had I known the depths of fluffy, chocolaty goodness that awaited me, I’m sure I would have demanded that my parents find me some right now then and cement my status as a zealot for life.
Despite my deprived childhood (just kidding, Mom), I finally managed to get my hands on a chocolate marshmallow. It was so good, so light, so chocolaty, that I wanted to melt into the ground after the first taste. The first thing I thought of was the inside of a Three Musketeers chocolate bar, which I remember loving when I was a kid. I’d peel off the outer chocolate shell and pitch it to my brother so that I could enjoy the light, tender filling unadulterated by any other textures.
After a week of playing with homemade marshmallow fluff in the kitchen, I developed the urge to create a chocolate marshmallow recipe. I figured they’d be easy to make – just add a little cocoa powder to un-set marshmallow, right? Wrong! Adding cocoa powder to the cooked sugar mixture before beating will thicken the mix, causing it to do weird things like congeal into a not-even-remotely-puffy lump. And, um, that’s not what I wanted.
After doing a little research, I found that others had battled the chocolate marshmallow monster before and lived to tell the tale. Based on these other success stories, I set about developing my own recipe. And it was a total win!
Now that I’ve developed my own chocolate marshmallows, I can enjoy these little bites of cocoa heaven whenever I feel like it. Plus, I can use whatever sweeteners I want — and in fact, I use brown rice syrup to great affect (though you’re more than welcome to use corn syrup, which is the default liquid sweetener for marshmallows).
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin, (just under four envelopes)
- 1/2 cup very cold water
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown rice syrup or corn syrup
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Grease the inside of a 9″ x 9″ baking pan. In a bowl, mix powdered sugar and cocoa powder until well blended. Coat the inside of the greased baking pan with 1/2 cup of the sugar and cocoa, reserving the remaining amount for coating the finished chocolate marshmallows.
- Pour the cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle gelatin onto the surface of the water. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder and boiling water. Mix until completely dissolved. Set aside.
- In a heavy, high-sided pot, combine granulated sugar, brown rice or corn syrup, warm water, and kosher salt. Heat over a low flame and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn heat up to medium and continue to cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 240°F (115°C) on a candy thermometer. The sugar will bubble up, but if you've got it in a pot with high sides, it shouldn't boil over. If it threatens to escape, remove the pot from the heat for a few seconds and stir the contents before returning to burner.
- Once the sugar reaches 238°F (114°C), remove from heat. Immediately pour into gelatin and beat with a stand mixer using the whisk attachment until it becomes white, light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. You can use an electric hand beater, but it will take longer to fluff up, about 15-20 minutes. If you use a hand beater, be aware that the fluff will try to crawl up the beaters in its attempt to make a mess. Once done, the marshmallow fluff will have nearly tripled in bulk. Add vanilla and beat until well integrated into the fluff.
- Gently fold the dissolved chocolate into the marshmallows using a spatula. Do not over mix — fold only five or six times. The marshmallows should have a swirled appearance.
- Beat egg whites in a small bowl until they reach stiff peaks. Scoop the whites into the marshmallow fluff and beat just until combined so that you don’t flatten the whites. Again, do not over mix. Mix just until you can no longer see any egg whites.
- Pour marshmallow fluff into the prepared pan and use a greased spatula to smooth out the top. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar mixture onto the top to completely cover the marshmallows, and leave to sit over night, uncovered, to stiffen up.
- Once the marshmallows have firmed up, cut them into 1″ x 1″ squares. Toss the individual marshmallows in a bowl of the remaining cocoa powder and powdered sugar so that they are completely coated, otherwise they will stick to everything they come in contact with. You can also use sharp cookie cutters to cut out the marshmallows, like I did in the photo below.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Nutritional analysis is based on using the choice of corn syrup.
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.
Stephanie – This chocolate marshmallow recipe looks delicious. I think I had a deprived childhood too because my parents never introduced me to chocolate marshmallow. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even know a chocolate marshmallow existed until now. I can’t wait to make this and try it for the first time. Thanks for sharing your recipe, it should be as good as I imagine.
Y’know, I hate marshmallows. Always have. That texture makes me shudder. But these are kinda tempting… (And I cannot believe you took the chocolate off your 3 Musketeers bars! Don’t you know that one of the great pleasures in life as a 3 Musketeer straight from the freezer? The crackle of that hard chocolate followed by the firm-but-soft insides, oh my.)
Just love, love, love homemade marshmallows–and these look great though raspberry and peppermint ones are my fave. I recently created peppermint ones that are divine, especially dipped in chocolate. If this sounds good, come check ’em out.
Would love to! I looked on your site and didn’t see them. Can you provide a link?
Inside the 3 Musketeers bar is good, very, very good and to be able to have a whole pan of that chocolate fluffiness must be heaven. I’m going to have to speak to my parents, too. Although these may be a new marketable commodity.
Oh wow, I think I’m going to go make some right now! :D
btw, you never state how much couvuture chocolate to melt ?
Hi 219, the recipe calls for cocoa powder, so there’s no chocolate to melt at all. :)
You can also use a cane sugar syrup (I can get you the recipe) or maple syrup. Mmmm!!!!
Hey, thanks for this recipe…I’ve been looking for a marshmallow that incorporates chocolate for an idea I have for a Halloween treat. I am going to use Golden Syrup and see how it comes out!
Great! Let me know how it turns out…
Mmm, there’s nothing quite like a homemade marshmallow, and yours look amazing! Now you have me itching to make marshmallows again, it’s been awhile and I’m craving the fluffy deliciousness! :) This flavoring looks amazing too. Nothing beats chocolate!
Thanks! I love chocolate marshmallows… now I’m craving them, too…