How To Make Healthy Marshmallows

 We all love marshmallows, especially our kids. The marshmallows are usually considered a staple for camping trips, hot cocoa, Thanksgiving classics, and desserts! But, unfortunately, these delicious sugary treats aren’t doing you any favors.

Here’s what you need to know – well, even though marshmallows are fat-free, they are packed full of sugar. Did you know that just 1 regular marshmallow contains about 4 grams of added sugar? Yes, this is really shocking! And, unfortunately, we very rarely do we eat a single marshmallow. You can take this for example: 1 cup of mini marshmallows for a desert recipe or to top hot chocolate contains a whopping 29 grams of sugar. This translates to over 400 empty calories and exceeds the recommended daily amount by nearly 10 grams. Yes, this means that you should be very careful, especially if you’re trying to lose weight!

Health Risks of Excess Sugar

Many experts around the world say that sugar consumption in excess increases your overall calorie content and can easily lead to unhealthy weight gain and obesity. And, what’s even worse, foods high in sugar, like marshmallows, are usually low in nutrition as well. And, one more thing – the greater percentage of your diet that’s filled with large amounts of sugary foods, the less room in your diet there is for vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. This means one thing – you should avoid sugar and sugary stuff! As much as possible!

The experts also say that sugar has been directly related to many different long-term health problems. In fact, eating too much sugar has been linked to the following:

Heart disease
Several cancers, like pancreatic cancer
Teeth issues, such as cavities
Inflated cholesterol levels
Insulin resistance and diabetes
Food addictions

Healthy Marshmallow Recipe

You should definitely try this homemade healthy marshmallow recipe! And trust me, these fluffy honey-sweetened homemade marshmallows will deliver all the flavor but none of the health-compromising sugar.

Note: you should also know that these can be made in a coconut or chocolate version based on the recipes plans or preferences. This simple recipe will make you wonder why you ever bought marshmallows at the store. This healthy marshmallow recipe is very simple and easy to make. You just have to follow the simple instructions. Here’s what you need to do!

You will need the following ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp. gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup honey
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Here’s what you need to do – first, you need to lightly grease a loaf pan. After that, you should cover with parchment paper (with enough to hang over the sides of the pan one way), then grease the parchment paper. Now, you should put ¼ cup of water in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a mixer with attached whisk), and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Set aside to soften. In a small pot, place the honey, salt, and the other ¼ cup of water. Heat on medium heat. Using a candy thermometer, bring the mixture to 240 degrees.

Note: because this is such a small amount of liquid, you might have a hard time getting an accurate temperature. You can also test it by dribbling a little of the liquid into a bowl of ice cold water. It should be in the candy stage of forming little soft balls when cooled in the water and taken out. It takes about 7-8 minutes to reach this temperature). And don’t forget – you should remove it from the heat as soon as it’s at the right temperature.



Now, you should get a hand mixer on low and very carefully mix in the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture by pouring the hot syrup in a drizzle down the side of the bowl. Once it’s all combined, add the vanilla and increase speed to high. Beat for 12- 15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and fluffy (it will look like marshmallow fluff). Scrap into the prepared pan and leave, uncovered, for 4-12 hours to dry. And finally – cut into squares, serve as is.

You should also know that there are two versions of this homemade marshmallow recipe: coconut version and cocoa version

Coconut Version: here’s what you need to do – just toast about ½ cup of coconut flakes, unsweetened. Sprinkle ½ of it on the bottom of the pan, scrap in the marshmallow mixture, and sprinkle with the rest of the coconut flakes.

Cocoa Version: it’s very simple – you just have to roll finished and cut marshmallows in cocoa powder. Yes, and that’s it! Enjoy your homemade marshmallows! We really hope you find this article helpful and don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. Thank You and take care!