HANDMADE MARSHMALLOWS

HANDMADE MARSHMALLOWS
3 packets unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda (see my comments below)
3 egg whites

Put 1/4 cup cold water in a shallow soup bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface of the water and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Bring the remaining 3/4 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Turn off the stove and add the gelatin; whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla and Splenda. Chill until the gelatin mixture is cool but not thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

When the gelatin is ready, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until they form soft peaks. Slowly drizzle in the gelatin in a thin stream while beating. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy but not dry. Pour into a shallow pan, 6x8" or 8x8". I lined my pan with nonstick foil just to be sure that they would come out later. Chill until set, at least 2-3 hours. Cut into 12 pieces and store in the refrigerator. They will keep for a few days.

Makes 12-16 servings
Do not freeze

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 14 Calories; 0g Fat; 2g Protein; .5g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; .5g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 12 Calories; 0g Fat; 2g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; trace net Carbs

I got this recipe from the "Low-Carb Cookworx Cookbook" by Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades. The texture of these is really more like fluffy "Jell-O Jigglers" rather than real marshmallows, but they make an interesting snack with very few carbs. Although these are fine for snacking, don't attempt to melt or toast them like real marshmallows. They just turn back to liquid when heated. I think they need a lot more sweetener so I would double it next time. If I do make them again, I might try using part French vanilla Da Vinci syrup in place of some of the water for a bit more flavor and sweetness. If you're using liquid Splenda, doubling it won't affect the carb count, but if you must use granular Splenda, here are the adjusted counts:

Per Serving: 16 Calories; 0g Fat; 2g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carbs

UPDATE: I've updated the recipe to make the consistency a bit more like real marshmallows and increased the sweeter. The ones made with the original recipe had a very wet feel to them and were a little too airy. I think you'll like this version better. If you make them in a 6x8" pan, you'll get 12 marshmallows. If you use an 8x8" pan, you'll get 16 slightly smaller ones. There is not enough of a carb difference to post separate nutritional information and the counts below are based on 12 marshmallows per batch. If you use granular Splenda, the whole batch has 15 carbs and there are 3 carbs per batch if you use liquid Splenda or sugar free syrup. Although these still aren't nearly as sugary sweet as real marshmallows, I think they are sweet enough for low carbers. Feel free to add more sweetener to your taste. Here is the revised recipe:

HANDMADE MARSHMALLOWS - REVISED VERSION
4 packets unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided *
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda *
3 egg whites

Put 1/2 cup cold water in a pie pan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface of the water and let stand 5 minutes to soften. I had a lot of dry gelatin on the top so I spritzed it with water from a spray bottle to dampen it. Bring the remaining 1/2 cup water, or syrup, to a boil in a small pot. Turn off the stove and add the softened gelatin; stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. This might take a few minutes due to the large amount of gelatin and small amount of liquid. If necessary, briefly put the pot back over the heat if it's not dissolving well enough. Stir in the vanilla and Splenda. Chill until the gelatin mixture is no longer warm to the touch but not at all thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. (see my microwave method option below)

When the gelatin has cooled, remove it from the refrigerator. Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until they are soft and fluffy but still very airy. Slowly drizzle in the gelatin in a thin stream while beating. Beat on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and it looks like marshmallow creme. It should about double in volume. Immediately spread in a shallow pan, 6x8" or 8x8". You must do this quickly before the gelatin sets up. I lined my pan with nonstick foil just to be sure that they would come out later. Chill until set, at least 2-3 hours. Cut into 12-16 pieces and store in the refrigerator. At first you may detect a somewhat strong gelatin flavor but this seems to go away as they "age". They will keep for a few days.

Makes 12-16 servings
Do not freeze

* You can also use 1/2 cup cold water and 1/2 cup vanilla sugar free syrup and omit the Splenda.

MICROWAVE METHOD:
Pour all of the water and syrup, if using, in a 10-inch glass pie plate. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface of the water and let stand 5 minutes to soften. I had no trouble getting all of the gelatin wet this time. Microwave on 50% power about 1 1/2 minutes until the gelatin is melted. Do not let it boil. It should be dissolved at this point. If not, stir it until it is completely dissolved. Add the extract and sweetener. You'll need to pour this into a 2-cup measuring cup before chilling it or you won't be able to drizzle it into the egg whites later. Do this very carefully or it might end up on the kitchen counter instead of in the cup. Chill about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until just cool to the touch. Proceed with the recipe as directed above.

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 18 Calories; trace Fat; 3g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carb

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 14 Calories; trace Fat; 3g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; trace net carbs

NOTE: For my latest batch I used 1/2 cup of peppermint Torani syrup in place of half of the water and it was a nice.

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