Chocolate Dipped Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows

A wonderful friend of mine has had a "hankering" for marshmallows the past week, and I thought I'd give a homemade marshmallow recipe a try. Since I don't have a lot of experience working with gelatin, I tried a base vanilla recipe from www.mybakingaddiction.com. This website is by far my favorite for everything baking. Awesome recipes and tips, and where I got my inspiration to start my own blog! Definitely check it out. :)

So for the marshmallow, I used Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows from My Baking Addiction. These little babies alone are a treat, but I wanted to put a little spin on them by dipping them in chocolate and other sweet treats!  Here are a few ideas to get your brain going - the possibilities are endless!

Crushed Graham Crackers

Crushed Oreos

Crushed Almonds (or any kind of nut)

Reese's Pieces

Rice Krispies

Coconut

Chopped White Chocolate

Caramel Pieces

M & M's

I used coconut and graham crackers because it's what I had in my cupboard, but my oh my! The graham cracker ones tasted just like a s'more and the coconut ones tasted just like a Mounds Bar (my secret obsession). Next time I'm going to put almond extract into the marshmallow mixture to make an Almond Joy Dipped Marshmallow. YUM! Speaking of extracts, using peppermint extract would make a tasty peppermint marshmallow too.

The gelatin and water reacting together

Finished gooey marshmallow goodness!

To make the chocolate coating, melt 1 tablespoon shortening and 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a sauce pan over medium heat until melted. Turn off heat, but keep the pan on the burner. The residual heat will keep the chocolate melted while your busy dipping. Make sure to have your dipping condiments prepped before you start the chocolate coating. Below is a picture of how I let the chocolate dry - upside down on a raised cooling rack.. If you don't have a raised cooling rack, just take a few books and stack them on each end of a standard cooling rack. Voila - instant raised cooling rack! :)

Let me know what dipping ideas you have! Happy Baking!!

Espresso Shortbread

Shortbread is one of my favorite baked goods. So flaky and delicious, I could probably eat the whole pan. For these espresso shortbread's, I used Starbucks instant VIA. Whenever I have a recipe that calls for coffee/espresso, it's my go-to brand. I may be a bit biased since I work there, but it really does bake incredibly well.  This recipe would be really delicious with walnuts too!

RECIPE

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant espresso

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped (more if you want to add chocolate drizzle)

• Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.
• Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Dissolve the vanilla and instant espresso in a small bowl.
• In a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla-espresso mixture until smooth.
• Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips in increments on low speed until dough begins to form. 
• Put the dough in the prepared baking pan and with lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan evenly. 
• Using a small knife, cut squares into the raw dough. This helps with cutting when the cookies are baked. Prick each square a few times with the tip of the knife to allow air to escape. (Don't worry, they don't look very pretty now but all the holes will dissapear in the baking process). 
• Place the dough in the freezer and preheat the oven to 325*. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through.
• Place the pan on a cooling rack, and re-cut the cookies. Cool COMPLETELY before removing the cookies...otherwise you'll end up with shortbread crumbs (which aren't half bad over ice cream). 
• If you would like to add chocolate drizzle, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave and use a fork to drizzle over the cookies. 

HAPPY BAKING!