Before working at Martha Stewart Living I'm not sure it ever would have occurred to me that you could actually make your own marshmallows. They were in that mysterious realm of food that is so alien I just never questioned it. Although homemade marshmallows are not really any healthier than the ones you buy at the supermarket they are quite fun to make. Once you have made the gooey mixture you have 2 choices: you can spread it in a pan, let it set, and cut it into shapes; or you can put it in a piping bag and form shapes that are more intricate (you can see a version of that variety in my post, first birthday carrot cake). Since my daughter really wanted to help we opted for the first plan so she could participate more fully. We cut the marshmallows into hearts--maybe we can give these treats as gifts so my kids don't insist on eating them all themselves. Bea thought this was an exciting enough project to declare it her favorite dolls birthday…the utmost cause for celebration!
P.S. Don't worry to much about the sticky mess…it all washes off quite easily with hot water.
P.P.S. After you have cut out your shapes you can use scissors to snip the scraps into mini marshmallows too.
