Gifting on the cheap

Sorry it's been so long between posts. Life is crazy, and it just gets crazier as the holidays near. Everyone is out looking for the perfect gifts to give, but a lot of people are strapped because of the economy. Freebies are harder to come by, so why not fill out your gifting with some home made gifts. There are recipes out there for everything from cocoa mix to spiced nuts. My favorite gift to give is home made marshmallows. Really, home made marshmallows. People still give me funny looks when I hand them some, but taste changes their tune soon enough. I've been getting requests from local friends for the recipe, so I'm going to post it here and put some of my own variations and tips and tricks at the end.

This recipe originally came from Family Circle magazine.

Peppermint Marshmallows

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup crushed candy canes or mint candies
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Into a small bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cornstarch. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Sift 2 tablespoons of the sugar-cornstarch mixture into the pan, tilting to coat sides. Leave any excess in the pan.
2. Place 2/3 cup water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.
3. In a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat sugar, corn syrup, candy cane pieces and salt over medium heat about 7 minutes until sugar and candy are dissolved, stirring occasionally. Strain into bowl with gelatin.
4. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 10 to 15 minutes. Spread into prepared pan and smooth top. Dust with 2 tablespoons of the sugar-cornstarch mixture. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
5. Lift marshmallow from pan using foil. With a wet knife, cut into 6 squares. Spread remaining sugar-cornstarch mixture onto a baking sheet. Invert marshmallow block onto sheet; cut each square in 9 pieces. Toss marshmallows in sugar-cornstarch mixture, and set on a pan to set an additional hour. Store, loosely covered, at room temperature.

Tips and Tricks
-Set EVERYTHING out before you turn on the heat under the pan with the sugar/syrup/candy mixture. Once that pan is on, you aren't going anywhere until it is melted.
-Try to work near a sink. When you go to strain the sugar mixture into the bowl with the gelatin, turn your faucet on hot and let it run. You will want to put the saucepan, strainer, and stirring utensil under that water as soon as you are done with them so the sugar won't turn into a rock.
-Use room temperature water for the gelatin. If the water is too cold, the sugar can harden before you start beating it.
-When you go to cut the marshmallow, dip your knife in COLD tap water before each cut. Otherwise your knife will stick and your cuts won't be as nice.
-You can forgo the cornstarch if you want to. Just be VERY liberal in your use of confectioners' sugar on your foil and on the marshmallows.
-If you are nervous about working with hot sugar and being sure that you are at the right stage, you can use a candy thermometer and heat the mixture until you are at soft ball stage (about 240 degrees). I eyeball it. The surface of the sugar should be bubbling briskly, and when you pull out your stirring utensil the sugar should be a nice liquid with no signs of any granular sugar left.

Variations
Wintergreen- substitute hard wintergreen candies for the candy canes. If you can find wintergreen candy canes, use those so that they impart a nice pale green color to the marshmallows.
Cinnamon- substitute hard cinnamon candies for the candy canes. I used the Brach's cinnamon candies that are the same size as Starlight mints. I'm sure you could use red hots also.
Caramel- substitute HARD caramels for the candy canes. I used Werther's. They will not come out quite as fluffy as any of the others, but the texture is still good.
Vanilla-substitute 1/2 cup granulated sugar for the candy canes, and in the last couple minutes of beating add 1 Tbsp of good vanilla extract.
Corn-free-This is a multi-step alteration. First, you will need to take granulated sugar and blitz it in a food processor to make your own confectioners' sugar, unless you know a brand of confectioners' sugar that doesn't use corn starch in it. Second, you will need to get either a rice syrup or a cane sugar syrup like Lyle's Golden Syrup to use instead of the corn syrup. Last, any flavoring or candy you use needs to be checked to make sure that corn syrup or corn alcohol are not ingredients.
Chocolate - Start off like you are making vanilla marshmallows. When you are nearing the end of your beating time, bring 4 Tbsp. of water to JUST bubbling, then add to a bowl containing 4 Tbsp. good quality cocoa powder. Mix to dissolve the cocoa in the water. Add the cocoa liquid all at once at then end of your beating time, and continue to beat JUST UNTIL they are combined. If you beat too long, the cocoa fats will make the marshmallow start to fall.

These are just the variations I have tried over the last few years. I'm planning new things to try when I'm not under the gun for gifts. Have fun, experiment, and let me know what wacky flavors you come up with!