Tahini Marshmallows

Tahini marshmallows

Preparing the gelatin

1. Place the ½ cup of water in the mixer bowl. Add the gelatin and mix to moisten the gelatin. Set aside to let the gelatin bloom while the sugar syrup is cooking (at least 10 minutes). Then place the bowl in your mixer, with the whisk attachment.

Prepping the baking pans (for the marshmallows)

1. Prepare the pan and utensils that you will be using to cure the marshmallows. Rub an 8 x 8 inch pan with coconut oil, shortening or butter (you can line the pan with parchment paper instead if you prefer). Brush all the utensils (spoons and spatulas) with the same fat as well. Set aside.

Making the marshmallow base

1. Place the sugar, honey, salt, and water in a pot. Stir until the sugar is moistened and mixed with the water.
2. Heat over medium high heat until the sugar melts and the syrup comes to a boil. Gently swirl the pan to evenly distribute the heat.
3. Cover the saucepan with a lid and lower the heat to medium. Let the syrup simmer with the lid on for 2 minutes. Do not lift the lid at this point.
4. After 2 minutes, remove the lid and check to make sure there are no sugar crystals on the sides of the saucepan. If there are crystals, then cover the saucepan for a further minute to allow the condensation to wash down the sugar crystals into the syrup.
5. Clip the sugar thermometer to the side of the saucepan, and set the temperature between 242 – 245°F.
6. Let the sugar syrup cook until it reaches this temperature. Make sure to gently swirl the pot while the syrup is cooking so that the heat cooks the syrup evenly.
7. When the sugar syrup reaches the right stage, remove it from the heat and let the bubbles subside for a few seconds.
8. While the mixer is running on medium to low speed, pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin, along the wall of the bowl (this is to prevent the gelatin from being scorched by the hot sugar syrup). Once the syrup is added, increase the speed gradually to high.
9. Whisk on high for 4 - 6 minutes until the marshmallow base is at least doubled in size and is white, fluffy, and smooth.
10. Add the vanilla and mix for a further few minutes on high speed, allowing the vanilla to spread through the mix. Check the temperature of the marshmallow mix by touching the mixer bowl from the outside to feel if it's warm.
11. Make sure the marshmallow mixture is still warm when you add the tahini.

Mixing the tahini

1. Place the tahini in a medium sized bowl. The following steps need to be done quickly.
2. Take approximately ¾ - 1 cup of the marshmallow mixture and add this to the bowl with the tahini. Make sure to do these steps quickly.
3. Mix the tahini and the marshmallow mixture well.
4. Re-introduce the tahini mix to the rest of the marshmallow base, and quickly fold it through. Do not completely mix in to create a swirl effect and to prevent deflation.

Curing the marshmallows

1. Scrape the tahini swirled marshmallow mix into the prepared baking pan and spread it as evenly as possible with an offset spatula.
2. Using a tea strainer or duster, dust the surface of the marshmallow with the marshmallow dust. Make sure the surface is completely covered with a generous coating.
3. Allow the marshmallows to sit at room temperature for at least 6 - 8 hours, so that they cure and set properly. I prefer to do this overnight.

Cutting the marshmallows

1. Generously sprinkle your work surface / cutting board with marshmallow dust.
2. Turn the marshmallow slab out onto your work surface. It should release from the pan fairly cleanly.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut the marshmallows, making sure to clean, dry and apply a little fat/oil on the knife, in between cuts.
4. For small marshmallows (1 x 1 inch), cut the marshmallows into 7 or 8 strips. Then cut each strip into 7 or 8 pieces.
5. Lightly coat each piece with a light dusting of the marshmallow dust and keep them in a dry, airtight container for up to 1 month.
6. Optional - Melt some dark chocolate. Dust the excess sugar off of the marshmallows and drizzle them with the melted dark chocolate.