Willow Bird Baking is a contestant in Project Food Blog, a contest comprised of a series of 10 challenges to find the next food blog star. Voting for Challenge #6 is now open! To vote for my special birthday picnic to win this round, register for a (free) Foodbuzz account. Once you’re registered, sign in and go to my round 6 entry here. To vote, click the heart next to the words “Vote for this Entry.” I am so grateful for your support!

Part of the Project Food Blog Round 6 challenge was to prepare a beverage to take with you on your road trip. Lemonade was the first thing that came to mind, but I quickly nixed it. Mike’s not big on lemons (I know, crazy!), and this meal was all about him! But all Mike drinks is water, and that didn’t seem very creative. I scanned my memory banks for some help.

Help came in the form of a memory I mentioned in my picnic post: a memory of a previous road trip Mike and I had taken to Gatlinburg and Sevierville, Tennessee. We’d gone so that I could introduce Mike to the apple orchards that my family has loved for years.

I wanted him to eat apple fritters and fried apple pie for breakfast, see the aviary in the middle of the Apple Barn restaurant full of flippant finches, walk by the creek with me while we waited to be seated for dinner. I wanted him to taste the sausages with peppers and onions from the street vendors in downtown Gatlinburg, bite into his first funnel cake, and ride the terrifying (to me — everyone else seems downright calm!) tramway up the mountain to see the black bear habitat. All the things I’d loved as a child.

When we arrived, I broke out some hot chocolate mix that I’d packed, but little did we know we’d have access to a fireplace! When we saw it, we were thrilled — for some reason, it seemed like the most romantic thing in the world to sit by a fireplace and drink hot chocolate. I still have the mugs we picked up from a corner drugstore to mix our cocoa in.

This memory decided it. I found a simple recipe for hot chocolate mix, heated some milk, and mixed the two in a thermos before packing it snugly into my Project Food Blog cooler. Two mugs and two spoons went into my box of dishes to cart along. I tucked homemade marshmallows (one of those amazing recipes that looks fancy but is actually quite simple) into a bag to add sweetness and fun to our nostalgic drink.

Now to share the memories with you! As the weather cools, I hope you’ll mix up your own hot chocolate, find your own fire somewhere, and enjoy a special night with family.

Reminder: Have you entered to win the cute chalkboard giveaway yet? If not, head on over and enter!

Homemade Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows


Recipe by: adapted from Martha Stewart (hot chocolate) and Joy of Baking (marshmallows)
Yield: about 31 servings of cocoa mix

Hot Chocolate Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons cups sugar
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon table salt
Whole milk for serving (you’ll need 1 cup warm milk per each 2-tablespoon serving of cocoa mix)

Marshmallow Ingredients:
1/3 cup cold water, divided
1 1/4-ounce envelope unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
pinch salt
2/3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I eyeballed this measure – you can also add other flavorings and extracts here)


Directions:
Make marshmallows the day before you plan to serve your hot chocolate. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray, line the bottom with parchment, spray again. Place about 3 tablespoons powdered sugar into the pan and shake it around to coat.

Place about 3 tablespoons of cold water into the bowl of your electric mixer (with whisk attachment) and sprinkle gelatin over the water to soften for about 15 minutes.

While the gelatin softens, place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining water into a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils, and then cover the saucepan with a lid for three minutes to allow sugar crystals to dissolve. Remove lid and attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan. Turn heat up to high and let the mixture boil without stirring until it gets to 240 degrees F (after about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.

Immediately, with your mixer on low, pour the hot syrup in a thin stream down the side of the mixing bowl into the gelatin. Slowly increase the speed to high and beat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is triple its original volume, thick, and stiff (like marshmallow cream). Add vanilla extract and/or any flavorings and beat about 30 seconds longer.

Using a spatula sprayed with cooking spray, spread mixture into your prepared cake pan. Smooth as best you can into a smooth layer. Sift 2 tablespoons powdered sugar over the top of the mixture and let marshmallows stand and dry uncovered about 12 hours.

When set, slide marshmallow disc out onto cutting board (use a greased knife to loosen it from the pan if it’s stuck). Use a cookie cutter sprayed with cooking spray to cut out shapes of marshmallows. After cutting each shape out, you can use a damp finger to make the sides sticky and dip the shapes in colored sanding sugar to create a fun border (I just mixed regular sugar with a few drops of red food coloring). Alternatively, Shake the marshmallows in a bowl of powdered sugar to coat them and then shake off excess. Store the marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

To make hot chocolate, heat 1 cup of milk in a microwave-safe mug until hot and mix in 2 tablespoons of cocoa mix. You can also heat large batches of milk over medium-low heat in a saucepan (being careful not to let the milk boil) to make cocoa in bulk. Serve with marshmallows on top!

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by | 32 Comments

32 Comments on Homemade Hot Chocolate & Marshmallows (Voting Now Open in Project Food Blog Round 6!)

  2. Maranda
    October 26, 2010 at 6:03 pm (14 years ago)

    Yummy!

    Reply
  3. Ravenous Rowie
    October 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm (14 years ago)

    Your marshmallows are beyond cute! The weather here is all grey, and your hot chocolate sounds just perfect!

    Reply
    • Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
      October 26, 2010 at 6:20 pm (14 years ago)

      Thank you!! A bonus is that you can make the mix and have tons of servings ready at your fingertips 🙂

      Reply
  4. Joanne
    October 26, 2010 at 7:39 pm (14 years ago)

    I still think this is such an adorable idea Julie! I have been looking for a good homemade marshmallow recipe…think I’ve found it!

    Reply
  5. Heather I.
    October 27, 2010 at 12:14 am (14 years ago)

    Those are super duper cute, what a fun idea!!

    Reply
  6. megan @ whatmegansmaking
    October 27, 2010 at 3:27 pm (14 years ago)

    I absolutely love hot chocolate! Any kind 🙂 And homemade marshmallows have been on my list of things to make for awhile now 🙂

    Reply
  7. Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
    October 28, 2010 at 7:50 am (14 years ago)

    Just found your blog and totally love it. What a sweet story about the fair… 🙂

    Reply
  8. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
    October 28, 2010 at 7:53 am (14 years ago)

    That’s exactly how I feel when I want Mr NQN to experience what I experienced! Isn’t it the most joyful feeling? And I love those marshmallows! 😀

    Reply
  9. naomi
    October 28, 2010 at 2:30 pm (14 years ago)

    Congrats on still be in the race! Good for you! I’m heading for now.

    Reply
  10. gingerbreadcake
    October 28, 2010 at 11:47 pm (14 years ago)

    Those marshmallows are too cute, I love how they’re in the shape of hearts! I just loved reading the story about how you decided to make hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows for the challenge. So sweet!

    Reply
  12. Astrid
    November 1, 2010 at 12:57 pm (14 years ago)

    I have been following you throughout the food blog star challenge and have been voting for you! I love the birthday redo, that was pretty spectacular. I am also excited that you will be at foodbuzz! I’ll be there, too!

    Reply
  13. Evan @swEETs
    November 1, 2010 at 5:25 pm (14 years ago)

    I love dishes built on memories 🙂 I’m waiting till it gets cold in Texas (I may be waiting a while) to make homemade marshmallows.. my fingers are crossed for a cold front!

    Reply
  14. Cookbook Queen
    November 2, 2010 at 10:57 am (14 years ago)

    What a cute post!! My family went to Gatlinburg after Christmas last year. Beautiful!!

    I love the cupcakes too. Gorgeous and creative.

    Reply
  15. Lizzy
    November 12, 2010 at 2:52 pm (14 years ago)

    I can do anything for Marshmellows and the hot chocolate who would be able to resist that

    Reply
    • Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
      November 12, 2010 at 2:56 pm (14 years ago)

      I know what you mean! I don’t like store-bought marshmallows, but LOVE homemade ones!

      Reply
  16. ATasteOfMadness
    March 7, 2012 at 5:49 am (13 years ago)

    This is one of the cutest things I have ever seen! Thank you!

    Reply

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