Redbud marshmallows on their own have a very sweet, floral flavor. They’re a little overwhelming for me straight up, but when paired with a citrus & white chocolate topping, the floral and tang balance beautifully.
butter (for greasing the pan)
sprinkles for decoration, optional
1. Add 1/2 c. water and gelatin to the bowl of stand mixer (whisk attachment). Stir briefly to combine.
(NOTE: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make marshmallows in a large bowl with a hand mixer — you just have to be willing to hold and beat it for 12 minutes. Prep the pan and spatula for the marshmallows ahead of time. Or you can even do them entirely by hand, as was traditional, if you have a strong arm!)
2. In a small saucepan (a bigger one will be heavy and hard to hold steadily at a later stage) combine water, granulated sugar, redbud syrup, and salt. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook until the mixture reaches soft ball stage (240 degrees if you have a candy thermometer), approximately 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from heat; if it continues, it will swiftly turn into hard candy.
3. Turn mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. (Be very careful with the sugar syrup, as it is scaldingly hot and will burn you badly if it gets on your skin.) Once you’ve added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high.
4. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 minutes. The pink will turn white — add food coloring, if desired.
5. While it’s whipping, butter a large 9 x 12 pan and dust with powdered sugar. Prepare an oiled spatula.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly (and swiftly) with an oiled spatula.
7. Dust the top with enough of the remaining powdered sugar to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
8. Turn onto a board, cut into squares and dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining powdered sugar, using additional if necessary. May be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks, or frozen.
9. If dipping, melt white chocolate in microwave at half power for a few minutes, or over double-boiler, then stir in citric acid. (Alternately, you can use lemon extract + lemon oil for a similar effect.) Dip marshmallows and let dry on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle edible decorations over top while chocolate is still wet.
NOTE: You *could* sprinkle edible redbud blossoms over the top, which would look very pretty, but I think the texture would be a little odd with the marshmallows, personally.
Redbud Syrup: https://serendibkitchen.com/2021/04/15/redbud-syrup/
