Homemade Baileys Marshmallows

I had originally wanted to break my cycle of posting alcoholic recipes, but clearly that plan went out the window.

Christmas is right around the corner and I'm in a baking sort of mood. Ok, maybe not baking, specifically. More like a general need-to-confection mood. All the time. Hence these marshmallows.

I love the rustic look of homemade marshmallows. There is something so satisfying about their irregular brick-like shape, their pillowy fluffiness and the way they fit perfectly into a mug of hot chocolate. They're not as hard to make as you would think; all you need is some sugar, gelatin and little chemistry. So I thought I'd make a few batches to give away as last minute Christmas gifts and experiment with some flavors.

Naturally [in my opinion], I decided to start with some Baileys marshmallows. Baileys makes me think of Christmas carols, warm lights and a crackling fire. Plus, I thought they would be a delicious thing to let melt in your hot chocolate. And speaking of chocolate, why not dip them in it while we're at it? I can't think of a reason why we shouldn't.

The extra liquid of the Baileys in these marshmallows makes them slightly less fluffy than regular marshmallows. If you just want to make regular vanilla marshmallows, see notes at the bottom.

UPDATE: A very smart friend on facebook suggested mixing some Guinness into the chocolate to make Irish Car Bomb marshmallows. Why didn't I think of this??

Chocolate-Dipped Baileys Marshmallows

Ingredients:

3 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin (.75 oz total)

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup light Karo syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup Baileys

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste [really great stuff!]or vanilla extract

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup powdered sugar

1 12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a large bowl. Soak for 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, combine sugar, syrup and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
3. Pour sugar mixture over gelatin. Add salt and beat on high for 12 minutes. Mixture will get very thick and almost taffy-like.
4. Add Baileys and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
5. Pour mixture into a 9x9 square pan that is lined with oiled plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
6. Mix corn starch and powdered sugar in a bowl. Dust flat surface with mixture. Remove marshmallow from fridge and turn out onto dusted surface. Using a pizza cutter dipped in cornstarch mixture, cut marshmallow into 1" cubes, dusting all cut sids in the cornstarch mixture to prevent sticking. [A knife really doesn't work here.]
7. In bowl, microwave chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted. Dip each marshmallow halfway into the chocolate and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until chocolate is set.
8. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

NOTE: If you want regular, non-alcoholic marshmallows, just omit the Baileys and add only the tbsp of vanilla.