Squishy homemade marshmallows made without corn syrup. Made with molasses and freshly ground gingerbread spices so you can add a festive flavor to your next cup of hot chocolate or coffee. Makes 24 marshmallows.

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Every year, I have made cookie boxes for my husband’s coworkers. He has a pretty small office, and it has become a fun tradition to make their favorites, plus a few new items. I learned this year that it has become something their families look forward to receiving as well. Because I had a 2 month old this year, I made “not” cookie boxes for them. Cookies in my opinion are best when they are fresh, and I knew I could pull something together with other types of baked goods (like these marshmallows) and have more flexibility getting them together over more days in case things took longer than I expected (they did), or I made mistakes (I did).

I already have a recipe for peppermint marshmallows on my site, but since I was already making peppermint cookies and peppermint patties, I decided to make these gingerbread marshmallows instead. I drew inspiration from Sally’s Baking Addiction gingerbread cookie recipe for the spices and quantities I used, and my first test recipe came out perfectly. If you make these, feel free to cut them out into fun shapes using a cookie cutter, or simply cut into squares using a knife. Save any off cuts as a baker’s treat!

For a deep dive on everything I made and my baking schedule, check out my blog post on substack (coming soon!).

Why you’ll love this recipe:

A fun twist on a familiar festive flavor
It’s naturally gluten-free if you are gluten-free or baking for someone who is
You can add these mallows to your next hot chocolate or coffee to make it a little more special
It doesn’t have corn syrup like many mallow recipes. Instead of corn syrup, I have found that golden syrup (the British version of corn syrup) can be substituted 1:1 and it comes out perfectly. See the ingredients list for my favorite recipe since it can be difficult to find in stores in the states. Some recipes also use honey in place of corn syrup, but I find honey to be overly sweet and unavoidably adds a honey flavor I don’t always want. Agave can also be used, but has a higher fructose content than corn syrup and heats unpredictably, so I would not recommend it as a substitute.

Materials Needed

9x13" (23x33cm) pan: To help form the mallows

Parchment paper: for lining the pan, makes the mallows easy to remove and cut

Butterfly clips: To attach the wings of the parchment paper to the sides of the pan, so it doesn’t slide when you’re spreading it out

Large rubber scoopula: To scoop the mallows out

Baking spray: To help the mallows not stick to the parchment. You can also drizzle about 1 tsp flavorless oil to the parchment and brush on with a pastry brush.

Electric stand mixer: Essential for making homemade mallows. A hand mixer is probably not strong enough for this job, and would definitely be an arm workout to hold for as long as it would take to whip

Small sifter: A regular size sifter works here too but you don’t need it to be very big

Medium Saucepan: To cook the sugar syrup

Candy thermometer or a small bowl with ice water: To make sure the syrup reaches the right temperature. See step by step instructions for how to temp using the ice water bath method

Measuring cups and spoons: To measure out the ingredients

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup (300gr) granulated sugar

2/3 cup golden syrup (or light corn syrup): This is the British version of corn syrup. If you can’t find in store it’s super easy to make. This is my favorite recipe. I usually make a batch before the holidays and it lasts all year

1/2 cup water for sugar syrup

2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses

1/2 cup water for blooming gelatin

2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin: I get the big box from the grocery store that has small packets in it

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup powdered sugar, for dusting

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the pan. Prepare a 9x13" (23x33cm) pan by spray spraying it with baking spray. Then cut parchment to fit in the pan, leaving enough extra that there is some overhang up the sides. Cut the corners so it sits in the pan nicely, and use butterfly clips to attach the parchment to the sides. If you don’t have clips you can try taping with blue tape. Affixing the parchment helps it not slide when you spread the mallows into the pan so you can get an even layer. Spray the parchment again with baking spray and dust with powdered sugar. If you don’t have baking spray, you can use about 1 tsp flavorless oil, and spread using a pastry brush.

Cook the sugar syrup. Add sugar, golden syrup, and 1/2 cup of water to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat for about 10 minutes to soft ball (235-240°F or 112-115°C), stirring occasionally. Once the syrup is getting close to the correct temperature, add the molasses and stir.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can fill a small bowl with ice water After about 5 minutes of cooking, test the mixture periodically by scooping a teaspoon of syrup into the ice water. You should be able to easily gather the sugar together and make a hard ball while still keeping it in the ice water. Once it warms in your hands, it should be soft and able to squish, but not sticky. If you have a candy thermometer, this is about 240°F (or 115°C) or “soft ball.”

Meanwhile, prep other ingredients. While the sugar syrup is cooking, add gelatin, one half cup of water to a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. This is called “blooming” the gelatin and ensures you dissolve all of the gelatin properly. Then add spices and vanilla extract to the bowl.

Whip the sugar syrup. Once the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature carefully pour into the mixing bowl and slowly turn onto medium speed. Then slowly turn up to high speed and mix for 10 minutes. When the marshmallows are ready, the bowl should only be lightly warm to the touch, but not necessarily totally cool since the friction from the whisk will keep the bowl slightly warm.

Pour out mallows to set. Grease a large rubber scoopula with no nonstick baking spray and use it to scoop the marshmallow out into the prepared pan. Working quickly, use the rubber spatula to smooth out the marshmallow into an even layer. Reapply nonstick spray to the spatula as needed; I usually need to one more time. You won’t be able to scrape the bowl or whisk clean. Instead, focus on getting the mallows into a smooth layer.

Let mallows rest to cool. Let cool in the fridge for one hour or at room temperature for two hours. Once the bottom is cool to the touch you can cover with plastic wrap without touching the mallows and store until ready to cut.

Cut mallows. Before cutting, dust the top of marshmallows with powdered sugar (and a dash of cinnamon and ground ginger if you’d like), and place the rest of the powdered sugar in a bowl. You’ll use the excess to cover the sides of the mallows with powdered sugar after you cut them, so they don’t stick to gether.

Using a knife or a cookie cutter, cut out marshmallows into desired shapes. You may need to dust your cutting implement with powdered sugar slightly if it’s sticking. If you use a cookie cutter, save the off cuts. They still taste just as good!

Store until ready to use. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to two weeks or in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest recipe in her cookbook titled Half Baked Harvest Cookbook Recipes from my Barn in the Mountains
If you prefer extra thick (2” or 5 cm) marshmallows, spread out in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan instead
I have not tested this with vegan gelatin, but it should be able to be substituted 1:1
I like to freshly grind the allspice and cloves for a fresher spice taste

Gingerbread Marshmallows