Marshmallow Fluff or Creme

Making marshmallow is super easy. Give my maple marshmallows recipe a try. Guess what's the best part of making these marshmallows? Licking the marshmallow right after it's whipped. The smooth, silky, and soft texture reminds me of marshmallow fluff. I always wondered if I could make the marshmallow stays fluffy for maybe a day or two. I tried making marshmallow with less gelatin, but with no luck. The marshmallow only stays fluffy for about five minutes.

When I ventured to supermarkets, I looked for a prepackaged marshmallow fluff. Found two brands. Both had questionable ingredients... corn syrup (GMO?), vanillin (fake vanilla?), artificial flavor (engineered marshmallow flavor?), artificial color blue (hmm... isn't marshmallow suppose to be white?). This is a very typical of my findings. Most of the prepackaged products have at least one questionable ingredient. With that said, I always end up making or baking something I've craved.

I definitely appreciate the authors who shared their recipes that can be made from scratch. When I came across Real Snacks: Make Your Favorite Childhood Treats Without All the Junk by Lara Ferroni, I was psyched. Finally, I can make and bake my kids' real snacks without additives I find in the prepackaged counterparts. The one recipe I was intrigued with was her marshmallow creme.

Here's what I noticed. When whipping meringue, the egg white mixture must be stiff peaked. The texture for marshmallow creme is actually at soft peak. I also was wondering about eating raw eggs. I researched this subject to make sure that I didn't food poison my kids. I found out that if a sugar mixture boiled at a high temperature and is added into the egg white, the egg white is cooked as it is being whipped. Another method is the same as making the seven-minute frosting where egg whites with other ingredients are cooked over a double boiler while whipping to soft peak.

Keep in mind that this marshmallow fluff or creme will separate, meaning that the sugar syrup will separate from the whipped egg white. When this separation happens, just whisk the fluff a few time before using. I only keep marshmallow fluff in the fridge for about three days. I usually use one large chicken egg white to make just enough for my kids' afternoon snacks. Feel free to double or triple this recipe and adjust the sweetness to your liking.

Marshmallow Fluff or Creme
adapted from Real Snack's Marshmallow Creme
serves 2-4

1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar
1 Tablespoon (0.5 oz) pure maple syrup
1 1/2 Tablespoons (1.5 oz) water
1 large egg white

1. In a small pot, clip it with a candy thermometer.
2. Add the sugar, maple syrup, and water into the pot.
3. Whisk until just combine.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and lower the heat until the candy thermometer registers at 235°F degree.
5. While the sugar mixture is heating, whip the egg white until foamy, about 30 seconds.
6. When the sugar mixture registered at 235°F degree, slow add it to the egg white while the hand mixer is on a low speed (speed 1 if using Cuisinart HM-70 Power Advantage 7-Speed Hand Mixer).
7. After all the sugar syrup is added, increase the speed to high (speed 6).
8. Whip until the egg white is at soft peaks.
9. Keep it in the tight container (mason jar) for up to 3 days.

Allergy Info: My marshmallow fluff is free from dairy or can be made without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), wheat, nuts, and fish.