Brownie Ponts Blog

I finally did it- I made beet flavored marshmallows, and boy are they pretty!

My plans to attend a fun food centered party up in Vancouver Washington this weekend really called for a fun potluck item. Knowing that several people attending had an objection to eating beets- this seemed like the perfect time to finally try making beet marshmallows.

The cool find of beet powder in the bulk section of the Kiva, our downtown grocery store, makes this an easy and clean recipe. The beet powder is combined with the gelatin following the recipe for basic vanilla marshmallows. Adding a touch of allspice, orange and persimmon sugar I had on hand, makes these cool little mallows evoke the sugar’ed memories of Halloween candy while adding a more earthy note of winter’s fine root offering. The beet flavor is light, and melds almost seemlessly with the allspice flavor. And the color! These babies are beautiful!

So… shall I make beet rice krispee treats with the remainder of my marshmallow stash?

pdf of basic vanilla marshmallow recipe

Beet Marshmallows
half recipe amounts also noted

gelatin envelopes 4 (2)
water ¾ cup (¼ c + 2 T)
vanilla extract ½ tsp (¼ tsp)
beet powder 2 T (1 T)
allspice ¼ tsp (1/8 tsp)
orange oil 5 drops (2 drops)

sugar 3 cups (1 ½ cups)
water ¾ cup (¼ c + 2 T)
corn syrup 1 cup (½ cup)
maple syrup ¼ c (2T)
salt ½ tsp (pinch)

rice flour
confectioners sugar

Line a 9” x 13” (half: 8” x 8”) pan and a loaf pan with parchment paper. Coat the paper with vegetable oil or non-stick spray.

Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. In the mixer bowl combine the ¾ cup of water (half: ¼ c plus 2 Tbs) with vanilla extract, beet powder, allspice, and orange flavoring. Sprinkle the gelatin over the liquid to bloom (soften).

Add the sugar, salt, corn syrup, maple syrup and remaining ¾ cup water (half: ¼ c plus 2 Tbs) to a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil with the lid on and without stirring. When this mixture is at a boil, remove the lid and continue to cook without stirring until it reaches the soft-ball stage (234-240 F).

With the mixer at medium speed, pour all of the hot syrup slowly down the side of the bowl into the awaiting gelatin mixture. Be careful as the hot syrup is very liquid and hot at this point and some may splash out of the bowl – use a splashguard if you have one. When all of the syrup is added, bring the mixer up to full speed.

Whip until the mixture is very fluffy and stiff, about 8-10 minutes. Pour marshmallow into the parchment-lined pans and smooth with an oiled offset spatula if necessary. Allow the mixture to sit, uncovered at room temp for 10 to 12 hours.

Mix equal parts rice flour and confectioners sugar with a tablespoon of beet powder and sift generously over the rested marshmallow slab. Turn the slab out onto a cutting board, peel off paper and dust with more sugar/starch mixture. Slice with a pizza cutter into desired shapes. Dip all cut edges in sugar/starch mixture and shake off excess powder.

Marshmallows will keep several weeks at room temp in an air-tight container. Actually- its pretty difficult to make these go stale, I’ve tried without much success.

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