Marshmallow Topped Brownies

As the blogging years go by so do familiar holidays and events. One event that I am always happy to participate in is the annual Calgary Food Bloggers Bake Sale. I remember my first one last year quite well because it was the first time I met many local bloggers and food personalities. I went all out; baking focaccia breads, banana breads, cupcakes, and several types of cookies. I was thrilled and over the moon when local foodie personality, John Gilchrist bought a package of my gingersnaps.

This year the sale occurred quite a bit closer to Christmas and included quite a bit of ‘traditional’ Christmas baking from the merry bunch of Calgary bloggers.
We were able to set up in a relatively busy  corner of the Calgary Farmer’s Market so the foot traffic was decent considering it was the coldest day of the year (so far) and the market was very quiet. There was a great selection of delicious baked goods, including Vegan and Gluten free, thanks to Because I like Chocolate, Wheat Free Mom, Gluten Free Calgary, and the Chefs at Hotel Arts; Karine Moulin and Duncan Ly. Chef Jan Hansen of Selkirk Grille also made some classic butter tarts that were the first to sell out. In all, our baking raised $1058 for Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids plus they were able to take the goodies that weren’t sold and put them to good use.

Since I have discovered that making marshmallows is ridiculously easy I wanted to make something that included those little sugary pillows of joy. I knew that Heather at Heather’s Eats was already bringing marshmallows so I decided to just make my regular brownie recipe, then top it with a layer of vanilla marshmallows. Like a brownie s’more.

My Brownie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Blend oil, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to egg mixture until well blended. Add chocolate chips if using. Spread in a greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350°Ffor 25 to 30 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from edges. Cool and top with marshmallows.

Marshmallows (by Rosie Daykin from Butter Baked Goods)

(makes about 64 (1- × 1-inch) marshmallows)

Ingredients

1 cup water
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup light corn syrup
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla
Generous amount of icing sugar to coat the marshmallows, about 2 cups

YOU WILL NEED: (9- × 9-inch) baking pan, buttered

Method

STEP 1 : In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour in 1⁄2 cup of the water and sprinkle with the gelatin.  Set aside to allow the gelatin to soak in.

STEP 2 : In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining 1⁄2 cup of water.  Bring to a rolling boil and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

STEP 3 : Turn the mixer to low and mix the gelatin once or twice to combine it with the water.  Slowly add the hot sugar mixture, pouring it gently down the side of the bowl, and continue to mix on low.

NOTE : Be really careful at this point because the sugar mixture is smoking hot!  It’s not a job for little ones.

STEP 4 : Turn the mixer to high and continue to whip for 10 to 12 minutes until the marshmallow batter almost triples in size and becomes very thick. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to avoid the batter overflowing as it grows. Stop the mixer, add the vanilla, and then whip briefly to combine.

**If you are making marshmallow topped brownies this is where you add the marshmallows to the cooled brownies**

STEP 5 : Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and use a spatula or bench scraper to spread it evenly in the pan. Work quickly, as the marshmallow becomes more difficult to manipulate as it sets.

STEP 6 : Grease a sheet of plastic wrap with butter and lay it across the top of the marshmallow. Press down firmly on the plastic wrap, to seal it smoothly and tightly against the mixture.

STEP 7 : Leave the marshmallow to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight. The marshmallow will be too sticky and soft to cut if you try too soon.

STEP 8 : Sprinkle a work surface or cutting board with the icing sugar. Run a knife along the top edge of the pan to loosen the marsh­mallow slab. Invert the pan and flip the marshmallow out onto the counter or board. Scoop up handfuls of the icing sugar and rub all over the marshmallow slab.

STEP 9 : Use a large knife to cut the slab into 1- × 1-inch squares. Roll each of the freshly cut marshmallow squares in the remaining icing sugar to coat them completely.

***NOTE: If you are making my marshmallow topped brownies you must bake two pans and layer half of the marshmallow amount to each pan. I made a plain pan and one that had some extra chocolate chips on top.

Grease a sheet of plastic wrap and cover the marshmallow. Leave the marshmallow to set over the brownie mixture for at least 3 hours. I let it sit overnight. Cut into squares and roll the whole square in icing sugar.