Homemade Marshmallow Fluff (recipe with or without corn syrup) (2024)

FAQs

How does corn syrup affect a marshmallow? ›

Playing with Texture

Corn syrup pulls double duty in a marshmallow. It doesn't crystallize like sugar does, plus it actually reduces the amount of dissolved sugar that crystallizes. A marshmallow with no sugar, only corn syrup, would be much less sweet because corn syrup is not as sweet as sugar, Hartel says.

In marshmallows, the foam is made up of air suspended in the liquid sugar mixture. Gelatin is probably the most important part of a marshmallow, because it serves as the scaffolding that keeps all the sugar and flavor goodness in place and gives the marshmallow its stretchy, gooey texture.

While they have similar consistencies and flavor there is one notable difference between creme and fluff. Creme contains cream of tartar while fluff does not, making it ideal for use in fudge. What is a substitute for marshmallow cream? You can make marshmallow cream by melting down marshmallows with corn syrup.

It's also important to remember that whenever you are cooking with sugar, hitting the right temperature is essential. For marshmallows, you need to take the temperature to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, but do not go over 245 degrees — any hotter, and your pieces of sweet, pillowy goodness may become too tough.

The best corn syrup substitutes for baking are brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave, tapioca syrup, honey, golden syrup, and black treacle. Whether you're avoiding using corn syrup, are allergic to corn, or don't have it on hand, there are a ton of substitutes for corn syrup to try instead.

High fructose corn syrup has crept into more of our foods over the last few decades. Compared with regular sugar, it's cheaper and sweeter, and is more quickly absorbed into your body. But eating too much high fructose corn syrup can lead to insulin resistance, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Cooking the sugar syrup to the temperature indicated in each recipe is the key to getting the right texture once the marshmallows have set. Even just a couple degrees too hot or too cool makes all the difference.

What's In Your Marshmallow? The simple fact is that most, if not all, marshmallows do contain corn syrup. However, this is not usually high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the product about which there is considerable controversy.

In the Refrigerator

Remove the marshmallows from the original package and place them in an airtight container or plastic Ziploc bag. At this point, sprinkle a dash of powdered sugar or cornstarch over the marshmallows. The extra powder will collect the bit of extra moisture from the refrigerator's air.

Because of the sanitary environment and practices it is not necessary to refrigerate Marshmallow Fluff even though it still contains no preservative of any kind.

Why is my marshmallow fluff runny? ›

Once the syrup reaches the appropriate range, it should form a soft, pliable ball when dropped into cold water. If it forms a soft ball that you can shape with your fingers, you've hit the soft ball stage. Ensuring you hit this stage is essential for your fluff to set properly and avoid ending up too runny or sticky.

In fact, this marshmallow fluff is just an Italian meringue not unlike my Italian meringue buttercream or these homemade marshmallows! The only difference is that this fluff doesn't contain any butter, corn syrup or gelatin! Store-bought fluff typically does have corn syrup for stability, but that isn't needed here.

If you cook your marshmallow for too long, it turns brown or black inside. That happens when the sugar gets so hot that it starts to burn. (See caramelizing sugar.) The flame stage - oxygen diffuses to the surface of the marshmallow from the surrounding air.

Corn syrup is a common ingredient in many hard candy recipes because it is an invert sugar. Invert sugar inhibits the formation of sugar crystals and provides a smooth texture to hard candy, caramel, and other cooked sweets.

Added sugars and high fructose corn syrup are considered primary causes of the overweighting of America. Weight gain abetted by high-calorie foods containing HFCS can also contribute to heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia, an abnormal level of cholesterol and other fats in the blood.

Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor.

The corn syrup/sugar ratio will influence the texture by slowing crystallization of the sucrose. The smooth texture of marshmallows relies on disordered, or amorphous, sugar molecules.