"marshmallows" news and stories

Beer has long been a key ingredient in a savory foods, from cheesy soups to steamed mussels, but rarely has beer dipped into the sweet side. Until now. Truffle truffle, an artisan chocolatier in Chicago, recently debuted its beer marshmallows -- the newest addition to the company's "beer & pretzel"" line.

Founder and owner Nicole Greene makes every marshmallow from scratch, then dips each fluffy, square-shaped marshmallow into milk chocolate. Finally, she tops them with crunchy bits of a sweet, salty beer-and-pretzel brittle. Voila! A beer marshmallow.

You haven't truly enjoyed a marshmallow until you've tried a homemade one. Sure, the processed bagged ones taste great sandwiched into s'mores, but, try as they might, they just don't compare to homemade ones. Or as blogger Ezra Pound Cake praises them, "marshmallows that actually MELT in hot chocolate instead of bobbing around looking stupid."

Despite their impressively sharp corners, these confections are as light as air, with a creamy puff of sugar that dissolves on the tongue like a saccharine cloud. And once you've surmounted the intimidation of homemade marshmallows -- a daunting task made more approachable by Ezra Pound Cake's helpful visual directions -- feel free to experiment with the recipe, adding peppermint or other essences, a dusting of the seasonal pumpkin pie spice, or whimsical food coloring. So give these puffs a whirl -- they even make impressive holiday gifts for friends.

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There's nothing like the warm flavor of Scotch Whiskey, and just in time for Christmas, Bruce Watson runs through the best cheaper bets to make this Santa season perfectly Scotchy.

Meanwhile, it's time to let it snow with some homemade marshmallows which will give you a quick winter project and keep your cups of cocoa full of cheer!

My family used to have Thanksgiving dinner with just me, my parents, and my two younger brothers. We'd eat roasted chicken (since 5 is too few for a turkey) and then toast marshmallows in the fireplace for dessert. I always crave s'mores around Thanksgiving as a result, and I've been trolling the web for recipes/articles about this delicious snack. Here are a few of the best:

1. Inside-out s'mores from Foodaphilia

2. S'mores bread pudding from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

4. Pumpkin spice marshmallows from Serious Eats (for putting into s'mores!)

5. S'mores maker form Kitchen Contraptions. I think I need this.

6. A cookbook all about S'mores, reviewed by Baking Bites.

7. S'mores cookies from Cookie Madness

8. S'mores cupcakes from Cupcake Bakeshop

The mallow family contains several plants we see growing wild. Common mallow is the one most easily found, and was growing all over my friends Adirondack farm. It seems to love disturbed soil and likes to grow along fences, barn walls, curbs, and other obstructions. Relatives include cotton, okra, hibiscus, and durian. The original marshmallows were made from a plant actually called marsh mallow by boiling pieces of the root of the plant in water, adding sugar and whipping. Then, the thick, white confection was dropped in spoon fulls onto waxed paper to dry into candy.