So I'm still trying to get the hang of this whole 'blog posting' thing and with Christmas on its way, it's been a bit busy around the house. (in other words, the house is slowly being covered with icing sugar!). In order to catch up on the posting, here's another one from my 2012 baking collection and they were an absolute hit - not to mention cute too!
These Mini Peppermint Mocha Marshmallow Cupcake darlings are a little more time consuming then the regular marshmallows I usually make, but being festive and fun, they were more than worth the effort. There are a few steps to making these and I've outlined them below.
Mini Peppermint Mocha Marshmallows (mini marllowcakes?) with a Chocolate Surprise
Mocha Layer
Bloom:
2/3 cup water
3 tbsp of cocoa
1 tbsp of instant coffee
3 packages of gelatine (3 tbsp)
Syrup:
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of white corn syrup
3/4 cup of water
Peppermint Layer
Bloom:
2/3 cup of cold water
1 tbsp of peppermint extract
4 packages of gelatine (4 tbsp)
Syrup:
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of white corn syrup
3/4 cup of water
Chocolate Ganache Centre (optional)
1/3 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream not whipped)
4 oz of dark chocolate (50-60%)
Equipment:
stand mixer
candy thermometer
mini muffin tins (x2) OR metal or glass pan (8 x 13)
piping bags
small sauce pan
spray for greasing the pan
cornstarch and powdered sugar or icing sugar for dusting
crushed candy canes (optional)
Making the Chocolate Centers (optional):
1) In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until simmering but not boiling.
2) Remove the saucepan from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit for 30-60 seconds and stir chocolate and cream together until fully combined. Set aside.
Making the Marshmallows:
1)
Lightly grease the mini muffin tins. (if you choose to just make the layers and cut into cubes, use a glass or metal pan) with spray - wipe each cup so there's no excess grease.
2) Start with the Mocha Layer - add ingredients to large stand mixer bowl and sprinkle gelatine over top. Set aside.
3)
In a large 4 quart pan, add Syrup ingredients and stir over medium heat
until all the sugar has dissolved. Place candy thermometer in pan and
turn up the heat to high. Let it bubble until the liquid reaches 240
degrees or the soft candy stage. Remove from heat.
4)
Place a splash guard on the mixer and turn on low, stirring the bloom
together. Slowly pour in the syrup mixture and mix on 3 or 4 until mixed
and you can increase the speed without too much splashing.
5)
Increase the speed to 6 or 7. At this point you should be able to
remove the guard and allow the stand mixer to do its thing and beat the
air into the candy. This should take about 12 minutes.
6)
The mixture will start to resemble gooey marshmallow fluff. After about
12 minutes, it should be thick but still run. Using a greased spatula, fill a large pastry bag. For mallow piping i find the larger 16" cotton bags the best as they are lined and much easier to clean after the mess.
7) Pipe each mini muffin cup half full with the mocha mixture. If you have any excess, fill a small greased loaf pan. (you can have extras for later that you can add to your coffee or cocoa!)
8) Now we can take our set aside, slightly cooled ganache and fill a piping bag. use a small round open tip or cut a cm opening on the end and pipe a small dab onto the centre of each mocha layer mallow.
9) Repeat steps 2 through 7 with the peppermint layer and pipe on top of the mocha and ganache layers in each of the muffin cups. To create that 'icing' swirl, when piping the peppermint layer, start on the outside of each cup and move inwards, pulling away when you get to the centre.
Decorate the tops of the mini mallowcakes with crushed candy canes, or sprinkles as you choose. Set aside overnight or for close to 8 hours covering with tented aluminum foil so nothing can drop into the mallows.
When ready, dust lightly with the cornstarch/powder sugar mixture and remove from tins. If sticking, grease a small knife and run around edges. Pop them out, and enjoy!
I will try and make another version of these for 2013, remembering to take pictures along the way. Sooner or later I will get the hang of all this, but for now, enjoy the treats!
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