Two of my favourite childhood sweets in one, Turkish delight and marshmallows! My grandfather Haxhi was a lokum expert, he would make a huge pan of them; they were soft, gooey and delicious. He never made marshmallows, I myself just learned to make them in December.
My friend Emilie from theclevercarrot has a marshmallow recipe that is fantastic, I made them a few times and thought I would experiment with it, and if it turned out good I would share it. It worked out wonderfully.
I had friends over the other night for dinner and I shared some of these marshmallows with them. My friends kids love Turkish delights and really enjoyed these.
At first I thought it needed a little bit more rose water, but everyone who tried them thought it was spot on. I will add another teaspoon next time, just to see the difference I may or may not prefer it, but I think I will like it better.
When choosing the rose water, know that no two rose waters are alike. You may have to try a few until you get one that tastes good or suits your liking. As for the ones you don’t like the taste of, don’t throw it out, you can use it as a chemical free perfume! In Albanian and Turkish tradition, when you go out to visit, it is customary for the hostess to pour rose water or lemon cologne, limon kolonya in Turkish on the guests hands, it freshens up their hands before eating, and it smells good!
Another good use for rose water is to use it as a toner, and you can use it as a facial cleanser by combining it with some lemon juice. My teenagers use it all the time and it works great! I use rose water as a toner myself and I much prefer it over the store bought kind.
My adaptation from The Clever Carrot homemade-fluffy-marshmallows-corn-syrup-free
If you want thick marshmallows as seen in the photo’s, use a 8 x 8 inch pan. For thinner marshmallows, use a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Make sure to grease the bottom and sides of your pan well, either using oil as I do or non-stick spray.
I do not have a candy thermometer, I just time my candy when I make it just like grandpa did when making Turkish delights. If you are not a risk taker, I would use it and as suggested by Emilie, the temperature must be heated to approximately 250 F.
What you need:
- 1/2 cup water + 1/4 cup
- 3 tbsp gelatine (such as Handi brand-halal gelatine)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp rose water (extra 1 tsp if desired)
- 1 cup icing (powdered) sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- pink gel food colouring (optional)
Firstly, prepare your pan by greasing it well and cover with a piece of parchment. Make sure to have the parchment hanging from the sides, those are your handles for easy removal.
Measure 1/2 cup water, remove 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of water, and add in 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour into the mixing bowl, then add in the gelatine and whisk together.
In a sauce pan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, and 1/4 cup water. Whisk over low heat (4 on the dial) until sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat (I reduce it to minimum). Do not stir, allow it to cook. If you are using a candy thermometer, it should be 247-250 F takes 10-15 minutes. I cook mine for 17 minutes on my glass stove top oven on minimum heat.
Add rose water to gelatine mixture.
Pour in the hot syrup to the mixing bowl, beat on low speed until well incorporated. Increase the the speed to high and beat until thick, fluffy and glossy; takes 10-15 minutes. In the last few minutes, add in some pink gel food colouring with a toothpick quickly and carefully; add some to the sides as it’s beating. When I make it, it’s done at 13 minutes so I add it at the 11 minute mark.
You will have to work quickly as it sets fast. Pour into prepared pan and allow to set over night.
Combine icing sugar and cornstarch, spread half on a cutting board and cut marshmallows.
I use a pastry cutter to cut into it, you can use that or a pizza wheel or a good sharp knife.
Sift the icing powder mixture over the cut up marshmallows.
Store in a tight sealed container, they stay fresh for up to a week. Enjoy, Afiyet Olsun!
Oh, and don’t forget to serve these lovely marshmallows with Turkish coffee!
Ooh I love that heart shape marshmallow, looking cool. They were totally worth biting my teeth into them, LOL.