You survived Easter, and perhaps your bellyache from too much discount candy has subsided. Now you're going through a Peeps withdrawal and need something soft and sweet with a spike of alcohol to get you through until Mother's Day brunch. We've got you covered.
We enlisted the help of Catherine "Cat" Hinds, best known for the doughnuts she used to make at Josh's Deli. Her Buttery Nipple doughnut even made our list "Best Boozy Desserts." She's our go-to woman for playful pastries. Here she shows us how to make mimosa marshmallows, the perfect celebratory brunch dessert.
See also: Make Your Own Pickles with Mark Zeitouni's Recipe
To get started, here's what you'll need:
- 3 packets of gelatin
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for pan
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup champagne
- 3 drops orange extract
- powdered sugar
- orange food coloring
- candy thermometer
- electric mixer
- cooking oil spray
- baking pan(s)
First, get all of your ingredients and equipment together so you have them on hand.
Put 1/2 cup of water in the mixing bowl with the packets of gelatin. Let it sit for about ten minutes so it can "bloom" and you can begin with your sugar mixture.
Place the rest of the water (1/2 cup) in a saucepan with the sugar and corn syrup. Don't mix. Put it on a medium-high heat until the candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees.
Cat taught us a cool trick if you don't have a thermometer. Wait until the bubbles slow down from the rapid boil -- it's called the "soft ball" phase. Stick the back of your rubber spatula in, if there is a hole, and if it can catch a bubble you can blow, it's ready.
Break out the orange extract and the bubbly. We went with Cupcake Vineyards prosecco to get us in the sweet spirit.
Pour the boiling sugar mixture into the mixing bowl and mix on high. Add the bubbly and as many drops of orange flavor you want to the bowl. Three is a mild orange flavor. Continue mixing at high speed for about 14 minutes.
While the mixer is going, you can prepare your pans. For a more festive look, we mixed regular sugar and powered sugar with a drop of orange food coloring. We used three mini loaf pans, but you can also use a large baking pan. Spray them with cooking oil and sprinkle the dry sugar mixture in the pan to prevent the marshmallows from sticking.
This is what the mixture should look like when done. Remove the bowl and grab your rubber spatula.
Scoop this glorious mixture into your greased and sugared pans. Careful: It sticks like Spider-Man's web.
Let the marshmallows sit for about four hours at room temperature, or put them in the fridge for around an hour. If it easily slips out, it's ready to cut into cubes. We saved some extra orange sugar to dress up the top of the marshmallows.
Voila! Mimosa marshmallows!
If you want try more of Cat's sweets, she has her own pastry catering company, which offers a bunch of boozy and vegan options. We almost made marshmallows with agar agar, a seaweed alternative to gelatin. Simply shoot her an email at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram at @CakeFreakMiami. And, yes, she still makes doughnuts -- even vegan ones.
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