central market. express checkout line.

an extremely dangerous place to be standing when you’re hungry and particularly susceptible to making unhealthy food choices upon impulse.

i can take it or leave it with the multiple shelves of pre-packaged bulk candy they have on display as you wait for the next register; but if the line is long enough…watch out!  at the very start of the line, there is a shelving unit that shows off little cellophane baggies filled with huge gourmet marshmallows.

these aren’t just any gourmet marshmallows…these are flavored gourmet marshmallows!

watermelon, cotton candy, dulce de leche, caramel apple…just to name a few.  the colors are vibrant, beautiful, and tempting…then the over inflated price tag and non-existent nutritional information snap me back into reality.

so after my infatuation with this delicious recipe…i was inspired to make my own gourmet temptation; fancy, homemade, gluten-free marshmallows that would be pumpkin spice flavored, of course!  i can only imagine how much better they tasted than central market’s (if they had pumpkin spice flavor)…and way better for you too!

if you have a stand mixer, this recipe will be a breeze for you.  if you have one waiting for you on your christmas list, like me, it will take about 10 minutes of your time with a hand mixer.  i was highly entertained watching the marshmallows whip up and change consistency though, so 10 minutes didn’t feel like an eternity! :)

homemade pumpkin spice marshmallows (gluten-free)

• 1 box (3 envelopes) knox unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 cup organic or raw honey
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt

instructions:

line an 8×8 glass dish with parchment paper in both directions…it is helpful to leave a little length on each end to use as handles when removing your finished marshmallows.  (make sure to spray it if you don’t have parchment paper!)

in your mixer bowl, add the knox gelatin with 1/2 cup of the filtered water and set aside to soften.

meanwhile, pour the other 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan along with the honey, pumpkin spice and the salt and heat on medium high, bringing the mixture to a boil.  continue to boil the mixture approximately 7-8 minutes, then immediately remove from the sauce pan from the heat. (see pictures below)

turn your mixer to low/med and slowly pour the honey mixture into the bowl combining it with the softened gelatin.  turn the mixer to high and continue beating the mixtures until it becomes thick like marshmallow creme (about 10 min).

transfer the marshmallow creme into the prepared dish and smooth the top with greased hands or press with a piece of parchment paper (leaving the parchment paper there until marshmallows set).  once firm, remove marshmallows and cut into desired sized pieces.

i sprinkled a little pumpkin spice onto a cutting board and very lightly coated the marshmallows with the spice.  if you prefer less of a  “pumpkin spicy” flavor, you can mix some almond flour with the pumpkin spice to coat them.  this step is totally optional…i just think it makes them look prettier and more “gourmet”!  (remember, this was a competition with central market ~ in my head!!)

this is a perfect fancy looking “gourmet gift” for a teacher, coach, or neighbor over the holidays instead of the same old christmas cookies they get from everyone!

you can flavor these with vanilla, peppermint, almond extract or anything you’d like instead of pumpkin spice! …be creative!

it goes from this…to this…to these!!!recipe is adapted from jenni @ the the urban poser…check out her awesome blog!