little miss suzy homemaker

here's a good idea for holiday gifts that are fun to make and pretty easy. i will not take credit for it, though. i saw tyler florence make homemade hot cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows on the food network and decided i needed to make it. 

i'm hosting and cooking for a dinner party tonight for some friends, so i thought this would be a perfect favor for them to take home: a christmas mug w/ the homemade cocoa and marshmallows each in a cellophane bag. i will wrap the entire mug w/ more cellophane and tie a candy cane to it and a name tag in place of a name place card. 

i went ahead and made the cocoa and marshmallows the night before last and finished everything yesterday. (the marshmallows need to set overnight.) 

here's the recipe for the cocoa mix. i tried it according to the directions and it's really good but SUPER sweet.

tyler florence's hot cocoa mix:

(makes 4 servings)

3/4 cup powdered milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. take the bittersweet chocolate and roughly chop it up to give a chunky but consistent size. mix well with a wooden spoon and then store in a dry airtight container. to make the hot chocolate, simply add 1 cup of water per 1/2 cup of cocoa mix. heat in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring with a whisk. heat until hot, but do not boil, about 6-7 minutes. serve w/ marshmallows. (recipe to follow.)

tyler florence's homemade marshmallows: 

3 tablespoons (3 packets) powdered gelatin

2 cups cold water

2 cups sugar

2 egg whites

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting pan and marshmallows

butter, for greasing pan

in a medium sized saucepan, soak the gelatin in the cold water. after the gelatin has softened, approximately 10 minutes, add the regular sugar and then gently dissolve over low heat, approx. 8 minutes. remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. 

in a mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks and then fold in confectioners' sugar. (btw, it took me a while to beat it until stiff peaks formed. it was pretty cool, though. the egg whites are clear and small in portion and after 10 or 12 minutes of beating it, it becomes white and thick!) while the mixer is on low, slowly pour in the cooled gelatin mixture. increase the speed and beat until white and thick. the volume should double in size and should form between soft and firm peaks. 

line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with high sides with foil, grease slightly with butter, and coat with confectioners' sugar. alternatively, you can use a baking sheet, but the marshmallows will not be as tall. pour marshmallow mixture in and top with more sifted confectioners' sugar. leave out overnight or for at least 3 hours. the marshmallow should be light and spongy when set. 

loosen marshmallow from edges of tray and invert onto a large cutting board. peel off foil and use a large knife to cute the marshmallows into cubes. dredge each piece in confectioners' sugar. 

the marshmallows covered in sugar and ready for eating

the cocoa mix and marshmallows in their respective bags