I started off the day bingeing homemade marshmallows. Unhealthy? Absolutely. But hey its a saturday, so let me start it off right 
I got the recipe off Culinary Concoctions by Peabody but modified it a bit as I used gelatine leaf instead of gelatine powder. The first attempt turned out to be a disaster as the marshmallows were too soft.For the second attempt, I added more gelatine leaves and decreased the water a little. Then I whipped it till it was very very thick. The result was (not too) soft and pillowy, with a faint scent of vanilla. I only used about 1 cup of sugar and I find them sweet enough. They are great with a cuppa hot chocolate but also good enough on its own. Not to mention, they are dead easy to make too! Try them. You will never go back to store bought marshmallows again. I guarantee that 
Homemade Marshmallows
(Adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)
200ml ice cold water, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
1. Place the gelatin leaves into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 75ml of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 125ml water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
3. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pan.
4. Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
5. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.
