The Vital Step You Should Never Skip When Baking With Marshmallows

What do s'mores, rocky road ice cream and once-luxurious, now-cringeworthy ambrosia salad all have in common? Marshmallows, of course! Made up of sugar, an emulsifier (such as gelatin), and flavoring, marshmallows are a uniquely textured treat that can add a nice gooeyness or puffiness to your favorite baked goods. And, while you can find a variety of sizes, colors and flavors on grocery store shelves, it's not too difficult to make your own marshmallows with just three ingredients. However, baking with marshmallows can be a challenge. If you've ever roasted marshmallows for s'mores, you'll know all too well how easy it is to turn your marshmallows into charred bites of bitterness. While you're unlikely to be cooking marshmallows over an open flame when making cookies and brownies, it's still easy to overheat marshmallows, ruining both the flavor and texture. Think sticky and brittle instead of light and fluffy.

On the other hand, many a baker, upon opening the oven to reveal a fresh batch of marshmallow-studded baked goods, has been dismayed to discover that the marshmallows have entirely disappeared, leaving behind disappointing holes where they expected delightful puffs. Thankfully, if you really want to mix marshmallows into your chunky cookies or other baked desserts, you do have a couple options. A simple one is to freeze the marshmallows prior to adding them to the batter. This hardens the outside which, combined with the lowered temperature, protects them from melting too quickly in the heat.

The frozen marshmallows trick is particularly useful when baking drop or bar cookies. When making cookies, don't forget to put the dough back into the freezer for a few minutes to ensure that the marshmallows go into the oven fully chilled. Another common solution to the baking-with-marshmallows problem is to delay adding the marshmallows to the batter. Adding them on top of your cookies or bars toward the end of the baking time ensures that they get just the right amount of melty.

You may also want to consider ditching your standard marshmallows for an alternative. Some chefs have found success baking with vegan marshmallows, which typically melt slower than gelatin-based marshmallows, or with freeze-dried marshmallows — the kind you find in hot chocolate packs and Lucky Charms. Finally, it's worth noting that disappearing marshmallows are not always a bad thing. A fun treat to make — especially if you have easily impressed kids — is disappearing marshmallow puffs. Essentially, you wrap a large, butter-dipped marshmallow in crescent roll dough. When you take them out of the oven, the marshmallow's vanished, leaving behind a sweet and sticky hollow. It's like a magic show and dessert in one!