Saffron Honey Marshmallows Recipe (2024)

I'm a professional confectioner, and re: goopy-ness, here are a couple of ideas. Honey is hygroscopic, attracting and holding water. Try cutting back on the recipe's other liquid, boiling to 245-248°, and whipping up to 16 minutes. The most easy, reliable recipe is Thomas Keller's French Laundry version. No thermometer needed and I've never seen it fail. It's very forgiving; I use it to teach kids and it's always worked even with measurement/technique mistakes

I'm about to become a rock star to kids and a pariah to parents at a school bake sale. Mine came out a little goopy, but I suspect that points more to my lack of skill -- and perhaps to my cheaply / lazily leaving out the saffron... If I made them again, I think I'd cookie-cutter them out and then dip in the colored sugar.

I've made dozens of batches of marshmallows (although none with honey yet), I'm guessing you didn't let the sugar come to 240F. More than a couple of degrees either way can cause goopy or stuff marshmallows. If you have a digital probe thermometer with an alarm on it, set it for 235, those last 5 degrees can go fast.

Yummy, and we used beef gelatin, so no pork. Kids enjoyed reading the recipe, measuring and cooking the ingredients. Cooking sugar syrup to 240 degrees takes much longer than I expected, but it's important not to cut this step short. Substituted turmeric for saffron, because it was on hand. We'll definitely make this again.

What kind of honey did you use? If it's something like "Sue Bee", the honey is really watered down. That might be why you got the goop.

I made these recently, and while they turned out beautifully I think in the future I'd opt to leave the saffron out. Even though the flavor is subtle, it's there, and some part of my brain can't help but think of paella. Which is not what I want a marshmallow to taste like! I like the idea of using lemon, but just the honey on its own would also be lovely.

Well I had my reservations, especially after reading some of the notes, but was very pleased with the results. I left out the saffron, not too sure the kids would like it, I used some local wild honey and I boiled the syrup a bit longer just about 242 degrees. Excellent - my son loved them and other people in attendance were suitably impressed. Only problem - the sugar turned liquid by serving time. I live in South Florida and I assume it was the humidity.

There isn't any corn syrup in this recipe, only sugar and honey. :)

Mine is gooey, too and I used a reliable digital thermometer and took it off the boil within a half degree of reaching 240. Mine was wet enough that the sugar on the top melted into it instead of just lying on top. I've made marshmallows successfully at home before (Alton Brown's recipe), and I think this one may have some problems with the amount of liquid. If it's so fussy that you can fail so easily, then I think it's not worth the effort or expense of the saffron.

Kate, not to mention the high cost of saffron ... rather save it for more savory dishes. I left it out to. I must say I am not sure I will make these again simply because I have no little children to please anymore, all grown kids and grands, but they were a fun activity for this old lady.

We've been making a lot of marshmallows lately, though we dust them with a mixture of powdered sugar and corn starch. They store well in a plastic bag or storage container without getting sticky. I would toss the cut marshmallows with the superfine sugar, not just sift it over the top, then layer them between sheets of wax paper in a plastic container.

I’m an old hand at homemade marshmallows, and the high humidity that many are experiencing here is almost certainly a result of the egg whites. There are many other marshmallow recipes that don’t call for egg white, which will solve the goopiness and melting sugar. The downside of this is that the texture will be somewhat less tender and airy, but you can’t win ‘em all.

Zhanna: Made per recipe except for food coloring. Saffron made them a pretty pale yellow and we love the flavor. I tossed in powdered sugar after superfine soaked in and the edges were sticky. Still stickier than others I’ve had. Wax paper between layers would probably help. I assumed stickiness was due to not waiting for hot mixture to cool before adding gelatin mixture or not getting to 240. Can I get to 240 in altitude?

Made these per recipe. Love the saffron. Skipped the coloring because I had every color except yellow. Saffron made them a lovely pale yellow. I decided to toss them in powdered sugar when the superfine seemed to soak in. Not goopy but they took longer to fully set and they are stickier than my friend’s marshmallows. I assumed it was because I forgot to wait for the hot mixture to cool before adding the gelatin mixture or because I didn’t make it to 240 due to altitude or impatience.

Made per recipe except food coloring. Saffron made them a pretty pale yellow and we love the flavor. I tossed in powdered sugar after superfine soaked in. Still stickier than others I’ve had. Wax paper between layers would help. I assumed stickiness was due to not waiting for hot mixture to cool before adding gelatin mixture or not getting to 240 due to either altitude or impatience.

Could you use agar agar instead of geletin? I have a box I'm trying to use up. Thanks.

I have made marshmallows with either rose water (very delicate) and tinted them pale pink. A big hit, especially with hot chocolate. Also make coconut marshmallows - adding chopped toasted coconut to the base with a few drops of coconut extract, then rolling them in more finely chopped coconut with powdered sugar. These toast up spectacularly well! Campfire fun!

Any recommendations for storage? I made them a few days early and can't figure out how to keep them from drying out but also from not being a sticky mess where the sugar melts off the outside.

I made these recently, and while they turned out beautifully I think in the future I'd opt to leave the saffron out. Even though the flavor is subtle, it's there, and some part of my brain can't help but think of paella. Which is not what I want a marshmallow to taste like! I like the idea of using lemon, but just the honey on its own would also be lovely.

Used a thicker raw honey, per other comments’ suggestions. This was my first time making marshmallows and they turned out fantastic! I took them to a family Easter celebration, and to keep them from sticking together in transport, I made an extra batch of colored sugar and hand-rolled each marshmallow in it. It worked like a charm.

Well I had my reservations, especially after reading some of the notes, but was very pleased with the results. I left out the saffron, not too sure the kids would like it, I used some local wild honey and I boiled the syrup a bit longer just about 242 degrees. Excellent - my son loved them and other people in attendance were suitably impressed. Only problem - the sugar turned liquid by serving time. I live in South Florida and I assume it was the humidity.

Yummy, and we used beef gelatin, so no pork. Kids enjoyed reading the recipe, measuring and cooking the ingredients. Cooking sugar syrup to 240 degrees takes much longer than I expected, but it's important not to cut this step short. Substituted turmeric for saffron, because it was on hand. We'll definitely make this again.

I'm a professional confectioner, and re: goopy-ness, here are a couple of ideas. Honey is hygroscopic, attracting and holding water. Try cutting back on the recipe's other liquid, boiling to 245-248°, and whipping up to 16 minutes. The most easy, reliable recipe is Thomas Keller's French Laundry version. No thermometer needed and I've never seen it fail. It's very forgiving; I use it to teach kids and it's always worked even with measurement/technique mistakes

For some of us, saffron is way too expensive to experiment with in a recipe like this; any suggested substitutes to still keep these more "sophisticated" than those from the store?

Could this be made with Lyle's golden syrup instead of corn syrup? My daughter is allergic to corn in any form, so she hasn't been able to eat marshmallows in years. I'd love to be able to give her some I make myself. Thank you.