Grinch Marshmallows
Festive and fun, these Grinch Marshmallows are a unique Christmas treat! You won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade marshmallows…and it’s so worth it!
Grinch Marshmallow Squares
These soft and sweet marshmallows are sure to be an instant classic with your family. Kids will love the fun green color, and adults will love how easy they are to make! With such vibrant colors, these are also a great way to kick your hot cocoa up a notch this season!
I would have thought that it was tricky to make homemade marshmallows, but it’s no more difficult than any other holiday recipe! If you can bake cookies or make fudge, you can make marshmallows!
Plus, the end result is SO worth it! Not only are these Grinch Christmas marshmallows absolutely adorable, they are delicious too! So much better than store-bought marshmallows!
What a fun party treat, holiday gift idea, or hot cocoa mix-in!
Ingredients
For your convenience, I’ve provided shop-able ad links to some of the ingredients and kitchen supplies used to make our cosmic brownies; read our disclosure policy here.
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cup Cold Water, divided
- ½ Cup Light Corn Syrup
- ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- ½ Ounce Unflavored Gelatin (2 packets)
- 1 Teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
- ¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt
- Neon Green Gel Food Gel Coloring
- Large Red Heart Sprinkles
Kitchen Supplies Used
- 8-inch Square pan or glass baking dish
- Hand Mixer
- Saucepan
- Candy thermometer
Directions
Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. Stir quickly and set aside.
Coat the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust thoroughly with a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You want the entire surface of the pan (bottom and sides) to be completely covered.
Add the corn syrup, sugar, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. You want this mixture to reach 240 degrees, which will take between 10-15 minutes. This is the hard ball stage, which means if a drop of the liquid were placed in cold water, it would ball up and sink to the bottom.
TIP: Using a Candy thermometer takes all the guesswork out of this step!
Immediately transfer the hot liquid into a medium mixing bowl. Add to this the gelatin mixture you made at the very beginning, plus a couple drops of the the neon green food coloring. Use the hand mixer to beat the mixture until thick, like milky, melted marshmallows. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
If needed, you can add more food coloring as you mix, until you have your desired shade of Grinch green.
Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread with a silicone spatula. Gently tap the pan on the counter to shake the surface of your marshmallow mixture so that it is level.
Place the pan in a cool, dry area for at least 4 hours, until the mixture sets to a marshmallow consistency. You want it to be firm on the outside, but soft and bouncy to the touch.
To Cut the Marshmallows
Coat your counter or workspace with a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Flip the pan so that your marshmallow square pops out onto the counter.
Cut into ½-inch squares or into larger squares, depending on your preference. I did this by cutting into rows and then into squares.
If cut into 1-inch squares, this recipe will make 64 marshmallows.
Top with a red heart sprinkle, using melted white chocolate as “glue.” Alternatively, you can use red candy melts to draw the hearts on top of your marshmallows.
Prep Tips
- When you’re mixing the marshmallow mixture, it may seem like it’s never going to thicken, but be patient! All of the sudden it will just thicken up! Don’t worry, you can’t over mix the marshmallow mixture.
- The green coloring will deepen as it dries, so keep that in mind as you add food coloring.
- It’s crucial that the syrup mixture reaches the hard ball stage for this recipe to work. If your mixture doesn’t reach this temperature, it will never set properly. Using a candy thermometer to check will ensure that there are no oopsies.
- You can use more powdered sugar than cornstarch (for a better flavor). However, you have to use some cornstarch to keep your marshmallows from remaining sticky on the outside. If you only use powdered sugar, they will be kind of gooey on the outside.
- This recipe seemed to work best with a metal or glass dish. The marshmallows should pop right out of the pan if it was thoroughly dusted. Other materials still worked, but not as smoothly.
How Long Do Homemade Marshmallows Last?
Homemade marshmallows have a pretty long shelf life — up to 3 weeks when properly stored.
Place any leftover marshmallows in an airtight container and dust with extra powdered sugar (to keep them from sticking together). Keep the container at room temperature, away from any sources of heat, light, or excess moisture.
More Fun Grinch-Inspired Recipes
- Grinch Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Grinch Cupcakes
- Christmas Grinch Jello Shots (grown-ups only!)
- Grinch Snowball Cookies
- Grinch Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
Grinch Marshmallows Recipe (printable copy)
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Grinch Marshmallows
Equipment
- 8-inch square pan
- hand mixer
- Saucepan
- Candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cup Cold Water divided
- ½ Cup Light Corn Syrup
- ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- ½ Ounce Unflavored Gelatin 2 packets
- 1 Teaspoon Clear Vanilla extract
- ¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt
- Neon Green Gel Food Coloring
- Large Red Heart Sprinkles
Instructions
- Quickly stir together gelatin and 1/2 cup water in small bowl and set aside.
- Spray your pan with nonstick spray and coat the entire bottom and sides with a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch.
- Place the corn syrup, sugar, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water in a saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. You want this to reach 240 degrees, which will take about 10-15 minutes. (Use a candy thermometer if you have one). This is the hard ball stage, which means if a drop of the liquid were placed in cold water, it would ball up and sink to the bottom.
- Immediately transfer the liquid into a medium mixing bowl, adding to it the gelatin mixture and a couple drops of neon green food coloring. Use the hand mixer to beat the mixture until thick, like milky, melted marshmallows. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in more food coloring, as needed, until you have your desired shade of green.
- Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Gently tap pan on the counter to level the surface.
- Place the pan in a cool, dry area to set for 4 hours. You want the surface of marshmallows to be firm, but bouncy inside.
- Turn out the marshmallow onto a flat surface covered in a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch.
- Cut into squares and top with a heart sprinkle.
Notes
- You can’t over mix the marshmallow mixture. It will feel like it’s never going to thicken and then it all of a sudden will be thick, so stick with it. It’s worth it!
- The mixture will have a lighter green look to it and then darken up a little bit as it solidifies.
- It’s imperative that the syrup mixture reaches the hard ball stage for this recipe to work. If not, it won’t set up properly.
- You don’t need near as much cornstarch as you do powdered sugar.
- Don’t forego the cornstarch. If you only use powdered sugar, it will just sink into the marshmallows and they will remain sticky on the sides. The cornstarch levels out the weaker side of the powdered sugar to keep it from sinking into the marshmallows and making them gooey.
- This recipe seemed to work best with a metal or glass dish. The marshmallows should pop right out of the pan if it was thoroughly dusted. Other materials still worked, but not as smoothly.
Nutrition
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- Heart Shaped Cookie Cake - January 10, 2025
- Mini Heart-Shaped Pizzas - January 9, 2025
- Copycat Little Debbie Heart Cakes - January 6, 2025
