Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Bunnies Food

CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW BUNNIES

Steps:

• Lightly spray the inside of an 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray. Generously coat with powdered sugar and set aside.
• Pour 1/3 cup of the water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and stir briefly to incorporate. Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until the gelatin has softened.
• In a saucepan, off the heat, combine the remaining 1/3 cup of water and the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer on the inside of the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the bottom. Cook the mixture without stirring until it reaches 240°. Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush, dipped in water, to gently wipe away any sugar crystals.
• With your mixer on low speed, very carefully add the hot syrup to the softened gelatin. Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high. The mixture will start out clear, but quickly turns very white. Beat for about 8 minutes, or until the marshmallow gets very thick and sticky, and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, in string-like pieces. This will really give your mixer a workout. (Just ask my aunt, Patsy!)
• Spread the mixture into the prepared pan using a lightly oiled spatula. With wet hands, press the batter evenly into the corners of the pan. Just keep rewetting your hands to help with the stickiness. Set aside for at least 1 hour, or until the mixture is firm and cool.
• Run a wet knife around the edge of the cooled pan to loosen the marshmallow. Remove the marshmallow from the pan, onto a sheet of parchment paper.
• Dip your bunny cookie cutter (mine is from this Easter set) into a shallow bowl of water and then cut the marshmallow into bunny shapes. This is a sticky job, but just have patience. It's worth it! It helps to dip the cutter into the water after each cut.
• In a small, but somewhat deep, microwave-safe bowl, melt about 14 ounces of the chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring after each increment. Be very careful to not get the chocolate too hot. When the chocolate is almost all melted, stir by hand until it is completely smooth. Then add the remaining 2 ounces of chopped chocolate and stir again until completely smooth. This will help to cool down the chocolate. Stir in the shortening until completely incorporated. This will help to thin out the chocolate.
• Place a marshmallow bunny on the tongs of a fork and dip the bunny into the melted chocolate. If needed, use a second fork to help guide the marshmallow in and out of the chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, while lightly tapping the underside of your fork against the rim of your chocolate filled bowl.
• Then slide the fork out of the bowl, scraping the underside of the tongs along the bowl's rim. This will scrape off any remaining excess chocolate, so you don't have a pool of chocolate form around your bunny as it cools.
• Set the chocolate covered bunny on wax paper to cool and completely set up on your kitchen counter. After about an hour, they should be dry to the touch and ready to decorate.
• Please visit my very talented friend, Amanda, from i am baker for her glaze icing recipe and tutorial. She's just so great at using this stuff, and really is your best teacher! Be sure to check out all her awesome decorated cookies and cakes while you're over there!

MARSHMALLOW CHICKS AND BUNNIES

Steps:

• Spread 3/4 cup of the pink sanding sugar in the bottom of an 8-inch square pan. Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper and cover it sparsely with 1/3 cup of the yellow sanding sugar. Prepare a piping bag with a 1/2-inch pastry tip.
• Pour 2/3 cup of cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the powdered gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Put the granulated sugar and 1/2 cup cold water in a small pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. Attach a candy thermometer to the pot, bring the mixture to a boil and boil until the thermometer registers 238 degrees F, about 8 minutes. Brush the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush if sugar crystals stick to the sides as the syrup boils.
• Carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the bowl with the gelatin and whisk the mixture by hand for a few minutes to cool it slightly. Then, using the whisk attachment, whisk the mixture on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 9 to 11 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds.
• Put half of the mixture (about 2 cups) into a large bowl. Add about 5 drops of pink gel food coloring and gently fold with a rubber spatula to combine and until no streaks remain. Scrape into the prepared 8-inch square pan and spread into a smooth, even layer. Let sit at least 4 hours, uncovered, so the marshmallow stiffens.
• Add about 5 drops yellow gel food coloring to the remaining marshmallow in the stand mixer, gently folding with a rubber spatula to combine. Transfer the yellow marshmallow to the prepared piping bag. Pipe a chick shape (about 2 1/2-inches long) on the prepared baking sheet by beginning piping close to you, pulling away from you to begin making the chick's body, then doubling back toward yourself. When you reach the end of the body nearest you, double back a bit to make the head, pulling away to create the beak. Repeat, keeping about an inch between the chicks. Let sit at least 4 hours, uncovered, so the marshmallow chicks stiffen.
• To coat the bunnies in sugar: Put the remaining 1/2 cup pink sanding sugar in a medium bowl. Heat a saucepan filled with a couple inches of water to just under a boil, then turn off the heat. Dip the unrimmed edge of a 2 1/2-inch bunny-shaped cookie cutter into the warm water, then press the cutter into one corner of the marshmallow, creating a bunny marshmallow. Nudge the cut bunny out of the cutter and into the bowl filled with pink sanding sugar. Toss the cut bunny with a fork until well covered with sanding sugar. Repeat, dipping the cutter into the warm water each time you cut a bunny.
• To coat the chicks in sugar: Put the remaining 1 cup yellow sanding sugar in a medium bowl. Use an offset spatula to remove 1 chick from the wax paper. Place the chick in the bowl filled with yellow sanding sugar. Toss the chick with a fork until well covered with sanding sugar. Repeat with the remaining chicks.
• To make eyes and a nose for the bunnies, dip a toothpick or pointed skewer into the black gel food coloring and place 2 dots on each face for the eyes and 1 dot centered below the eyes for the nose. To create eyes on the chicks, dip a toothpick or pointed skewer into the black gel food coloring and place 1 dot on each side of each chick's head. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED BERRY MARSHMALLOWS

Steps:

• To Make Ahead: Store airtight, without touching (or in paper candy cups) in a single layer with wax paper underneath, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• Chocolate-and-berry-flavored marshmallows are delectable-even addictive-and these surprisingly easy candies make a great gift or special treat.
• Line an 8-inch-square baking dish with wax paper, allowing it to overhang two opposing sides by about 1 inch. Thoroughly coat the paper with cooking spray; the marshmallow will stick to any uncoated areas.
• Sprinkle gelatin over juice concentrate in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, until the gelatin softens, about 6 minutes. Stir together sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Then increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring. Stir in the gelatin mixture and vanilla and return to a boil, stirring. Boil for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the gelatin completely dissolves.
• Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer (using a whisk attachment if possible), gradually raising the mixer speed from low to high, until the mixture is thickened, lightened in color and greatly increased in volume, 5 to 7 minutes. (It's better to overbeat than underbeat.) Beat in food color (if using).
• Scrape the marshmallow into the prepared dish, using a rubber spatula coated with cooking spray. Spread evenly to the edges. Thoroughly coat a second sheet of wax paper with cooking spray and pat it down on the marshmallow surface. Set aside until the mixture cools and firms up, about 4 hours. Transfer to the freezer for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours before cutting.
• To cut the marshmallows, sift about a third of the confectioners' sugar onto a large clean cutting board. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper, then invert the chilled slab onto the sugar. Remove the pan and peel off the second sheet of wax paper. Sift about a third of the remaining sugar over the top. Using a large, sharp, lightly oiled knife, trim off the uneven edges all around. Mark, then evenly cut the slab lengthwise and crosswise into eighths to make 64 squares. Generously dust all the cut surfaces of the marshmallows with more sugar to keep them from sticking together. Clean off and re-oil the knife as needed. Cover and return the marshmallows to the freezer until chilled, about 45 minutes.
• To dip the marshmallows, line 2 baking sheets or trays with nonstick foil (or coat regular foil with cooking spray). Place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. (Alternatively, see "No Microwave?" below.) Microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 30 seconds, until mostly melted. Stir until the remaining chocolate melts completely. If the chocolate seems a little thick for dipping the marshmallows, stir in oil 1 teaspoon at a time until smooth; microwave on Medium for 15 seconds, then stir again.
• Working with a batch of about 15 marshmallows (keep the remainder in the freezer), submerge them one at a time in the chocolate and use a large dinner fork to turn and coat completely. Lift the marshmallow out with the fork, tapping it against the side of the bowl several times and scraping it against the edge to remove as much excess chocolate as possible. Stir the bowl of chocolate occasionally to keep it blended. If it cools and stiffens at any point, microwave on Medium for 10 seconds, stir well and continue dipping. Place dipped marshmallows on the prepared pan, pushing them off the fork with the tines of another fork if needed. If a pool of chocolate forms around the base of the marshmallows, tap off more excess chocolate as subsequent candies are dipped.
• Refrigerate the dipped marshmallows until the chocolate is thoroughly chilled and firm, at least 1 hour. Gently pry the marshmallows from the foil with a table knife (fingertips will mar the surface). If desired, trim off the uneven edges around the bottom of the marshmallows with a paring knife. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve chilled or let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
• Recipe Tips & Notes:
• 1. Note: Natural food dyes, such as India Tree Natural Decorating Colors, can deliver an attractive look using concentrated vegetable pigments.
• Recipe Nutrition:
• Per piece: 51 calories; 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat, 0 g mono unsaturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 3 mg sodium; 24 mg potassium
• 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
• Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate

CHOCOLATE COVERED MARSHMALLOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Blend the dry ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until sandy. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Form the dough into a disk, wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough, 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• Pipe a "kiss" of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Homemade Marshmallows: Combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil until "soft-ball" stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff. Transfer to a pastry bag.
• Chocolate Glaze: Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

EASY CHOCOLATE COVERED MARSHMALLOWS!

Steps:

• In a 1-cup glass measure, heat together chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave oven on High about 1½ to 2 minutes, or until chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Or you may heat in a double boiler(I just place a pan that fits slightly in another pan that has boiling water and stir till melted and smooth).
• Using a fork, dip each marshmallow into chocolate over a cup. Place marshmallows 1 inch apart on a wax paper-lined baking sheet; immediately sprinkle sprinkles or the nuts on top, if using.
• Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Store, covered, in refrigerator. Enjoy!