This recipe for soft, snowy white, home-made marshmallows is easy to follow and can be the perfect gift.

Soft, snowy white, home-made marshmallows are a real treat. If you prefer coloured ones, add a few drops of food colouring to the mixture.

This recipe is from my new ebook, 'A Sweet Little Book', which will be available from my website for $9.99: www.sheridanrogers.com.au
It's choc-a-bloc with ideas for home-made edible gifts.

Makes 30 – 40
4 tablespoons gelatine
1 cup cold water
4 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons each vanilla and lemon juice
2 – 3 cups toasted coconut
Icing sugar/cornflour or toasted shredded coconut for coating

Sprinkle gelatine over cold water, making sure it is all wetted by the water.

Put the sugar and boiling water into a large heavy saucepan and stir over moderate heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatine mixture and boil for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer, add the vanilla and lemon juice and beat rapidly until thick and white – this will take about 20 minutes. It’s a good idea to cover the bowl with a wet tea-towel when doing this so that the mixture doesn't splatter all over the bench top.

Pour into 2 x 20cm square tins or 2 lamington tins which have been lined with baking paper. Refrigerate until set.

Cut into squares with a wet knife, then toss each piece in a mixture of ½ icing sugar/1/2 cornflour or toasted coconut.

Tip: For a truly luscious gift, add ¼ cup finely chopped glace ginger, ½ cup diced dried apricots and ½ cup chopped toasted macadamias (or blanched almonds) to the marshmallow mixture before pouring into the trays.

If you are adding the ginger, apricots and nuts, do so five minutes before you stop beating the mixture, then continue beating until well combined.

To toast coconut: place coconut on a baking tray and place in a moderate oven until just turning golden. Stir well and remove from oven. Leave to cool before using.