Chocolate Marshmallows

I'm afraid I don't have any Thanksgiving recipes to share since our extended families always host us in Houston. So, I've decided to dive right into SWEETS! Let's call it the Holiday Cookie Countdown.

So, Number One Son was at a friend's house recently where he tasted a homemade chocolate marshallow. That very day he was obsessed with making his own. He found this recipe on http://www.candy.about.com/. While I don't consider it to be "cooking on a whim" because it is time intensive, these marshmallows were so incredible and worth it. (Plus, I hardly had to do a thing.) You should plan to make these a day in advance because they have to sit for 10 hours.

Recipe:

1/3 c + 4 T cocoa powder, divided

1 1/4 c plus 2T water, divided

3 envelopes gelatin

2 c sugar

3/4 c light corn syrup

1/2 c powdered sugar

2 T cornstarch

1) Coat a 9x13 pan with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray.

2) Microwave 1/4 c + 2T water for 2 minutes; pour 1/3 c cocoa over warm water. Whisk.

3) Pour 1/2 c cold water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top of water and let it sit 5 min.

4) Spoon warm cocoa water into gelatin, mix together on low.

5) Combine remaining 1/2 c water, corn syrup, and sugar into a saucepan over med. high heat. Stir to dissolve.

6) Using a candy thermometer (we cheated and used a meat thermometer), cook sugar mixture until the temperature reaches 240 degrees. This will turn into a hot candy syrup. Occasionally run the mixer over the separate bowl of cocoa/gelatin mixture to keep it from setting.

7) Pour hot syrup (from the saucepan) gradually into the cocoa/gelatin mixture. Take care because the syrup is very hot. Start mixing on low then gradually increase to high. Whip for 15-20 minutes until stiff and shiny. (This is the part where your child comes in real handy because that is a long time to mix! Unless you are one of those with a self-propelled mixer.)

8) Pour into the foil lined pan and let sit at room temperature for 10 hours.

9) Sift powdered sugar with 4T cocoa and cornstarch. Sprinkle onto a large sheet of wax paper. Flip pan of marshmallows onto this dusted surface. Using a sharp knife (coated with cooking spray and powdered sugar mixture), cut in squares and roll in powdered mixture.

10) Store in dry, airtight container for about a week.

Serve marshmallows with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries topped with whipped cream for a delicious light dessert.