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Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes
If you've never tasted a fresh, homemade marshmallow, are you in for a treat! Marshmallow Madness! shows how to whip up dozens of fluffy, puffy flavors--from Strawberry and Vanilla to Buttered Rum, Root Beer Float, Maple Bacon, and more. Author Shauna Sever also includes easy recipes for homemade graham crackers, drinks for mallow dunking, and a host of irresistible desserts, including Lemon Dream Whoopie Pies, Blonde Rocky Road, and S'mores Cupcakes.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 29, 2012
“Wait, you can make marshmallows?” That’s how our current Book of the Month, Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever, begins. How does it end? Very happily, with a container full of homemade marshmallows. If you are a connoisseur of the fluffy sweets, then you must pick up this book!
Every time a coworker saw this book sitting on my desk, they said, “Oooh, the cover is puffy!” Yes, indeed! No cuteness is spared in the design of this book. The cover leaves no mystery as to what you’ll find inside. You’ll want to know not only how in the world to make your own marshmallows, but how to get them to look as adorable as the purple swirlies, pink flowers, and rainbow cubes featured on the front.
This is a well laid-out cookbook with beautiful color pictures, easy-to-follow directions, and thorough background information. The recipes range from sugary and fruity flavored treats to “grown up” flavored snacks like margarita and pineapple-rosemary.
To test this cookbook, we had a mini ‘mallow match of our own — ‘March-mallow Madness’ — in the office. Stylist Annie made the book’s Minty Mallow Cookie Sandwiches (wow), Test Engineer Caitlin made the Birthday Cake Marshmallows (adorably delicious), and I made the Deeply Chocolate Marshmallows (yum). Each of us agreed that the recipes were much easier to produce than we expected. Since they weren’t so difficult, it was easy to make ‘em look real purdy!
Check out how you can win a copy on our blog!: http://blog.modcloth.com/2012/03/22/m...
Every time a coworker saw this book sitting on my desk, they said, “Oooh, the cover is puffy!” Yes, indeed! No cuteness is spared in the design of this book. The cover leaves no mystery as to what you’ll find inside. You’ll want to know not only how in the world to make your own marshmallows, but how to get them to look as adorable as the purple swirlies, pink flowers, and rainbow cubes featured on the front.
This is a well laid-out cookbook with beautiful color pictures, easy-to-follow directions, and thorough background information. The recipes range from sugary and fruity flavored treats to “grown up” flavored snacks like margarita and pineapple-rosemary.
To test this cookbook, we had a mini ‘mallow match of our own — ‘March-mallow Madness’ — in the office. Stylist Annie made the book’s Minty Mallow Cookie Sandwiches (wow), Test Engineer Caitlin made the Birthday Cake Marshmallows (adorably delicious), and I made the Deeply Chocolate Marshmallows (yum). Each of us agreed that the recipes were much easier to produce than we expected. Since they weren’t so difficult, it was easy to make ‘em look real purdy!
Check out how you can win a copy on our blog!: http://blog.modcloth.com/2012/03/22/m...
March 15, 2012
If you've ever had a fresh, made from scratch marshmallow, you know the flavor and texture is so different from the store-bought bags that it's like a different food entirely. The fresh one, that's what a marshmallow should be.
Shauna Sever starts her book with an introduction to the key ingredients, sugar, gelatin, water, salt, vanilla extract , coating and corn syrup. The corn syrup is used for consistent results in small amounts, substitutes can be tries and she suggests a few. I used an organic non-HFCS type that has worked well for me in the past, golden syrup would probably work as well. The coatings are the powders you cover the finished marshmallows in to keep them from sticking.
Then the tools, including tips on how to calibrate your candy thermometer and why you need a stand mixer.
She also explains how the recipes are broken down, starting with the "bloom" which is the process of blooming the gelatin, the syrup, which is what the candy is made from, and the mallowing, which is where you start mixing your bloom and syrup into a gorgeous mass of marshmallows, and the ingredients you might mix in at this point.
Then you get to the good stuff. The recipes. Almost all the recipes have variations listed as well.
She starts with nice, basic marshmallows. Vanilla, chocolate and filled marshmallows. She also includes a vegan recipe and one that uses egg white meringue. The meringue is my favorite for it's light, fluffy incredible texture. Also a recipe for the best marshmallow creme ever. It's the recipe I'll use most since it's very simple to make, and tastes amazing. She suggests it for frostings and fillings. I recommend it with peanut butter on crackers. She also has 2 recipes for graham crackers, one of them is gluten free and vegan.
The next chapter is fruity marshmallows which use purees, juices and essential oils for true to the original flavors. These can get some coloring from the juices used and would be perfect for parties.
Tips for shapes explains how to make very attractive marshmallows like the twisted ropes on the cover.
Happy Hour as alcohol infused treats for your next adult get together. Inspired by classic drinks with tips for mallowing with alcohol in the mix.
Then my favorite chapter. Gourmet treats. These are the marshmallow recipes that made me think of friends who would appreciate them, and this is the chapter that inspired my daughter. I like the salted ones, caramel and peanut too much. She likes the maple-bacon and the spicy Aztec chocolate. She gives tips for gift giving in this chapter.
Kids in a Candy Store are the brightly colored, candy flavored puffs that will thrill children with fun ideas for presentation.
The last chapter is full of recipes that use marshmallows, rice crispy treats, hot chocolate, a spicy hot vanilla, and a wonderful s'more cupcake that's toasted with a kitchen torch.
If you've had an interest in making your own marshmallows, I really recommend this book. It's gorgeous, with a softly padded cover, bright pastel illustrations and lots of full color photos. It also contains a lot of great ideas that can be a starter point to your own creations.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]
Shauna Sever starts her book with an introduction to the key ingredients, sugar, gelatin, water, salt, vanilla extract , coating and corn syrup. The corn syrup is used for consistent results in small amounts, substitutes can be tries and she suggests a few. I used an organic non-HFCS type that has worked well for me in the past, golden syrup would probably work as well. The coatings are the powders you cover the finished marshmallows in to keep them from sticking.
Then the tools, including tips on how to calibrate your candy thermometer and why you need a stand mixer.
She also explains how the recipes are broken down, starting with the "bloom" which is the process of blooming the gelatin, the syrup, which is what the candy is made from, and the mallowing, which is where you start mixing your bloom and syrup into a gorgeous mass of marshmallows, and the ingredients you might mix in at this point.
Then you get to the good stuff. The recipes. Almost all the recipes have variations listed as well.
She starts with nice, basic marshmallows. Vanilla, chocolate and filled marshmallows. She also includes a vegan recipe and one that uses egg white meringue. The meringue is my favorite for it's light, fluffy incredible texture. Also a recipe for the best marshmallow creme ever. It's the recipe I'll use most since it's very simple to make, and tastes amazing. She suggests it for frostings and fillings. I recommend it with peanut butter on crackers. She also has 2 recipes for graham crackers, one of them is gluten free and vegan.
The next chapter is fruity marshmallows which use purees, juices and essential oils for true to the original flavors. These can get some coloring from the juices used and would be perfect for parties.
Tips for shapes explains how to make very attractive marshmallows like the twisted ropes on the cover.
Happy Hour as alcohol infused treats for your next adult get together. Inspired by classic drinks with tips for mallowing with alcohol in the mix.
Then my favorite chapter. Gourmet treats. These are the marshmallow recipes that made me think of friends who would appreciate them, and this is the chapter that inspired my daughter. I like the salted ones, caramel and peanut too much. She likes the maple-bacon and the spicy Aztec chocolate. She gives tips for gift giving in this chapter.
Kids in a Candy Store are the brightly colored, candy flavored puffs that will thrill children with fun ideas for presentation.
The last chapter is full of recipes that use marshmallows, rice crispy treats, hot chocolate, a spicy hot vanilla, and a wonderful s'more cupcake that's toasted with a kitchen torch.
If you've had an interest in making your own marshmallows, I really recommend this book. It's gorgeous, with a softly padded cover, bright pastel illustrations and lots of full color photos. It also contains a lot of great ideas that can be a starter point to your own creations.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]
October 15, 2017
Homemade marshmallows are A GIANT PAIN to make, but they are oh so worth it. This book has tons of new and creative suggestions for marshmallow flavors, as well as recipes for other types of desserts that will put your mallow-making skills to good use!
October 9, 2022
Great recipes and easy instructions! Making marshmallows is surprisingly easy.
March 22, 2013
Very helpful information on successful marshmallow making, including how to add fresh and canned fruit purees and interesting fillings. Not enough information about making all the cool shapes on the cover (!) and recipes or at least ideas for what to actually do with the marshmallows after you make them. Because seriously, exactly what does one do with a hundred Honeyed Apricot Marshmallows?
December 31, 2021
Shauna’s “basic” vanilla marshmallow recipe is simple and delicious. Make them once and you will very likely never reach for a bag at the grocery store again. This also has a number of fun twists and flavors. One of my favorite specialty cookbooks.
January 17, 2022
having made marshmallow since childhood this did not seem like it was going to be very exciting. But I did love some of the variations - the bacon/maple, mango/chilli and the adult versions. One to come back to when you want to get creative with marshmallows. And homemade marshmallows are always worth the effort.
March 1, 2012
The Good Stuff
Great idea having the puffy cover for the cookbook - really adds to the overall enjoyment of the book
Original idea
Fantastic for bringing unique housewarming treats (Wife says also fab for wowing authors, publishing and twitter pals -- not to mention sugar happy co-workers)
Lots of unique and unusual recipes for different occasions
Quite a few different tastes and textures
The introduction is extremely helpful (MUST READ BEFORE STARTING ANY OF THE RECIPES), interesting and highly entertaining - it really gets you in the mood to experiment and have fun
Wife and I had a great time on a rainy February afternoon trying out the different treats - 10 yr old even helped
Fun change of pace from cookies, fudge and chocolate - it will impress friends and family
From our experience we really recommend you put all your ingredients/tools together before you start your recipe as many steps really must be done quickly.
The Not So Good Stuff
Should be a disclaimer - Don't try to make the recipes before you read the introduction
Another good suggestion would be mentioning if you don't have a stand mixer (must get one soon) that it would be extremely beneficial to have two people working together to make these. Wife made two batches by herself and was a wee bit stressed while doing it but when we worked together it was so much smoother and she didn't get all snappy or depressed afterwards (yes readers he says crap like this all the time, and no I have not killed him yet - though tempting I tell you)
Once you have tasted one of these homemade marshmallows -- you will never ever want to have a bagged one again!
Favorite Recipes
Cookies n' Cream Marshmallows
Concord Grape Marshmallows
Margarita Marshmallows (Get yourself a good lime juice though!)
Sea Salt Caramel Swirl Marshmallows
Mallow Cones (Wife gave these to Anne Rice)
Who Should/Shouldn't Use
I would recommend this to anyone who knows their way around a kitchen and who doesn't get intimidated easily (what he really is saying is not for my wife LOL!)
Definitely for the more experience cook/baker - although my wife did get a hang of it pretty quickly
If you are going to make these recipes all the time -- trust us -- buy a stand up mixer - our really good hand held one took a beating and probably will never be the same again
4.75 Dewey's
I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review
Great idea having the puffy cover for the cookbook - really adds to the overall enjoyment of the book
Original idea
Fantastic for bringing unique housewarming treats (Wife says also fab for wowing authors, publishing and twitter pals -- not to mention sugar happy co-workers)
Lots of unique and unusual recipes for different occasions
Quite a few different tastes and textures
The introduction is extremely helpful (MUST READ BEFORE STARTING ANY OF THE RECIPES), interesting and highly entertaining - it really gets you in the mood to experiment and have fun
Wife and I had a great time on a rainy February afternoon trying out the different treats - 10 yr old even helped
Fun change of pace from cookies, fudge and chocolate - it will impress friends and family
From our experience we really recommend you put all your ingredients/tools together before you start your recipe as many steps really must be done quickly.
The Not So Good Stuff
Should be a disclaimer - Don't try to make the recipes before you read the introduction
Another good suggestion would be mentioning if you don't have a stand mixer (must get one soon) that it would be extremely beneficial to have two people working together to make these. Wife made two batches by herself and was a wee bit stressed while doing it but when we worked together it was so much smoother and she didn't get all snappy or depressed afterwards (yes readers he says crap like this all the time, and no I have not killed him yet - though tempting I tell you)
Once you have tasted one of these homemade marshmallows -- you will never ever want to have a bagged one again!
Favorite Recipes
Cookies n' Cream Marshmallows
Concord Grape Marshmallows
Margarita Marshmallows (Get yourself a good lime juice though!)
Sea Salt Caramel Swirl Marshmallows
Mallow Cones (Wife gave these to Anne Rice)
Who Should/Shouldn't Use
I would recommend this to anyone who knows their way around a kitchen and who doesn't get intimidated easily (what he really is saying is not for my wife LOL!)
Definitely for the more experience cook/baker - although my wife did get a hang of it pretty quickly
If you are going to make these recipes all the time -- trust us -- buy a stand up mixer - our really good hand held one took a beating and probably will never be the same again
4.75 Dewey's
I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review
June 13, 2015
I FLIPPIN' LOVE THIS BOOK!
Okay, first of all, homemade marshmallows are an emerging trend in gourmet confections. Every bakery worth its salt (hahaha, pun totally intended) has at least vanilla marshmallows in their display case, and most have a few fancy flavors as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I totally think Shauna Sever had something to do with that. The first time I saw Marshmallow Madness, it was featured on Bakerella, the blog that started Cake Pops. Just based on the bright cover, the fact that the book is itself a little puffy, and the fact that you can MAKE marshmallows, I had to have this book. Had to. Wasn't an option.
I have a confession to make: most of the time, I buy cookbooks because I like to look at the pictures and read the recipes and imagine making the foods inside, but they never come into my kitchen. I'm not a recipe follower unless I'm making candy, and even then I usually look up five or six recipes on the internet, figure out the proportions, and wing it. Marshmallow Madness was the exception to that rule. This book lives in my kitchen. It even has a place of honor on the cabinet above my sink because I actually use it. There is a plastic container of marshmallow coating on my counter right now just in case I decide to whip up a batch of marshmallows for fun. I've never used a cookbook as much as I use this one, perhaps with the exception of The Joy of Cooking. Marshmallow Madness is my all time favorite cookbook ever, and I'm so happy that Bakerella featured it because homemade marshmallows following Shauna Sever's recipes are AMAZING.
Okay, first of all, homemade marshmallows are an emerging trend in gourmet confections. Every bakery worth its salt (hahaha, pun totally intended) has at least vanilla marshmallows in their display case, and most have a few fancy flavors as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I totally think Shauna Sever had something to do with that. The first time I saw Marshmallow Madness, it was featured on Bakerella, the blog that started Cake Pops. Just based on the bright cover, the fact that the book is itself a little puffy, and the fact that you can MAKE marshmallows, I had to have this book. Had to. Wasn't an option.
I have a confession to make: most of the time, I buy cookbooks because I like to look at the pictures and read the recipes and imagine making the foods inside, but they never come into my kitchen. I'm not a recipe follower unless I'm making candy, and even then I usually look up five or six recipes on the internet, figure out the proportions, and wing it. Marshmallow Madness was the exception to that rule. This book lives in my kitchen. It even has a place of honor on the cabinet above my sink because I actually use it. There is a plastic container of marshmallow coating on my counter right now just in case I decide to whip up a batch of marshmallows for fun. I've never used a cookbook as much as I use this one, perhaps with the exception of The Joy of Cooking. Marshmallow Madness is my all time favorite cookbook ever, and I'm so happy that Bakerella featured it because homemade marshmallows following Shauna Sever's recipes are AMAZING.
July 1, 2012
You never would have had me believe that a book all about marshmallows would be exciting, but I am here to tell you that I am excited to dig into some of these recipes!
Shauna Sever writes about the history of marshmallows, as well as in easy to follow steps how to make delicious marshmallows such as key lime, chocolate malt, chocolate mint and even Margarita... marshmallows good enough to be given as gifts and served as deserts! Broke into chapters from the basics, to getting creative, and finally ending with a wonderful chapter on gift giving.
The book has a lovely puffy cover that will be on my shelf to use again and again for years to come! I cant wait to get started.
Check out my full review here with pictures and a recipe: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012...
Shauna Sever writes about the history of marshmallows, as well as in easy to follow steps how to make delicious marshmallows such as key lime, chocolate malt, chocolate mint and even Margarita... marshmallows good enough to be given as gifts and served as deserts! Broke into chapters from the basics, to getting creative, and finally ending with a wonderful chapter on gift giving.
The book has a lovely puffy cover that will be on my shelf to use again and again for years to come! I cant wait to get started.
Check out my full review here with pictures and a recipe: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012...
May 17, 2013
I found my first marshmallow recipe about 5 years ago... Even though store bought marshmallows weren't something I got excited about, I was intrigued by the idea of making them from scratch. Since that first experiment I've been hooked and have a whole new appreciation for them. My rating for this book is based mostly on my understanding of her concepts, the ease of which her recipes read, the variety of styles covered throughout the book and the initial batch I've made since I finished reading this book. I look forward to trying most of the recipes included and will probably come back and update my review accordingly as I try them out. So far - very tasty!
January 12, 2013
I've only made a few of the recipes in this book so far, but I ended up with delicious and delightfully puffy marshmallows! I've had problems getting consistent marshmallows in the past; they usually ended up thick and chewy rather than puffy, melt-in-your-mouth squares of amazingness. But with this book, I've achieved some awesome results and will probably continue to be a regular marshmallow maker from now on.
May 13, 2012
Excellent marshmallow cookbook. Easy to follow directions. Good array of recipes as well. I'm glad she figured out how to make marshmallows with alcohol, because I couldnt figure it out. This is a good cookbook for those just starting out as well as those who have been around the marshmallow block. She even has a section about calibrating the candy thermometer. Fantastic!
July 24, 2012
Ouu! Everything about this book is so CUTE and DELICIOUS! Even the cover is puffy! Eek! I would love to try my hand at making some of these recipes but honestly, I think I would fail and I just don't have the tools. :{ But soon.. very soon.
March 18, 2014
I enjoyed Shauna's informal, chatty style of writing, infused with enough confidence that even I think I could make homemade marshmallows. I can only give the book three stars, though, because I haven't actually made any marshmallows from the recipes therein.
April 19, 2012
def want to try the classic vanilla marshmallows, the strawberry, margarrita marshmallows and the fuzzy navel marshmallows :)
February 28, 2012
You can't go wrong with lots of colorful and amazing marshmallow recipes!
March 19, 2012
Fun, pretty little book with clear, easy to follow marshmallow recipes, quite a few with imaginative spins.
May 12, 2018
3 ½ stars
July 20, 2012
This book has so many beautiful pictures are awesome recipes and variations there of. I'm a marshmallow woman and love the many flavours of mallows, and how easy this book makes it!
October 19, 2013
I tried this book for a week. Sigh.
First, you need a pile of money for all the things you're going to need for this book.
First, you need a pile of money for all the things you're going to need for this book.
March 19, 2015
what fun
What a great time to be had in the kitchen. If you want to whip up some marshmallows and add some fluff to your life this is the book for you.
What a great time to be had in the kitchen. If you want to whip up some marshmallows and add some fluff to your life this is the book for you.
October 7, 2015
Want to make marshmallows! Purchasing a copy of this book. A frivolous treat.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews