One Sweet Mama's caramel marshmallows

There's something about these caramel marshmallows with the brown sugar caramels and honey marshmallow layered over top.  Whenever I post about them they go viral.  

If you are looking for a luxury cut and wrap caramel recipe, check out this pdf guide. It goes over all aspects of making the candy, FAQ, and retail packaging and labeling. It is the exact recipe I use for my retail sales (and is constantly sold out!)

If a video about these on TikTok or Instagram brought you here, welcome! This caramel marshmallow recipe makes candy so silky and delicious you'll be looking for any reason to make them.

Caramel marshmallows, let's do this.

First, you will need to stir from start to finish with this caramel and this is around 40 minutes. You do not stop stirring so have a show ready to watch, have a podcast ready to listen to, don't have kids around that can distract you.

Yes, it does take that long and KEEP GOING.  If you see a lot of steam that means you aren't done cooking.  Trust the process and trust your candy thermometer.

If you are new to candy making, please read this post and the recipe prior to starting to make them because I really want you to make the most epic caramel marshmallow candy of all time. I'm happy to answer any questions, and here are the most asked about these:

Caramel marshmallow recipe top 5 FAQ

1. Does the marshmallow fall off of the caramel?

   Nope! The marshmallow really does stick to the caramel.  When you layer the the marshmallow on top of the caramel, you are doing it when the caramel is cold and the marshmallow is hot.  The hot marshmallow melts the top of the caramel just enough that it forms a bond.  Once everything is cooled, they are going to stick.

2. Isn't the marshmallow too sticky to cut through? 

   No, the marshmallow isn't difficult to cut through with a knife.  What would make a marshmallow sticky is if it wasn't cooked to a high enough temperature, because there would be too much water left in the marshmallow.  Water + sugar = sticky.

3. I don't want to wait.  What happens if I don't let the caramel cool and top it with hot marshmallow?

   The caramel and marshmallow will melt together too much and you'll end up with a slightly soggy weird candy that took a lot of effort but didn't give you the results you were hoping for.

4. Do I really need to use a candy thermometer?

   Yes, you must use a candy thermometer.  I'm giving very specific final cook temperatures.  When you are at the end of cooking the caramel or marshmallow, degrees will change within SECONDS.  You need to watch a thermometer, not a clock.

5. Is this a copycat for See's candy marshmallow caramel recipe / scotchmallow recipe?

   I do not know the exact recipe for the See's caramel marshmallows, or Scotchmallow as they call them.  It looks like the scotchmallow recipe does use a honey marshmallow similar to the recipe below.  These can be dipped in dark chocolate if you are looking for a copycat scotchmallow recipe.

How much time do you need to make caramel marshmallows?

This takes me three days. Candy is a labor of love.  Two cooked sugar items (caramel and marshmallow) are going to take up a small chunk of time over a couple days.  I personally make candy in the evenings after my kids go to sleep.  These would take me one day per layer and one day to cut.

Caramel layer: (Day 1)

• 10 minutes to assemble ingredients
• approximately 40 minutes of cook time
• 6 hour minimum of resting time before you can layer hot marshmallow over top

Marshmallow layer: (Day 2)

• 15 minutes to assemble ingredients and prep gelatin
• approximately 30 minutes of cook time
• 8 minutes of whipping time in the mixer
• 12 hour minimum of resting time before you can cut and wrap

Cutting and wrapping: (Day 3)

• cutting and wrapping this batch will take 1-2 hours depending on how quickly you move through it.  It takes longer than you think and is more fun if you have someone helping you!

Caramel- ingredients 

• evaporated milk
• heavy cream
• butter
• brown sugar
• sugar
• salt
• corn syrup

Caramel- equipment

• heavy duty thick bottomed pot, 8 quart minimum
  • Amazon Link for my favorite caramel cooker!
  • Walmart link for my favorite caramel cooker!
• candy thermometer
• high heat spatula or wooden spoon
• 12" x 17" sheet pan
• parchment paper

Marshmallow- ingredients

• sugar
• honey
• corn syrup
• gelatin
• water
• vanilla

Marshmallow- equipment

• heavy duty thick bottomed pot, 8 quart minimum
• candy thermometer
• high heat spatula or wooden spoon
• 12" x 17" sheet pan full of chocolate caramel
• 5 quart planetary mixer

Dealing with Gelatin

Gelatin is my least favorite part about marshmallows.  I've tested many different store brands and name brands, and my hands down favorite is the Great Value (Walmart) brand of unflavored gelatin.  It is the most neutral, non smelly, truly unflavored gelatin around.

USE COLD WATER TO HYDRATE.  Store bought instant gelatin needs cold water to hydrate, or "bloom", technically speaking.  Measure your cold water exactly.  You are adding syrup to this hydrated gelatin, so there will be no chance to cook more out.  Too much water will change the texture of your marshmallow by causing it to be stickier and flow more.

Melting over a hot water bath.  This serves two purposes.  It melts your hydrated gelatin so there are no clumps of it in your marshmallow.  It also warms your bowl so your hot syrup doesn't seize on the sides.

1. Measure water exactly, put it in your mixing bowl.
2. Measure your gelatin out exactly in a separate bowl.  Do not rely on the weight on those little packs, use your kitchen scale to weigh out the exact amount.
3. Start whisking your water without adding anything.  Yup, whisk that water.
4. Sprinkle the gelatin in as you whisk.  It will thicken.
5. Set it aside while you do the rest of marshmallow cooking.
6. When the marshmallow syrup is cooling, melt down your gelatin over a hot water bath.

Storage and shelf life of caramel marshmallows

After these are cut and wrapped into pieces, store them in an airtight container at normal room temperature.  You should not store them in the refrigerator or freezer.  The shelf life is approximately 3 months from a QUALITY standpoint, meaning the caramel will start to change texture after the 3 month timeframe.  It will be 6-9 months before the flavor changes.

Top tips for caramel marshmallow recipe:

1. Read the recipe entirely before beginning.
2. Have a clean, large, workspace.  Feeling trapped while you're cooking and looking for places to put things is one of the worst feelings.
3. Prep the ingredients ahead of time by weighing them all out in containers, before you combine anything.
4. Have the pan you are pouring caramel into or finished caramel pan ready and waiting.  If you are pouring caramel into it, have it prepped with parchment paper.  If you are layering with marshmallow, have the finished caramel waiting.

Chocolate covered marshmallows

Chocolate caramel marshmallow candy - what could be better?  This caramel marshmallow recipe would be fantastic covered in chocolate.  The marshmallow and caramel candy, together with chocolate is a flavor explosion.  After cutting your caramel marshmallows, you can immediately dip them in chocolate. My favorite chocolate for this is dark chocolate because it helps offset some of the sweetness. For  chocolate caramel marshmallow dipping, I recommend:

• Barry Callebaut dark chocolate
• dipping fork

Tip: make sure you first bottom the caramel marshmallow bar in chocolate and let the chocolate set up completely before fully dipping.  Pick up the caramel marshmallows with your fingers, dip just the bottom of it in chocolate, and place it on parchment paper. This makes fully dipping the caramel  marshmallow bar in chocolate much easier because the caramel marshmallow slides off the dipping fork instead of sticking to it.

For caramel marshmallow candy lovers only:

I've got gingerbread cinnamon caramel marshmallows and caramel macchiato marshmallows for you to try!  If you love making marshmallows, try making nougat next.  It's fluffy but denser than a marshmallow and really delicious!

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