[donotprint]Welcome to our Holiday Bake, Craft & Sew along! I’m hosting all the delectable yummy recipes and the inspirational non-sewing craft ideas are on Kelly’s Blog and the amazing and beautiful sewn gift ideas are on on Cindy’s. Make sure to visit each of them every day for amazing Holiday Gift inspirations!

Today’s featured Baker is Katie from Good Life {Eats}

I love to make candies and other goodies around the holidays for gifts. And I also like to eat them myself. I love the idea of a Christmas in July to get prepared for the time of year that always seems to sneak up on you. These marshmallows can’t be made that far in advance (they can only be stored for about a week), but you can start collecting recipes and getting organized so you’ll know what you need to buy and what you want to make when the time comes.

I suggest starting a file folder with your holiday candy and baking recipes. Keep a copy of each recipe in the folder and a list of the items you will typically need to shop for before you can get started. (i.e. the items that you don’t usually have on hand in your pantry). You can start stocking up on some of those ingredients ahead of time. If you see a great sale on sugar or vanilla beans, definitely take advantage of that.

Another great idea for staying on top of things is to test out the recipes you’ve chosen to use as gifts in advance. That way you’ll feel comfortable with them and it won’t be such an event to make a bunch of new recipes. You’ll also see what works and what doesn’t. We all know that sometimes recipes don’t turn out (I had a cupcake implosion last week) or maybe you just don’t like it as much as you thought. No matter what you do, anything you do in advance will help you when the most wonderful time of year comes around.[/donotprint]
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Homemade Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
from Katie Goodman at goodLife {eats}

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 6-8 ounces dark baking chocolate
• 2/3 cup crushed candy canes

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 rectangular metal baking.
In a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow to stand and soften while you complete the next step.

Combine the sugar, cold water, and corn syrup in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Cook mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat without stirring. Cook until mixture registers 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. This should take about 8-12 minutes.

Turn heat off. Pour sugar mixture over the gelatin mixture Cut the vanilla bean in half, then cut a slit down the middle in the half you are using. Use a knife or spoon to scrape out the beans.

Add to the sugar and gelatin mixture. Beat on high speed (using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer) until it is tripled in volume, thick, and white – approximately 10 minutes if you’re using a hand mixer and 5 for a stand mixer.

Using a clean bowl and beaters beat the egg whites until they begin to hold stiff peaks. Add the whites to the sugar mixture and beat until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared 9×13 – note: you will not be able to get all of the mixture out. Don’t worry! Smooth batter across the top using a greased spatula.

Place the uncovered marshmallows in the fridge and chill for 3 hours, or until firm.

Loosen the marshmallows and invert over a large cutting board. Cut into one inch cubes using a large knife.

Place the cut marshmallows back in the baking pan, sift with powdered sugar, and toss until fully coated.

Remove the marshmallows from the pan, discard any excess powdered sugar and store in an airtight container or Ziploc back.  Marshmallows keep for one week.

Melt 6-8 ounces baking chocolate per instructions on the packaging. Cover a work area with parchment paper. Arrange the marshmallows, melted chocolate, and crushed candy cane in separate containers on the parchment paper. Set a rimmed baking sheet, such as a jelly roll pan, to the side.

Dip marshmallows in melted chocolate, place on the baking sheet, and sprinkle with crushed candy cane, sprinkles, coconut, or whatever you like. You will have to reheat the chocolate throughout this process as it cools and thickens. Lay dipped marshmallows out across a rimmed baking sheet (such as a jelly roll pan) and place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened. [donotprint]

Katie Goodman believes that part of the goodness in life is sharing good food with friends and family. She’s a SAHM determined to make family meal time a priority while providing a variety of healthy and delicious food choices. Katie blogs at goodLife {eats}, where she shares what she finds good in the kitchen and in life. Katie also contributes to Craftzine, Tablespoon, and Paula Deen Online.[/donotprint]