Just tried this recipe for the first time, for my stepchildren, who are vegetarian, but who are dying to try marshmallows.I used vegan gelatin instead (couldn't find agar agar anywhere; I bought "Natural Desserts' unflavored jel dessert"). I had read all the previous reviews, and i took a reviewer's idea to take the steps backwards -preparing the eggs first, then the gelatin, then the syrup, and when that was done, mix with the gelatin, and finish by adding that to the eggs. Worked like a charm. I was disappointed though, at the last step, to NOT see the whole thing "exploding", "expanding", etc... like others have. I had prepared myself for it (used my big KitchenAid bowl for it), and was expected to see it, but it didn't happen. So I wonder if i've done something wrong (I did follow the recipe exactly; the only thing different was the vegan gelatin, so , maybe that changed something? Anyways, at least i didn't have any mess to clean up! :D Right now the marshmallows are still resting. I did taste some off the spatula that i used for spreading the "paste" into the dish, and it tasted really fine, really like a marshmallow that you let melt in your mouth. I'm still waiting to see them dried though. About the drying process, has anyone tried putting them in a warm oven? I was wondering whether that would help or not... PS: it's been 8 hours, and there's a crust on top, but underneath, it's still marshmallow mush... :( Is it linked to the vegan gelatin? To the "non-exploding

Reviewed On: Oct. 7, 2008

My step-daughter is a vegetarian, like her parents, but of course, since she's 8 years-old, marshmallows have quite a pull on her... She wants so bad to try them! So i've been looking for recipes. I've found online a recipe with agar agar, but since I didn't have any (yet! will go get some today!), I decided to give this recipe a try, even though it's so badly rated. I read all the reviews, and hoped I would be one of the two or three people who commented here, who successfully made marshmallows from this recipe. Unfortunately... no. The crumbly white mess is here to stay. I put the saucepan and everything else that touched it into hot water, so it doesn't set and I have an easier time washing it; and I'm gonna look into candy recipes so that I can use the "stuff" (for lack of better word) into something else. Now, the lack of any gelatin/agar agar/other "jellifying" agents must account for something, but since some people did get marshmallows, I must look at what i've done. I think that i may have used the electric mixer too hard, because it certainly didn't take 10-12 minutes for the soft peaks to arise. So... if you do decide to try this, use the electric mixer at the lowest speed, take your time, ... and good luck!

Reviewed On: Sep. 30, 2008

Used it on the puffs (at least the one that had coffee-flavored custard cream in them :) ) to make my wedding cake (croquembouche) - it took a while to make. Out of the three icings I made (chocolate, coffee and vanilla), it was the longest. But It was worth it!!

Reviewed On: Aug. 15, 2008