dandies marshmallows

i've never been a huge fan of marshmallows (expect for s'mores. i am a fan.). so when scott brought me a bag of vegan marshmallows and told me to make something with them, i was at a loss for ideas. rice krispy treats and s'mores were the only thing that popped into my head when i thought about what i could make.

but the chicago soy dairy's dandies marshmallows are really, really good. they're vegan, and since they're not made with gelatin, they seem a little denser, a little less puffy. but they aren't as sweet, and that's what appealed to me. i've never been able to eat a plain marshmallow, it's too sugary even for a sweet-tooth like me. but since these ones are a little less sweet, and have a little more substance, i was happy to eat them.

so for my first dandies cooking experiment, i went with the good ol' rice krispy treat. i made these for a summer party i had, and everyone enjoyed them - vegan or not. i knew i had to step it up for the next marshmallow recipie. i decided a rocky road cupcake would be a fun idea, because who doesn't like rocky road ice cream?

i made a basic chocolate cupcake, but shoved a few marshmallows in the batter before sticking it in the oven. once they came out of the oven and cooled (and deflated), i covered them with chocolate ganache, then threw some chopped almonds on top and a few more little marshmallow pieces.


VERDICT- really yummy, could use a little more work to get the marshmallows spread throughout the cake.


next, i decided to try a fluffernutter cupcake. my mom was on a recent kick of fluffernutter sandwiches for breakfast. she's a health nut, so she found some healthy peanut butter, and sugar free marshmallow fluff. so i figured if she can make it healthy, then i could definitely make it vegan.

first, i made a vanilla cupcake. as they were cooling, i melted down the dandies with some earth balance, then piped the marshmallow fluff into the cupcakes.


then i smeared the extra marshmallow cream on top of the cupcake.


then i spread peanut butter buttercream on the top, and then found some vegan chocolate sprinkles that i threw on top as well.



VERDICT - a big hit. people seem to know me for this cupcake (oh you made those good fluffernutter cupcakes!). still, i need to work on that peanut butter frosting. i've tried it multiple times and i just can't get a good consistency. but i'm determined to get it right.


next, i went with a non-vegan s'more brownie recipe that i used for a work bakesale and loved. i veganized it, which was a little difficult. finding vegan graham crackers is near impossible (if you know where i can get some, please enlighten me!). i was about to give up, until i strolled by the pre-made pie crust section, and found the graham cracker crusts, which were vegan! success! these brownies have a graham cracker bottom, brownie center, and melted, toasty marshmallows on the top.


the marshmallows melty wonderfully, better than when i used regular marshmallows. i mean, who wouldn't want to eat this?


VERDICT - people loved these. i brought these to a party and they went fast. when you make something like this, people don't even question why it's vegan. who cares, it's a brownie. with marshmallows. and graham crackers. YUM.


finally, i was at a loss for my next marshmallow creation. i thought, 'well, i've made cupcakes, i've made brownies, i've made rice krispies, are there cookies i can make?' yes, yes there are. i made mallowmars, or moon pies as some of you may call them. i started with a basic vegan shortbread, then put some marshmallows on top and let them get melty and soft in the oven.


i let that cool down and then threw the cookies in a big bowl of melted chocolate. i let the chocolate harden, and then feasted on these delicious cookies.



VERDICT - amazing. these are so so so good. i could easily package these and sell them. after posting a picture of these on my facebook, i received tons of comments from people who were about to eat their computer screen. next time i've got a party to go to, i'm bringing these.


so! if you want to cook with vegan marshmallows, use dandies! hey, if you just want to cook with marshmallows, these are a great choice. visit their website HERE.