Easy Marshmallow Frosting

Easter is here! And for some reason, marshmallows are finding their way back into our lives. It must be those little sugary marshmallow Peeps!

With this surge in all things made with marshmallow, I recently saw a recipe for marshmallow frosting and it looked so good, all sticky, gooey white, I just knew I had to attempt to make it. Especially since I found some Peeps I’d stashed up on my refrigerator that I had bought after Valentine’s Day. It was this year! Anyhow, Peeps are like Twinkies, they last forever! And what goes better with Peeps than marshmallow frosting, right?

This is an easy recipe to make but it does require letting the frosting sit in the refrigerator overnight before whipping it up so the frosting can completely cool. When you bring it out of the refrigerator, it will be stiff and I suggest you use a stand mixer to whip it up as you will not be able to mix it at this point by hand and it’s too stiff for a hand mixer. After whipping it up with your stand mixer, you will be left with a delicately sweet, light and glossy frosting that maintains its shape without melting, unlike buttercream frostings.

This frosting can also be flavored with vanilla extract for a richer vanilla flavor, cocoa for chocolate flavor, or espresso powder for coffee flavor. *If using vanilla, just be aware that it will add a slight brown color to the frosting. I used vanilla and found it to add a richer taste to my frosting so I was not bothered with the slight coloring. This recipe and the recipes for the flavored marshmallow frostings can be found at the King Arthur Flour website. It’s a very versatile frosting and very easy to make. This is my new favorite frosting recipe!

By the way, the Peeps added just the right sugary blend to my Peeps marshmallow frosting cupcakes. I can’t even describe how good they were, you just have to make them for yourself! Let’s just say, I had more than one…more than two…ok, more than three. I’m buying more Peeps to make these {smile}.

And now that Easter has passed, here’s a different way you too can eat all the leftover Peeps by adding them to cupcakes with marshmallow frosting, the ultimate marshmallow experience! Oh Yeah!

Easy Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients

1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream or heavy cream

1-10 ounce bag mini marshmallows (can also use regular sized marshmallows, 10 ounce bag)

1 cup confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

In a large saucepan, add cream, marshmallows, sugar, and salt together. Blend with a wooden spoon before turning on heat.

With heat placed on low to medium, *constantly stir ingredients together until marshmallows are completely melted.

Once marshmallows are melted, remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla (if using).

Pour mixture into your stand mixing bowl, cover, and let sit in refrigerator overnight to completely cool.

After sitting in refrigerator to cool overnight, remove bowl from refrigerator.

Using a stand mixer, beat frosting at high speed. Be sure to scrape sides of bowl with spatula to include all of the chilled frosting to be whipped.

Whip for approximately 1 minute or until frosting becomes smooth and glossy. Frosting becomes thinner as you whip it with your stand mixer.

Once frosting becomes smooth and glossy, let it sit out at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes before using. It stiffens as it sits out, becoming more spreadable.

You can spread or pipe the frosting on cupcakes, cakes, or whoopie pies.

Makes 3-4 cups frosting which equals approximately 24 cupcakes, one 8”-9” layer cake, one 9” x 13” cake, or whoopie pie recipe of 12-18 pies.

*Helpful Hints*

- *If using vanilla, just be aware that it will add a slight brown color to the frosting.

- *Its very important to continuously stir the ingredients while cooking. I did and still ended up with some minor burnt spots on the bottom of the pan, but nothing to change the flavoring or consistency of my frosting.

- When you take the bowl out of the refrigerator in the a.m., you will think there is no way this will end up as a light and fluffy frosting. Have faith because it turns out deliciously light, smooth, and glossy. Reminds me of a meringue-type consistency but easily spreadable.

- There are no shortcuts to making this frosting, It needs to cool completely overnight or you will end up with a runny goop.

- You definitely need to use a stand mixer with this frosting as you will not be able to whip it by hand and a hand mixer does not have enough power to whip through the frosting after it sits overnight.

This recipe featured the week of 05/02/2014 at ~

 

Shared with: Sweet Tea Social with the TWB 04/20/2014, Savoring Saturdays #11, Making Your Home Sing Monday Linky Party, Marvelous Mondays Recipe & Craft Link Party #95, The Southern Special, Time to Sparkle #57, Wine'd Down Wednesday #32, Cast Party Wednesday #137, Wonderfully Creative Wednesday #17 , Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop #70, Wednesday Rundup #22, Inspire Us Thursday Link Party #47, Great Idea Thursday #52, Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends #25, The Makers Link Party