Brown Butter Sage Marshmallows

I'm not one for fussy food, but sometimes holidays call for elaborate and fun surprises. That's why I was so thrilled to find these brown butter sage marshmallows from BraveTart in planning this year's thanksgiving menu.

The original recipe calls for corn syrup, but I knew from past experiments that both honey and maple syrup make wonderful marshmallows too.

Savory brown butter and sage in a traditionally sugary treat? These little guys will make a perfect topping for the traditional American sweet potato casserole. Or serve them with hot cocoa for an unexpected twist on another cold weather classic.

If you have one, be sure to drag out your heavy-duty mixer for this recipe, as it requires quite a bit of mixing time best suited to a sturdy machine. These may turn out a bit more dense than you remember from you childhood marshmallows, but don't worry–they still pack just as much fun.

If you do decide to include these in your sweet potato casserole, know that they will melt and brown much faster than the store-bought, fake food variety. Make sure to keep a close eye on them when browning under the broiler.

Brown butter sage marshmallows ingredients

1 cup filtered water
3 T. gelatin – get gelatin from grass fed cows here
1 cup maple syrup – this is the maple syrup I use
3/4 ounce fresh sage, chopped first, then ground in a food processor
1/2 tsp sea salt – my favorite sea salt
6 ounces butter (from grass fed cows) plus more for greasing the pan
Arrowroot powder for dusting – get arrowroot here
Kitchen thermometer – like this one

Brown butter sage marshmallows method

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup filtered water in the bottom of a stand mixer bowl. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9″x 9″ pan; line with parchment paper in both directions, with enough paper hanging out the sides to act as handles.
In a heavy bottomed pot, combine the sage, maple syrup, sea salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of filtered water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring, over medium low heat until it starts to simmer; then let it cook undisturbed until the mixture reaches 240F. Remove from heat, and let stand until it cools to 210F. Be patient; if the syrup has not sufficiently cooled, it will prevent the gelatin from setting properly.
Meanwhile, prepare the brown butter. In a small pan, melt the butter over medium low heat until it simmers, bubbles, stops bubbling, and begins to brown. Once the butter has turned a nice golden brown, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Once the marshmallow mixture has cooled to 210F, pour it into the mixing bowl with the gelatin/water mixture and fit with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until the volume doubles in size.
Now drizzle in the browned butter, a tablespoonful at a time. It will seem to resist combining, but keep whisking, because it will all come together and incorporate in the end. Once you’ve added all the butter, including any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet, turn to high for 10-15 seconds to ensure the mixture is thoroughly whipped.
Turn off the mixer, and scrape the marshmallow batter into the prepared pan. Gently but firmly tap the pan a few times against the counter to dislodge any air bubbles and help it level out.
Dust the top of the giant marshmallow with some arrowroot powder, cover in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
To cut the marshmallows, prepare a cutting board by dusting it generously with arrowroot powder. Lift the parchment paper to gently remove the giant marshmallow from the pan. Dust the exposed bottom of the marshmallow with some more arrowroot. Use a chef’s knife to cut the marshmallows into cubes. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.