Satisfy your sweet tooth with mint infused marshmallow pops covered in rich dark chocolate.

 

Ingredients

For the marshmallows

• 1/2 oz gelatin sheets
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 2 ½ tbsp mild honey
• 6 ½  tbsp water
• 3 egg whites
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2/3 cup potato starch
• 3 drops mint extract
• 1 pinch of powdered green food coloring (optional)

Directions

1 Place the gelatin in cold water and soak for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.

2 In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, honey, and water and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers 235°F on a candy thermometer.

3 Meanwhile, in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the whisk attachment on low speed. Gently fold in the hot mixture, then the softened gelatin.

4 Continue to whip the mixture on high speed until it thickens and is warm to the touch, adding the mint extract and green food coloring after the mixture thickens and cools.

5 Line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making a layer about 1 ¼ inch thick. Cover and allow the marshmallow to set overnight.

6 The next day, cut the marshmallow into 2-by-1-inch cubes and insert a lollipop stick into each one. 

Makes about 30 marshmallow lollipops.
Prep time: 40 minutes.
Resting time: Overnight.

Ingredients

For the candied mint leaves

• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 ½ tbsp water
• 2 ½ tbsp light corn syrup
• 3 drops natural mint flavoring
• liquid food coloring for sugar (optional)
• confectioners’ sugar, for coating

Directions

Preparing the sugar syrup
1 In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat.

2 Add the corn syrup and continue to cook until the mixture registers 250°f on a candy thermometer.

3 Add the natural flavoring and the food coloring (about 10 drops or until the syrup reaches the desired hue). Continue to cook over high heat until the syrup registers 310°f.

4 Immediately dip the base of the saucepan in cold water to halt the cooking process.

Forming the candies
1 Working quickly, pour the hot sugar syrup onto a silicone mat. Gather it up onto itself into a ball, then roll it into a cylinder with a ½ -inch diameter. Be careful, as the mixture will be very hot—we suggest you wear thick rubber gloves.

2 With a pair of scissors, cut the cylinder at ½ -inch intervals. Allow to cool completely, then toss the sweets in confectioners’ sugar.

3 Store in an airtight container away from moisture for up to 2 months.

Makes about 50 pieces.
Prep time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For the dark chocolate coating

• 10 ½ oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped

Directions

1 Temper the dark chocolate

2 Working one at a time, dip the marshmallows in the chocolate to coat on all sides and tap lightly to remove the excess.

3 Decorate each lollipop with a crystallized mint leaf and place on an acetate sheet.

4 Allow the chocolate to set for at least 2 hours at 65°F.

5 Detach from the acetate and enjoy. (Store the lollipops in an airtight container for up to 1 month.)

Prep time: 15 minutes.

How to temper chocolate
1 Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water (this setup is called a “double boiler”).

2 Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally, until it reaches its correct melting temperature (see below).

3 Remove the bowl from the heat, add the remaining chocolate, and combine with a spatula.

4 As the chocolate melts, allow the temperature of the mixture to fall to the cooling temperature.

5 Reheat the chocolate to the “using temperature” (see below) over the saucepan of simmering water. To check the temper of the chocolate, dip the point of a knife into it—the chocolate should set quickly and evenly at room temperature.

6 When working with tempered chocolate, make sure you keep it at “using temperature” or the chocolate will lose its temper.

Dark chocolate
Melting temperature: 120°f
Cooling temperature: 85°f U
Using temperature: 90°f

Milk chocolate
Melting temperature: 115°f
Cooling temperature: 80°f
Using temperature: 90°f

White chocolate or colored chocolate
Melting temperature: 105°f
Cooling temperature: 80°f
Using temperature: 85°f
 

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Excerpted from A La Mere De Famille by Julien Merceron. Recipes Copyright © 2011 Julien Merceron, Photography copyright © 2011 Jean Cazals. Excerpted by permission of Chronicle Books, San Francisco. All rights reserved.