Homemade Marshmallows

I got a couple requests for this recipe last night, so here ya go!

Vegetable oil (for brushing)
4 packets unflavored gelatin (equals 3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Brush a 9x13 inch glass baking pan with oil and line with parchment. Leave a 2 inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment with oil. Set aside.

Put granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, without stirruing, until mixture registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer (about 9 minutes or so).

While mixture is cooking, put 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften for 5 minutes.

Attach bowl with gelatin to mixer fitted with a whisk attachment*. With mixer on low speed, beat hot syrup into gelatin. Gradually raise speed to high, beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Pour into prepared dish and smooth with an offset spatula. Set aside, uncovered, until firm (about 3 hours).

Sift 1 cup confectioners sugar onto a work surface. Unmold marshmallow onto sugar and remove parchment. Lightly brush a sharp knife (or cookie cutter!) with oil then cut marshmallow into 2 inch squares. Roll each marshmallow in the remaining confectioners sugar to coat. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

Kayla's notes:

-I don't have a stand mixer, but my hand mixer does have a whisk attachment. This got very tiring (12 minutes is a long time to stand there with a mixer) and I'm not sure the syrup and gelatin got beaten enough. Maybe if you do it by hand, mix it longer? It was marshmallowy when I finished but probably needed to be a bit thicker.

-If you're planning on using cookie cutters, maybe try refrigerating it for a couple minutes for you get started to firm it up a bit more. I had a heck of a time wrestling with the marshmallow and my cutter and my gingerbread men weren't very pretty (they tasted good though!).