Chocolate-covered marshmallows are a gourmet treat that everyone loves! Dip soft homemade marshmallows in a thin coating of melted chocolate and admire the beauty of a homemade artisan candy.
If there’s anything better than a fluffy homemade marshmallow, it’s a fluffy homemade marshmallow covered in a thin layer of snappy dark chocolate. The crunchy chocolate shell gives way to a soft, creamy candy cloud, and it all swirls together into the most delicious treat.
And even better, if you properly temper your chocolate (not hard, I promise), the coating will extend the shelf life of your homemade marshmallows and keep them extra soft. They won’t melt in your fingers and they’ll stack beautifully on a holiday candy platter.
Keep reading for all the tips and begin the journey of making amazing homemade candy!
ingredients:
- sugar
- corn syrup
- gelatin
- salt
- water
- vanilla extract and/or vanilla beans
- tempered dark chocolate
how to make chocolate covered marshmallows
- Combine half the water, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds in the mixer bowl.
- Whisk in gelatin and set aside to bloom.
- Combine sugar, remaining water, corn syrup, and salt in a pot and cook to 250°F.
- Cool syrup to 220°F.
- Turn mixer on and slowly stream in hot sugar syrup.
- Beat on medium-high for about 10 minutes.
- Scrape into a buttered and parchment-lined pan; do your best to smooth the top.
- Cover loosely with foil and let sit 8 hours.
- Cut into 1-inch squares, dust with a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch to prevent sticking.
- Dip in tempered chocolate; let sit until hardened.
- Enjoy!
How much chocolate do I need to temper?
Each 1-inch square marshmallow needs about 0.1 ounces of chocolate to be fully coated. Dipping a whole batch (about 64 pieces) will use about 7 oz of chocolate.
I prefer to have at least twice that amount (14 oz) of tempered chocolate so there is enough room to fully submerge the candy and get an even coating.
Tempering more chocolate than you need doesn’t waste the chocolate. Simply pour the extra into a ziplock bag and let it set. Store it just like you would any chocolate, then chop it up for cookies or melt it for cakes and brownies.
I don’t recommend attempting to re-temper it for more dipping, simply because dipping the marshmallows can introduce cornstarch, powdered sugar, and bits of marshmallow that will affect the ability to temper the chocolate again. But any other use of this chocolate is fair game!
Tempering large quantities of chocolate is easier than small quantities! The temperature is more stable and less prone to falling out of temper. It gives you more time to dip the marshmallows without worrying about it cooling and setting before you’re ready.
Learn more about how to temper chocolate!
Answers to common questions about chocolate covered marshmallows:
How long do chocolate-covered marshmallows last?
These candies will last up to a month in a covered container at room temperature. If properly made, they’ll never really spoil but they will eventually lose their freshness.
How far in advance can you make chocolate-covered marshmallows?
These candies can be made several days ahead of time. The tempered chocolate coating seals the marshmallow and protects it from absorbing moisture, which can make it sticky.
How to store chocolate-covered marshmallows:
Store chocolate-covered marshmallows in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot (not the refrigerator).
Refrigeration will cause the chocolate to bloom and develop a whitish film. It will lose its shiny, smooth, beautiful appearance.
More tips for making artisan quality chocolate dipped marshmallows:
- This makes A LOT of chocolate marshmallows! I often prefer to make a full batch of marshmallows and dip half the batch. The extra fresh marshmallows can be frozen, eaten, or thrown into a variety of other baked goods (get a big list of ideas here).
- Tempered chocolate is crucial! It will give a smooth, hard, snappy coating to your marshmallows that won’t melt in your fingers or smudge when touched. Learn how to properly temper chocolate here.
- Set up your area, temper the chocolate, then work quickly. Once your chocolate is tempered, it won’t stay that way. If you’re not prepared, the chocolate will cool and harden before you’ve dipped all of your marshmallows. Stir the chocolate and gently warm it with a hair dryer, or place it on a warm heating pad, to keep it around 90°F. I share more chocolate tempering tips here.
- I love these 3-tine dipping forks! You could use a regular fork, but the thin tines on these chocolate dipping forks help you get a thin coating on the bottom. They also make it super easy to slide the candy onto the parchment.
- Use a reliable, high-quality instant read thermometer for the best results. I love Thermapen!
- Plop one of these 'mallows in a rich mug of hot chocolate for the most decadent treat!
Decorate these chocolate-covered marshmallows to make them your own:
Once you dip the marshmallow in chocolate, sprinkle them with any of the items below before the chocolate fully sets:
- Finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios)
- Sprinkles (metallic, clear, colorful)
- Dried edible flowers (lavender, hibiscus, rose)
- Crushed pretzels
- Crushed graham crackers
- Crushed peppermint candies
- Flaky salt
- Sanding sugar
- Minced candied ginger
- Finely chopped dried fruit (apricots, mango, cherries, cranberries)
- Shredded coconut (raw or toasted)
- Chopped candied orange zest
When the chocolate has set, decorate with any of the items below:
- White chocolate drizzles
- Milk chocolate drizzles
- Gold leaf
- Edible glitter
- Candy paint
more homemade marshmallows and chocolate candy recipes to try:
butter toffee recipe (buttercrunch)
dark chocolate covered almonds
Printchocolate covered marshmallows
Chocolate covered marshmallows are a gourmet treat! Coat homemade marshmallows in snappy dark chocolate for a gorgeous artisan candy.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 64
- Category: Candy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¾ oz unflavored gelatin powder (2 tbsp + ¾ tsp, or 3 ¼-oz envelopes)
- 1 cup (8 oz) cold water, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla extract and/ or 1 vanilla bean, split
- 1 ¾ cup (350g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (5 ½ oz) light corn syrup
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 14 oz tempered dark chocolate (you won’t need all of it)
Instructions
- Lightly butter an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan and line it with a parchment paper sling; butter the parchment.
- Place ½ cup water and vanilla extract (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Stir gelatin into the water and let sit, undisturbed, to bloom and soften. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds out of the pod and transfer to the blooming gelatin (don’t stir them in).
- Combine remaining ½ cup water, sugar, corn syrup and kosher salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Brush down sides with a wet pastry brush, if needed, to wash off stray sugar crystals.
- Increase heat to medium-high and cook, without stirring, until an instant-read thermometer registers 250°F, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to 220°F, about 5 minutes.
- Turn mixer on low and, with the mixer running, slowly pour in hot sugar syrup to melt the gelatin. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, tripled in volume, and very thick, about 10 minutes.
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Cover loosely with foil and let it sit undisturbed until completely set, about 2 hours in the refrigerator or 8 hours at room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch. Dust the top of the marshmallow and a large cutting board with powdered sugar mixture. Invert the marshmallows onto the board, peel off the parchment paper, and cut into 1-inch squares. Dust all cut edges with the powdered sugar mixture to prevent marshmallows from sticking and wash the knife every few cuts if needed.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Temper the chocolate.
- Use a chocolate dipping fork to fully submerge the marshmallow, then raise the fork and tap 3-5 times to let excess chocolate drip off. Scrape the bottom of the fork against the bowl to remove more chocolate, then slide the marshmallow onto prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat dipping the remaining marshmallows. The tempered chocolate will continue to crystallize and harden over the next few days. Store in a cool, dry place.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 48
- Sugar: 8.5g
- Sodium: 10mg
- Fat: 0.9g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8.9g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1.4g
- Cholesterol: 0.2mg
Amber says
THE BEST!!!!