Homemade Watermelon Marshmallows: A New Use for Summer Juice Drinks!
I’ve partnered with Kool-Aid and Collective Bias to create these Homemade Watermelon Marshmallows. Looking for a fun summer recipe? These marshmallows are a unique twist on the classic summer fruit drink!
#KoolOff #CollectiveBias
So just a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I went on a big vacation. We went to Belgium and The Netherlands, and honestly it was an amazing trip! (I love pretty much everything about western Europe, so it’s no surprise that this trip was awesome, too.) Neither of us had visited these countries before, so we had no idea what to expect. I think it’s safe to say that we were pleasantly surprised! The weather was nice, the food was delicious and the desserts were out of this world.
In case you are wondering, Belgian waffles do indeed originally come from Belgium…imagine that! But even better than a Belgian waffle is the Liege waffle. These waffles are sold from street vendors all over Brussels, and they are quite simply one of the best street foods I’ve ever eaten! I stopped by a grocery store and picked up some of the special sugar that you need for Liege waffles. (Once I get a good recipe down, I’ll post it on Spiced…so stay tuned!) But even better than Liege waffles was the Belgian chocolate. I’ve never tasted chocolate like that in my mouth. This wasn’t just any chocolate…it was like chocolate as an art form! It seemed like there was a chocolate store every 10 feet, and I’m pretty sure I stopped at most of them! (seriously…I think I did.)
Of course, you can find plain chocolate all over the place, but what really intrigued me were all of the fun combinations. One of my favorites was a chocolate lavender bark. I enjoy lavender, but I can’t say that I’ve ever tasted it with chocolate. Well, it works!
These unique flavor combos got my brain turning…so when we got back home I decided to have some fun. That’s where these Homemade Watermelon Marshmallows come in. Did you know that Kool-Aid can actually be used to flavor marshmallows? Yup, it can. And it’s really easy. Just mix in a packet of Kool-Aid at the beginning and proceed making marshmallows as normal. If you’ve never made homemade marshmallows, then you’re in for a treat. It’s a messy process and I had marshmallow everywhere…but it was a treat nonetheless! (I found a smudge of marshmallow on my elbow an hour later…how did that get there?)
With all of the different Kool-Aid flavors out there, my mind is already whirring with all of the other fun marshmallows you could create. What about Green Apple marshmallows? Or Strawberry Lemonade marshmallows? In fact, I bet you could turn those into some awesome summer s’mores. I’d use white chocolate instead of milk chocolate, but I’m thinking Strawberry Lemonade S’mores might need to make an appearance in my backyard sometime this summer!
Speaking of Kool-Aid, have you seen the new 96-oz ready-to-drink bottles? I picked up a bottle the other day at Walmart, and it totally sent me back to my childhood days! (Now if only I still had that original Nintendo, too…) With the summer heat coming quickly, a glass of ice cold Kool-Aid on the back porch sounds quite refreshing to me.
Homemade Watermelon Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 3 ¼-oz. packets unflavored gelatin
- 1 0.15 oz packet Watermelon Kool-Aid
- 1 cup water divided
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Using vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray, grease a 9”x13” baking pan. Set pan aside.
- In the bowl of a countertop mixer, whisk together the gelatin, Watermelon Kool-Aid and ½ cup of the water until fully combined. Set aside.
- Place a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining ½ cup of water. Heat over medium-high, stirring often until mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer into saucepan. Continue heating (without stirring) to 240°F.
- Using the whisk attachment, turn the countertop mixer on low speed and pour in the hot sugar mixture.
- Increase speed to high and beat until mixture becomes thick and has doubled in size (~12-14 minutes).
- Transfer the marshmallow mixture into the greased pan. Using an oiled spatula, spread the mixture out evenly in the pan. (Note: This step will be sticky!)
- Let marshmallows sit uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the corn starch and powdered sugar. Using a sifter, dust a large cutting board with a generous amount of the powdered sugar mixture. Turn the marshmallows out onto the cutting board. Dust the top of the marshmallows with more of the powdered sugar mixture.
- Cut marshmallows into desired shapes and sizes. (Tip: Lightly brush a knife or pizza wheel with oil to help cut the marshmallows.)
- Once cut, roll all sides of the marshmallows in the remaining powdered sugar mixture.
- (Optional) Use a bit of food gel and a small paintbrush to paint “seeds” onto the marshmallow wedges.
- Store marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
I love making homemade marshmallows! What a neat way to flavor them in this recipe!
I know! Who would have thought that Kool-Aid is a fun way to flavor marshmallows. 🙂
I’ve never made marshmallows before. My daughter was asking just the other day if we could make some. 😀
This is such a clever idea! I’ve never thought to use kool-aid for anything other than a drink. We’ll have to give these a try. Your directions make is seem very easy! Pinning 😀
Yay! Thank you so much, Cindy. 🙂 Marshmallows are actually not all that hard to make. They do require a candy thermometer and being careful with hot sugar…but the actual process is a piece of cake! Just be prepared to have marshmallow fluff everywhere! That stuff is sticky…but it’s still worth the extra clean-up. I’m really starting to crave lemonade marshmallows now!
Ok first of all what?? Your vacation sounds amazing!! I want to hear more of where you visited. I’ve been to both countries because my best friend from high school is Dutch and I visit her every couple of years. I am due for another visit next year because she was just here last year. And secondly dude…these marshmallows are genius. Kool-aid flavored? What a great idea 🙂
Thanks so much, Zainab! So the trip was amazing!! We started in Brussels for a couple nights and actually had the opportunity to go out and visit the Biscoff factory. It was crazy cool–I couldn’t take my camera in or else I would’ve included some of the awesome pics. We then took the train up to Amsterdam (why don’t we have an awesome train system in the US??). I had no idea what to expect about Amsterdam, but I found it to be a really fun place. We spent one day out at the Keukenhof Gardens, and that is totally worth the trip! They’re only open a couple of weeks a year, but it’s definitely worth timing the trip to see that. I’m happy to share more with ya, but I imagine your friend has some pretty awesome recommendations herself. I’m already ready to go back again!
Dude, what a creative use of Kool-Aid!!! This is incredible! And let’s talk about Belgium for a second. Yes, liege wafels are legit amazing. We had them when we did a day trip in Brussels during our Paris honeymoon, and there is actually a place in NYC called Wafels & Dinges that sells them (they have a store and a bunch of food trucks). When we were in Belgium, we totally cleaned out a supermarket of pearl sugar and speculoos. It was amazing. The stuff is so cheap there… pearl sugar here is like 10x times more expensive. I’ve recreated the waffles a couple times at home, but be prepared for them to make a complete mess of your waffle maker. If you have a cast iron one, that’s the best kind to use. My regular waffle iron worked, but it’s tough to get the temperature perfect (to the point where the pearl sugar caramelizes and breaks down but the wafel doesn’t burn). Can’t wait to see the recipe you come up with!!!
Interesting! I had no idea you were such the liege waffle expert, Chris! But we totally hit up the grocery store for their entire stock of pearl sugar and a load of speculoos, too. Laura and I actually got to visit the Biscoff (Lotus) factory in Belgium…that’s what took us there to begin with. It was incredible. All of the Biscoff cookies in the world came from that one factory! I wish I could’ve taken my camera in with me. But back to the Liege waffles. I have a standard waffle iron, but perhaps I need to track down a cast iron one somehow. I haven’t gotten around to playing with the pearl sugar, but it’s been seriously tempting me. And thanks for the tip on making a mess…kinda like these marshmallows. They’re messy, but it’s better to know that going in. You are a never-ending source of foodie wisdom, Chris!
Oh my WOW! What a unique idea to flavor marshmallows with Kool-Aid. This is an amazing recipe, Dave!
Thank you so much, Becca! It’s crazy how easy it is to make flavored marshmallows with Kool-Aid! Go figure. 🙂
THAT PUMPKIN IS AMAZING! Halloween at your house must be a blast!
Your trip sounds lovely! Can’t wait for a liege waffle recipe, I’ve heard about them, but have never tried them! I even bought the special sugar, but never got around to making them!
I think toasted strawberry-lemonade marshmallows with fresh strawberries and lemon curd on graham crackers would be fantastic!
Oh man, you are talking my language now with that strawberry-lemonade marshmallow idea! Straight genius, I say! I can’t believe you found the pearl sugar for Liege Waffles, too. My sugar is sitting in the cabinet looking lonely…I just need to find some time to get in the kitchen and play around with a recipe. Oh, and yes, Halloween is a special time around here…it’s quite possibly my favorite holiday! 🙂
I have ALWAYS wanted to make my own mallows, thanks for the great recipe. I just might make these for the 4th, and turn them into s’mores with white chocolate and grahams! #Client
Haha!!! Thanks, Jenna. Who would’ve known how easy it is to use Kool-Aid to make flavored marshmallows. It’s a pretty fun recipe…hope you enjoy!!
These look yummy! Never thought to add koolaid to marshmallows. Excited to hear more about your trip.
Thanks, Laura! Yes, I’ll have to include some more stories about the trip into upcoming posts here. It was so much fun! 🙂
Now I want one in my s’mores! They sound so delicious, perfect for Summer! Take care, Terra
Thanks, Terra! I know…how fun would these be for a summer-time themed s’more!? Have a great day! 🙂
So happy to hear of yalls trip to Belgium and the Netherlands…but seriously, dude – did you need to tease us with your Belgium Chocolate experiences??? 🙂
But you have redeemed yourself by sharing these watermelon marshmallows – homemade marshmallows are incredible – but flavored with watermelon koolaid (which is simply brilliant btw) sound so so dang delicious!
I know…I’m so bad telling you all about the Belgian chocolate. If you close your eyes and think really hard, then maybe you can imagine eating a piece right now. 🙂 Thanks, Shashi!
You made the Kool-Aid Marshmallows … Awesome! Pinning this deliciousness! Oh, love the pumpkin too 😀
HAHA! I totally did make the Kool-Aid marshmallows, Nicole. 🙂 Have a great day!
Um, these are awesome! I never would have thought to use Kool-Aid to flavor marshmallows. I have got to try this!
It’s amazing all of the different ways you can use Kool-Aid…aside from actually drinking it, of course. Thanks for stopping by, Jenn! 🙂