Toasted Marshmallow Syrup for Coffee and Cocoa

Toasted marshmallow syrup tastes like the outside of a marshmallow you held a little too close to the campfire: caramel, vanilla and a faint smoky edge. It is a homemade coffee syrup made by broiling mini marshmallows until golden, then melting them into a sugar and water syrup with vanilla and a pinch of salt. Stir it into a latte, a mug of hot chocolate or cold brew, or pour it over pancakes.

The recipe makes about 2 cups, enough for 16 drinks at 2 tablespoons each, and takes 25 minutes start to finish. It keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge, and I keep a jar going from the first cold morning in October right through Christmas. A bottle with a ribbon also makes an easy homemade gift.

Five Ingredients, Three Optional Extras

You need 2 cups mini marshmallows, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Mini marshmallows toast faster and more evenly than large ones, and you get more browned surface per cup, which is where the flavor comes from. Large marshmallows work in a pinch if you cut them in half, but they puff and slump under the broiler and you end up with more pale, chewy middle and less of the browned crust that gives the syrup its taste.

Then there are the extras. One tablespoon of light corn syrup keeps the syrup smooth and stops sugar crystals from forming in the fridge. Half a teaspoon of maple extract pushes it toward a fall flavor. Half a teaspoon of espresso powder makes a syrup built for coffee drinks. Use one, two or all three.

Toasting the Marshmallows

Turn on the broiler and spread the marshmallows in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes. Stay at the oven door. They go from pale to golden to black in seconds. You want deep golden brown tops with some darker spots; any burnt marshmallows taste bitter and the whole batch will too.

Let them sit for a minute, then lift the parchment and slide them straight into the pot. They are sticky, so do not try to pick them off one by one. No broiler? Use a kitchen torch on the tray. It takes longer, but you control every marshmallow.

Melting Them Into Syrup

Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then add the toasted marshmallows and stir constantly while they melt. At first it looks lumpy and foamy. Keep stirring. After a couple of minutes it smooths out and turns a light caramel color.

Stir in the vanilla, salt and any extras, and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until it is smooth and slightly thicker. It will still look thin in the pan. That’s fine. It thickens as it cools, so do not cook it down further or it sets like taffy in the fridge.

Straining, Storing and Fixing the Texture

For a silky syrup, pour it through a fine mesh sieve to catch the little toasted bits. Skip this if you like a more rustic syrup with flecks in it. Cool completely, then pour into clean glass jars or bottles and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

For gifts, pour the cooled syrup into small 8 ounce bottles; one batch fills two. Tie on a tag that says to keep it in the fridge and use it within 2 weeks, and add a bag of mini marshmallows and a mug.

• Too thick after chilling: warm it gently and stir in a spoon of water at a time.
• Separated in the jar: normal. Shake or stir before using.
• Bitter taste: the marshmallows burned. Pull them at deep gold next time.
• Grainy texture: sugar crystals formed. Add the tablespoon of corn syrup.

How to Use Toasted Marshmallow Syrup

For a toasted marshmallow latte, stir 1 to 2 tablespoons into a 12 ounce mug before adding espresso and steamed milk. It is lovely in our Christmas hot chocolate with a few extra marshmallows on top, or shaken into iced coffee. If you like flavored coffee syrups, try our homemade coffee syrup and the spiced syrup in this gingerbread latte.

A few more ways I use it. Iced: 2 tablespoons in cold brew with a splash of cream. Hot chocolate: 1 tablespoon per mug is plenty, since cocoa is already sweet. For kids, a steamer of warm milk, a spoon of syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. And for grown ups, a little in a bourbon old fashioned in place of plain simple syrup.

It also works as a pancake or waffle syrup, a drizzle over vanilla ice cream, or a spoon over s’mores fudge bars for a campfire dessert in December.

Save this toasted marshmallow syrup on Pinterest for your fall and winter coffee bar. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you stirred it into first.