Marshmallow Cookies

If you have never made homemade marshmallows, you have to try this. They are very easy to make and taste so much better than store bought.  I got this marshmallow recipe off of the Food Network from Alton Brown. I altered it a little.
You will need one recipe for Marshmallows, 1 box of Nilla Wafers, Chocolate Chips (whichever is your favorite) and shortening

Ingredients for Marshmallows

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, and corn syrup Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high.
                                        This is what it looks like when you first add the liquid.

The bottom picture is how high it whips up.

Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. (It might not need to go that long) Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.
                                             

                                                       The marshmallows hold their shape

While the sugars are coming to the right temperature, get out 2 cookie sheets and line them with waxed paper. Line up the cookies on the sheets so they are ready to pipe the marshmallows on top.Get a large Zip Lock bag and cut a small hole in one lower corner. You want to make it big enough for the marshmallow to come out. Too small and it will be very hard to squeeze through.

                                                  The bag I used to pipe the marshmallows

When marshmallows are done whipping, scoop out marshmallows and place in bag. Working quickly. pipe a blob of marshmallow on top of each cookie. 

Let them rest about an hour or so.
Melt some chocolate chips (or your favorite chocolate) and shortening. I didn't measure this, I just dropped some in. Once all melted, dip each cookie into melted chocolate to cover completely. Place back on waxed paper to dry.

If you would like to make marshmallows for hot chocolate or s'mores or anything else, this is what you should do with the marshmallows. I don't recommend making the marshmallows into Rice Krispie Treats.
For regular marshmallows:

Combine 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and  1/4 cup of cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks