DIY GIFT IDEA | Homemade Marshmallows and S'more Kit

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?!? I am completely ecstatic! I wanted to bring a little something extra to our family's Christmas gathering tomorrow night. At the last minute I came up with this idea, since s'mores are always a big hit with all the little ones in our family. Here, I teach you how to make your own home"mayde" marshmallows and diy s'more kits. It was a blast making them, but even more fun devouring them. Have a beautiful holiday this year!! Full tutorial after the break...

Ingredients for HomeMayde Marshmallows: 
- 3 packages of unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup of ice cold water (split in half)
- 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- nonstick spray

Steps: 
1. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt into a small saucepan. Cover with a lid and heat on medium/high for about 3 1/2 minutes. Remove cover, then clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Continue heating until the syrup mixture reaches 240 degrees F (should be about 8 minutes). Then, quickly move from heat.
2. While waiting for the syrup mixture to reach 240 degrees, add the second 1/2 cup of cold water and unflavored gelatin into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer. Have the whisk attachment on.
3. Once the water/sugar/corn syrup mixture reaches 240 degrees, remove from heat, then turn the stand mixer on low speed. Slowly pour the syrup mixture into the mixing bowl. Once all of it has been poured in, switch the speed to high. Continue whipping until the mixture becomes very thick and lukewarm (about 12 to 15 minutes).
4. While waiting for the mixture to thicken, mix the confectioner's sugar and cornstarch together.
5. Also, while waiting for the mixture to thicken, prepare the pan. I used a 9" x 13" baking pan and lined it with foil. Then, lightly spray it with a nonstick spray. After, sift the confectioner's sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly coat the foil.
6. Then return to the stand mixer and during the last minute of mixing, add the vanilla extract. Wait until it is evenly mixed in.
7. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepped pan. Then, lightly oil a spatula and evenly spread the mixture in the pan. Lightly sift a coat of the confectioner's sugar/cornstarch mixture over the top. Let sit for about 4 to 12 hours.
8. Turn the marshmallows onto a cutting board and cut into 1" to 1 1/2" squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe inspired by Alton Brown (here).

 Ingredients/Materials for DIY S'more Kits:
- chocolate bars (choose your favorite.  I recommend these: 1 // 2 // 3)
- graham crackers
- baker's twine (here)
- mara mi treat box (here)
- match
- barbeque stick

Steps for DIY S'more Kits:
1. Break the graham crackers in half.
2. Cut the chocolate slightly smaller than the graham cracker halves.
3. Bundle the graham crackers and chocolate pieces together and with baker's twine. Place in the box.
4. Add 2 marshmallow pieces in the box.
5. Tie up the treat box with a bow and slip in the barbeque stick and match (which I slightly cut down to size).