Vanilla Bean "Avenger" Marshmallows

In the spirit of Halloween and the coming of cooler nights, I thought I would make something sweet that pairs perfectly with a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate.  I expected marshmallows to be far more difficult than they were.  The only real challenge is getting the cured marshmallows out of the mixing bowl!  I found that the trick is to keep your hands wet with cold water.  The treat... well, here's the recipe.

Vanilla Bean "Avenger" Marshmallows

(Because you don't 'make' marshmallows, you 'assemble' them... right Mikey?)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold water

3 packets of flavorless gelatin (1/4 oz packets)

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract)

Cooking spray

Powdered sugar for dusting (or use cocoa powder, or any other tasty dusting mix you can think of!)

1. Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling the gelatin over 1/4 cup of the water in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; let stand for 5 minutes
2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, sea salt, and vanilla bean with the remaining water in a saucepan
3. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar
4. Insert a candy thermometer in the pan and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches about 235°F
5. With the whisk attachment, turn the mixer on to a low speed to break up the gelatin
6. With the mixer running, slowly pour the sugar mixture into the bowl, being careful not to hit the spinning whisk
7. Turn the mixer speed up to high for about 10 minutes, until the marshmallow mix is cool, opaque, and thick
8. Grease a baking sheet or pan with the cooking spray, and line it with well greased parchment paper
9. Turn the marshmallow mixture out onto the greased parchment paper
10. Wet your hands to prevent the marshmallow from sticking, and smooth out the mixture to even it out in the pan
11. Cover with greased plastic wrap, and let stand at least 6-12 hours
12. Cut the marshmallows into whatever size you want and dust with powdered sugar