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Made with fragrant rosewater and culinary-grade dried rose petals, these fluffy, heart-shaped pink marshmallows make a thoughtful homemade gift. The sweetest rose marshmallow recipe for Valentine’s Day!
Why Make This Rose Marshmallow Recipe?
If you’ve been following Baste Cut Fold for awhile now, you probably already know how much I enjoy making making marshmallows from scratch, and this rose marshmallow recipe is no exception. Pale pink and delicately flavored with rosewater and culinary dried rose petals, these soft and fluffy treats are perfect for adding a little extra love to Valentine’s Day. They’re even shaped like hearts, because, well,…why wouldn’t they be?
Crafting homemade marshmallows is a bit more labor-intensive than just grabbing a bag at the supermarket, but seeing your friends and family smile when you gift them these pretty heart-shaped confections makes it well worth the extra effort. Best of all, these floral-inspired marshmallows are naturally gluten-free, so they’re a sweet treat that nearly everyone can enjoy.
Rose Marshmallow Ingredients
To make this rosewater marshmallow recipe, start by gathering the following ingredients:
- Gelatin – While I often use powered gelatin in my marshmallow recipes, I developed this recipe with platinum sheets instead. To learn more about potential substitutions, please visit my post on how to convert gelatin sheets to powder.
- Granulated Sugar – Along with light corn syrup, granulated sugar gives homemade marshmallows their sweetness.
- Corn Syrup – Choose a light corn syrup such as Golden Barrel, or Light Karo Syrup. You can also use liquid glucose.
- Rosewater – To heighten the rose flavor. I prefer the Nielsen-Massey brand, but any good-quality rosewater will work. Be sure to select a culinary-grade product—some rosewaters are meant for cosmetic purposes, not consumption.
- Dried Rose Petals – This recipe uses culinary-grade dried rose petals, processed in a food processor. For more on cooking with real rose petals, see my notes below.
- Pink Gel Food Coloring – I tinted my marshmallows with Chefmaster’s Neon Brite Pink. When adding the color, use more than you think you’ll need. The marshmallow will initially look very dark, but will become lighter and paler as you mix.
- Oil – Canola oil, vegetable oil, or nonstick cooking spray is an absolute must for greasing the tin and cutter, or you’ll find yourself with a sticky (and frustrating) marshmallow mess!
- Cornflour and Confectioner’s Sugar – A blend of cornflour and confectioner’s sugar (a.k.a. icing sugar or powdered sugar) create the powdery coating. You’re looking for chalky, white cornflour (called cornstarch in the US), not the coarse yellow meal you’d use for making cornbread! If preferred, you can replace the cornflour with potato starch instead.
Working with Dried Rose Petals
In this recipe, I’ve added dried rose petals for flavor and texture. The little flecks of pink petal also add visual appeal.
When purchasing dried rose petals, opt for a product clearly marked as food-safe, edible, or culinary grade. Do not attempt to dry petals from a bouquet of store-bought roses. (It’s impossible to know whether these have been treated with pesticides or chemicals.) Save fresh flowers for a homemade rose simmer pot instead.
I highly recommend processing the petals in a food processor until coarse and sandlike, with no large petals remaining. When added to the hot marshmallow, large or whole petals take on a chewy texture which is not very appetising.
Rose petals often come in a big bag. For other recipes to use up your left over petals, you might also enjoy my rose simple syrup recipe or this flourless chocolate cake recipe with raspberry and rose.
Special Tools and Equipment
- Square Tin – 8 x 8-inch square metal tins are an absolute staple in my kitchen. I use these for making marshmallows as well as brownies, bar cookies, Rice Krispie treats, and other traybakes.
- Heart Cutter – I cut my marshmallow slab with a 1 1/2 inch cutter from my metal heart cookie cutter set. You can you slightly bigger or smaller, if you’d like. And if you don’t have a heart cutter, you can use a different shape, or simply cut the marshmallows into squares, as I’ve done here.
- Candy Thermometer – Do not attempt this recipe without a candy thermometer! (My go-to is this Taylor digital thermometer, but any good-quality candy thermometer will work.) And pay close attention to your the temperature of your sugar mixture. Too cold or too hot, and your marshmallow slab will not set properly.
Tips and Tricks for Making Rose Marshmallows
- Grease Everything – Before starting, I always coat my tin and cutter (and knife, if using one) with canola oil or nonstick cooking spray. Greasing makes it so much easier to cut the heart shapes, and to remove the marshmallow slab after it sets. If you cover your tin with aluminum foil, don’t forget to spray the foil, too.
- Use Parchment – Pay careful attention to the way you line your tin. Not enough parchment and your marshmallow will stick to the pan. Also, be sure to allow at least a 1-inch overhang on all sides—this overhang creates “handles” which make it easier to transfer the cooled slab from tin to countertop for slicing and coating.
Gifting Homemade Rosewater Marshmallows
These heart-shaped sweets are perfect for gifting, and even children can help to make marshmallows for their classmates and friends. (Because they’re free from gluten, nuts, eggs, and dairy, homemade marshmallows make a reasonably allergy-friendly classroom treat. Just double-check the packaging on all of your ingredients!) Plus, these rose marshmallows will stay fresh at room temperature for a month or longer, so they’re also ideal for shipping.
To gift homemade heart-shaped marshmallows for Valentine’s Day, you can:
- Package them in Valentine’s-print cello bags tied with pink or red ribbons, plus a a small heart-shaped tag with the recipient’s name and a thoughtful message. Or, box them up in decorative candy boxes instead.
- Pair marshmallows with a bag of my homemade hot cocoa mix, along with a pretty mug and a stirring spoon.
- Place on a long wooden skewer or decorative stick, along with your favorite Valentine’s Day gummy candies.
- Add to a treat box, along with other Valentine treats like homemade chocolate-covered cherries, white chocolate Valentine’s Day bark, strawberry peppermint patties, or red wine truffles.
Other Valentine’s Day recipes you might enjoy:
Valentine’s Day Parfait with Chocolate and Cherries
Strawberry Marshmallow Hearts
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Strawberry Buttercream
Sparkling Rosé Dark Chocolate Truffles
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
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Rose Marshmallow Recipe
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 28-30 hearts 1x
Description
Made with fragrant rosewater and culinary-grade dried rose petals, these fluffy, heart-shaped pink marshmallows make a sweet homemade gift for Valentine’s Day.
Ingredients
Marshmallows:
9 1/2 grams platinum gelatin (about 5 1/2 sheets), soaked
400 grams granulated sugar (2 cups)
200 grams corn syrup (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
120 milliliters water (1/2 cup), plus more to soak the gelatin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons rosewater
3 grams culinary dried rose petals, ground in a food processor (about 1 1/2 tablespoons ground petals)
Pink gel food coloring
Canola oil or nonstick cooking spray, for greasing tin and knife
Coating:
50 grams cornflour (1/3 cup)
50 grams confectioner’s sugar (1/3 cup)
Instructions
Marshmallows:
Line an 8 x 8-inch square tin with parchment, and coat generously with oil. (See this recipe for the best lining technique.) Set aside.
Fill a small bowl with cold water and soak the gelatin leaves until they feel soft and jelly-like, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240° F / 116° C on a digital thermometer.
Place the soaked gelatin in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Carefully pour hot syrup over gelatin. Mix on high speed for 2-3 minutes, until mixture begins to thicken and turn opaque.
Add rosewater and pink gel food coloring* and continue to mix on high speed until very thick and voluminous, about 8-9 minutes more.
Mix in the ground dried rose petals.
With an oiled rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow mixture into prepared tin.
Loosely cover with a well-oiled sheet of aluminum foil. Allow to set at room temperature until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Coating:
In a small bowl, combine cornflour and confectioner’s sugar.
Cover a large chopping board with a sheet of parchment, and dust generously with cornflour mixture. Turn marshmallow slab out onto dusted surface.
Sift top of slab with more of the cornflour mixture. Use a 1 1/2-inch heart cutter to cut the slab. You should have about 28-30 hearts.
Toss the cut marshmallows in the rest of the cornflour and sugar mixture, making sure to coat all sides of each marshmallow.
Store rose marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month.
Notes
*Use more food coloring than you think you’ll need. The marshmallow mixture will initially look too dark, but will become lighter and paler as you mix.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Setting Time: 4 hours
- Category: Candy and Confectionery
- Method: Stovetop
