Kids’ Kitchen: Valentine’s Day Marshmallows
We love doing holiday-themed recipes for our kids’ kitchen series, especially no-measure, no-bake recipes that kids can make completely independently. These cute candy-dipped marshmallows are a Valentine’s Day Recipe your kids will love making – and can be altered to suit any holiday or occasion!
I’m a huge fan of recipes that allow children to take complete creative control and require little to no adult assistance. These are great for confidence building and gives parents a chance to prepare supper or just sit back and enjoy hanging out with your kids, watching them develop a new skill (and sneaking bites of marshmallows if they let you).
I also love that they turn out cute no matter what your child’s skill level is – keeping it simple is key.
How to Make Candy-Dipped Marshmallows
- Marshmallows
- Candy coating
- Sticks or straws (optional)
- Sprinkles
You can use chocolate instead of candy coating, they are both really easy to melt in the microwave if you do quick bursts of 20 seconds and stir completely in between each heating.
I also personally like to add a teaspoon of shortening for every 1/2 cup of candy melts or chocolates, especially when I’m melting them in the microwave. I just find that it prevents scorching and results in a smoother texture for dipping.
I think the best part of doing recipes where you don’t have to worry about perfection or precision and still end up with a great end product is how much fun kids have in the kitchen.
If kids feel good about what they made and enjoyed the process of making it, they are more likely to feel confident in their work and abilities, and may be more open to trying something harder. They are more proud of their accomplishments than if they were nervous the whole time or needed constant adult assistance.
(My only “rule” is no deliberate food waste or disrespect of food.)
Simply:
- Melt the candy coating in 20 second bursts in the microwave, stirring in between each heating until melted.
- Secure the marshmallows onto the candy sticks or straws. You can skip these if you’d prefer to just dip the marshmallows with your fingers.
- Dip the marshmallows into the candy coating, and allow any excess coating to drip off
- Dip the candy-coated marshmallow into a bowl of assorted sprinkles, OR sprinkle a few overtop of your marshmallow for a more minimalist effect
- Set on a parchment paper-lined plate or tray to set
These make a really sweet homemade gift and are great for entertaining. They can be laid out on a plate, or placed in a jar or cup for a dramatic display.
Swap the white candy coating for coloured candy melts (or chocolate) and the Valentine’s themed sprinkles for any other occasion to make this a versatile party recipe.
PS – this year, my friend Stacey made some super-cute Conversation Heart-inspired Marshmallow Pops with her kids. Be sure to check them out!