foodstuff: s'mores with homemade vanilla marshmallows

this, dear friends, is a photo of the final treehouse s'more of the season...

you are looking at a homemade vanilla marshmallow toasted golden brown, resting on melty dark chocolate, and nestled snugly betwixt cinnamon sugar graham crackers.

yowza.

twenty ten was the year i decided to stop being afraid of my candy thermometer. for the first time ever, i charged headfirst into the wild world of candy making. this adventure resulted in salted honey caramels for halloween and vanilla marshmallows for christmas s'mores...

i used this springy, fluffy marshmallow recipe. if you haven't noticed  by now, i am a devotee of smitten kitchen. deb's recipes are absolutely reliable and beautifully photographed. if i follow her directions i almost always end up with pure deliciousness.

in the case of the marshmallows, i just did what deb told me to do and ended up with these tasty treats...

i found the cooking part of this recipe easy. the most challenging part was cutting and rolling almost one hundred sticky little cubes in powdered sugar. it was a slightly gooey and time-consuming process, but totally worth it. they were as promised: bouncy fluffy vanilla heaven.

although the marshmallow adventure was incredibly fun, i think it's best for everyone around here that the s'mores are officially gone.