Homemade Marshmallows

Marshmallows.  Every time I see a picture of these, I want one.  They first caught my eye on Etsy.  Visit Condimentum for Nepolitan Marshmallow or try  Guimauve Confections for a Salted Caramel Marshmallow.  The pictures are beautiful and I promise you will never look at a marshmallow in the supermarket the same way once you have seen these!  I had never thought about making a marshmallow.  The
 But the more, I saw of these on Etsy, I knew I had to give them a try.  A first birthday party was coming up and a hot chocolate table planned.  Perfect timing!  The ingredients needed seemed easy enough but I was still a bit hesitant to try these.
I decided to go with Alton Brown's recipe (see link)http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe.html
Patience is key to this recipe and a free standing mixer is a must.  All of my things are packed away for our move so the cottage supplies would have to do.  I think a hand held mixer just took way too long.

Step 2 

After about 10 minutes at high speed

  In place of a candy thermometer, which is another must, I used this chart to determine temperature. http://www.thermoworks.com/pdf/candy_temperature_chart.pdf.

Slightly out of order, sorry , but in step one, using this method to determine the stage of the syrup

The recipe called for a 9x13 dish.  I also used parchment instead of greasing the dish. These look nothing like the beautiful Etsy Marshmallows but the did taste delicious!

I would have liked them to come out a bit thicker like the ones I have seen in those beautiful pictures so would recommend a smaller baking dish or ban.
It's definitely better to make these one day before and use plenty of powdered sugar which makes them easier to cut.
They were DElICIOUS!  And yes better than store bought.  I did not have any natural food color so they stayed white.
One detail that bothers me and I didn't think of it until I started reading these recipes was the use of the gelatin.
I am now on the hunt for a vegan recipe.  Will post as soon as I try that one.

Have you ever made marshmallows?  What recipe did you like and how about a vegan recipe?  Would love to hear from you.