Here and Now
And the Now Is Christmas
Deck Them is a seasonal newsletter exploring the Hallmark Channel’s annual Countdown to Christmas ⭐ Share the joy ⭐
Christmas Day is here. It’s easy to lose track of it after all those returns home, Business Jobs in Business Cities, that is, fighting to save those struggling bakeries and, well, meet cutes with rich hunks, poor hunks—all while learning its true meaning. At long last, the meaning is this:
Christmas is more than trying to make things go faster and look shinier. Christmas is something finer than that. Richer, finer, truer, and it should come with patience and love, charity, compassion1. It shouldn't be taken too seriously, but it is, of course, the most serious thing. And you should take it both as such and not.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas—a small one, a bright one—whatever that means to you. For us, it is an invitation to delight in kindness, deeply held. To fix our hearts or die.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Our recipe2 for Winter Cheer. It can be a marshmallow world in the winter, spring, summer, and fall if you make your own.
Ingredients
2 cups + 1 tbsp sugar
⅓ cup golden syrup½ cup water
7 tsp gelatin
½ cup water for the gelatinPinch of salt
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Steps
Combine sugar, golden syrup, and water in a pot and heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Don’t mix or mess with it, just swirl the pot to keep everything evenly distributed.
Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and cover for two minutes.
If sugar crystals remain on the side of the wall, lightly brush the sides of your pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, being careful not to disturb the sugar mixture itself.
If you have a candy thermometer, now is the time to employ it. We’re looking for the sugar mixture to reach 245°F.
No thermometer? 245°F is in the hardball stage of candy. To test, take the smallest spoonful and drop it in cold water. If the sugar mixture is pliable and holds its shape when rolled into a ball, it’s in the hardball stage.
Be sure to check the sugar mixture often. Burning is the easiest, worst thing.
Meanwhile, bloom your gelatin. Add the gelatin to cold water in a mixing bowl and stir until evenly distributed. Let bloom for 10 minutes.
When the sugar mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and let rest until any bubbles reside.
Using a hand or stand mixer, begin whisking the gelatin on low speed and slowly add the sugar mixture, followed by a pinch of salt. Increase speed to medium-high for 3 minutes. Everything should double in size, and become whiter, fluffier.
Once doubled, increase the speed to high and mix for 3 minutes. Make sure the mix is still hot. If it cools too much, the mallows will be tough. Add vanilla and mix on high for another minute.
Spread the marshmallow base in a buttered pan (9 x 13” will do) using a buttered spatula. Make sure every instrument you use at this point is buttered—it’s going to be sticky.
Using a sifter, dust the marshmallow base with powdered sugar. Cover and let sit for 6–8 hours.
Once rested, turn out your pan onto a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Cut as desired using a buttered knife or buttered cookie cutter for that desired shape. Dust each piece in powdered sugar.
Stored in an airtight container, marshmallows will be good for six months!