Butternut Squash W/ Spiced Honey Marshmallows (Gaps, Paleo, Primal)

Note: These marshmallows are brown from spices, NOT from the oven!

Oh yes! Really, what is better than a warm, sweet potato and marshmallow casserole? Ummm...a butternut squash one, topped with homemade honey sweetened marshmallows! Even better? How about home made honey sweetened 'spiced' marshmallows. Uhhhh, YUM! So let's get to it.

Here's the deal, there are a few 'quirks' to honey sweetened marshmallows. Due to honeys high natural water content, these marshmallows tend to turn into liquid VERY easily if heated to long. And when I say 'too long' I mean anything more than 5-10 seconds really. Does this mean they won't work for your smores or casseroles? Absolutely not. Honey marshmallows just need to be heated with care.

When heating the marshmallows, don't go for the caramelized outside and gooey inside. That's just not going to happen. You should be looking to warm the outside just barely under a high heat, pulling them out in time to keep their shape. If you are putting them onto some already hot butternut squash, be aware that they will already begin melting from the bottom up. At this point you can serve the dish as is. The marshmallows will be sweet and gooey by the time you spoon it up. Otherwise if you have a torch, just torch the tops of the marshmallows till they start to puff slightly.  You can also out it under the broiler for a 5-10 sec...but be very careful. I recommend putting a small amount of hot butternut squash and a marshmallow aside to test your cooking time. 

It's the same when making smores. Test a marshmallow under the broiler and see how long it takes to warm it without melting. We don't roast ours over a fire at our house. We use a torch or heat them under the broiler, already on the cracker. Much less messy this way. They barely need any heating time at all to reach peak 'mooshing'capacity .

Butternut Squash W/ Spiced Honey Marshmallows 

Make your marshmallows a day ahead so they have time to firm up and dry out a bit.

For spiced marshmallows add 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp ginger to the recipe toward the end of mixing.

Pour the marshmallow cream into a prepared 8x8 or 9x13 inch casserole dish or cake pan. You want them to be about 1 inch thick for mini marshmallows or 2 inches for large ones. Smooth the marshmallow as best you can then sift some cinnamon over the top. Allow to set (about 4 hours)

Remove from pan and cut into 1x1 inch squares for mini marshmallow. They will be quite sticky while cutting. I find using a scissors works best. 

Dust with with cinnamon on all sides and let sit a little longer if still sticky. I like to throw mine in a cake pan and toss them around a little bit.

Honey Home Made Marshmallow Recipe Here

Ingredients:

3-5 pounds of butternut squash 

3-4  Tbls of honey or to taste (optional)
2-3  Tbls Coconut oil (optional)

1 tsp tsp of  cinnamon or to taste

1/2  tsp nutmeg or to taste

Directions:

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds then place cut side down in a casserole dish.

Add about 1/4 inch of water to the dish then bake at 375 degrees or till soft.

Cool, then scoop out the flesh and place in a medium sized bowl.

Mix in other ingredients, then transfer to casserole or baking dish. Smooth down the squash. Bake in the 370 degree oven till hot (5-10 min). 

Remove from the oven, then turn the oven on to broil. Let the squash cool just a bit so that the marshmallows don't melt to much when placed on it.

Homemade marshmallows tend to melt and liquify much faster than store bought. It helps to let them dry out a bit before using. Just cut the marshmallows, spread them out on a cookie sheet and cover with cheese cloth. Allow to sit till they dry out a bit (it make take a day or just over night). It also helps to add some starch (arrowroot powder to the spice mix, this helps pull out some of the moisture as well).

Pile the spiced marshmallows on to the squash.

If you decide to broil the tops...

Place the dish under the broiler for a few seconds or a bit longer, leaving the door open. Watch it closely. Remove when ready. You can also use a torch to toast the marshmallows if you have one)

Serves 4-6

Serve immediately.