National Marshmallow Day Gourmet Style

Tuesday, August 30 is either "National Toasted Marshmallow Day " or simply "National Marshmallow Day" -- your Chocolate Priestess found both variations on the various food fun calendars and resources I turn to when I want to find another opportunity for you to enjoy a bit of chocolate.  Once more we have some offerings from the good ladies at 240sweet who have sent three more flavors of gourmet marshmallows our way.

The first of these is a "Cookies & Cream" variety that is basically their handmade white marshmallow coated in chocolate cookie crumbs.  Wouldn't it be awesome if they could mix the cookie crumbs into the marshmallow?  I wonder if that would change it too much chemically and make it not turn into the soft solids we can marshmallows?

As you can see here these are a big size so I often cut them in half or quarters to use.  I used these both on their own, very soft and sugary with a good cocoa cookie taste on the top, but also between two graham crackers and melted for just 10 seconds in the microwave. This isn't a 'smore because it lacks the chocolate candy or chocolate piece melted with it.  The resulting softer marshmallow is very very sticky and gooey, it stuck to the plate, to my teeth, to my partner's chin, which made it both messy and fun to eat.  Plus I could taste the chocolate cookies so it was pleasing on a cocoa level which is what we want here on The Chocolate Cult.

Finally I got to try the Dark Chocolate variety of marshmallows and I was as impressed as I was promised I'd be by the ladies from 240Sweet plus a few readers and friends who have tried these.  Just like with all their marshmallows this is all natural though they don't list cocoa, cocoa butter, or anything like that only "natural flavors" here.  But it certainly tasted and smelled like darker cocoa to me.

I used it in two ways.  First I roasted two of them and unlike previous attempts where pieces like chips or sugar or whatever would have fallen off and burned, these marshmallows are simply solid chocolate flavor.  I used them to make whole grain pseudo-s'mores meaning I didn't add extract chocolate to them.  Didn't need the extra chocolate and it still tasted very chocolaty.  It was, however, very sticky to eat so be prepared to wash off plates and yourself vigorously.

Second, I cut up one and put half of it in two mugs of white hot chocolate.  They looked beautiful, sent out a nice cocoa scent and then with a bit more heating in the microwave I got mine to fully melt and it added a good cocoa kick to the creamy white hot chocolate.  Eating them without letting them melt intensified the cocoa flavor of them but left the cocoa very creamy which I'm not terribly fond of personally -- your Chocolate Priestess wants here cocoa buzz!

You can order from 240sweet or you may find them at local shops or events around central Indiana.  Here is Samantha at my local Bloomingfood store back in July promoting their 4th of July specials of red, white, and blue marshmallows.  As you can see she loves her job and marshmallows.  They have a lot to be happy about because this summer they've been noticed by several big names in entertaining like Martha Stewart.  But they are still Indiana Artisans just of the fluffy, puffy kind.