Don’t feel like orange marshmallows? No problem. Swap the orange juice for water, leave the zest out and add extracts as you like. Peppermint is great at Christmas, aniseed at Halloween maybe, or just add more vanilla. There are so many flavours to choose from and you can make them all using this recipe.

You’ll make two mixtures: one with the gelatin and flavorings and the other with the sugars. The first sets while the second cooks until the candy stage (right when it hits ‘hard-ball’). Then you’ll whip them together until the liquid becomes a giant marshmallow fluff. It will need to rest to firm up and then you’ll cut and dust them in powdered sugar. That’s it! Key points Meanwhile make the marshmallows: put the sugar, liquid glucose and 200ml water in a heavy-based saucepan set over a low heat. Heat very gently until the sugar dissolves, then turn up the heat and cook until the mixture reaches 125ºC on the thermometer. Meanwhile, put the 20 gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water to soak. Once the syrup reaches about 110ºC put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until they form stiff peaks (where the peaks of egg white won’t fall over on themselves when you lift out the beaters). As soon as the syrup reaches 125ºC, remove it from the heat and, with the mixer still whisking, pour the syrup gently into the egg whites, trying not to hit the side of the bowl or the beaters with the hot syrup, as it will solidify. Once all the syrup is incorporated, squeeze out the water from the gelatine leaves and add those too. Remove the pan from the heat and with the whisk in the stand-mixer running on low, slowly pour the syrup into the gelatine mixture.Standouts include a chocolate space shuttle with surrounding candy planets and sweet and savoury hot cross buns to cater for every craving. Chocolate eggs While you are waiting, put the gelatine leaves into a small bowl of water to soften. When the temperature reaches 115-120°C (239-248°F) on the thermometer, start to whisk the egg whites in your food mixer or with an electric hand whisk until just stiff. What’s more, you know exactly what is in them and you can choose how big you want to make them. Eat them straight from the jar, add them to hot chocolate or, if you really want to be good to yourself, toast them!

Best luxury fruited hot cross buns - see how our consumer panel ranked supermarket rivals in a blind taste test Need to get set for Easter? We've rounded up the standout Easter eggs, hot cross buns and seasonal specials on sale at the major supermarkets to help you plan your Easter shopping - and find the best treats for your tastes. Though it sounds cliché, homemade marshmallows really are so much better than store-bought. Try making them at home and you’ll never want to buy them again. Remove the beaters, and add an additional 1-2 TBSP raspberry syrup. Using the spatula you greased earlier, stir the mixture 1-2 times to just barely incorporate the raspberry syrup, while leaving a swirled, streaky look. Marbled eggs are a big theme this year, with several supermarkets selling pretty swirled designs. Lidl's luxury options look suitably high end, though it also has plenty for kids, and some smaller (and cheaper) luxury egg designs too.You see, one of The Husband’s favorite treats is hot chocolate. He’s had one almost every evening recently, and lately he’s been topping them with whipped cream… a sweet, creamy reminder of how long it’s been since I’ve made marshmallows. There are some things in this world that just go together. Hot cocoa and marshmallows. Raspberries and chocolate. Raspberry marshmallows and hot chocolate. You see where I’m going with this?

Sugar: You’ll need two types of sugar – white granulated and icing (powdered) sugar. Granulated in the marshmallows and icing sugar to coat them. Let it set 8 hours or overnight (best). Then drop the marshmallow out of the tin onto a chopping board. Use a greased knife to cut it into squares (photo 13), then dust them in a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour (cornstarch) (photo 14). In the bowl of your mixer, combine ½ cup raspberry sauce with the gelatin, and let sit for a minimum of 5-10 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom. Have your mixer plugged in and ready to go. Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup. IMPORTANT! Once boiling, do not stir the syrup. You can very gently swirl the pan a couple of times during the process to make sure it’s cooking evenly but don’t be vigorous and definitely don’t stir. Once you’ve finished whisking the marshmallow mixture, use a spoon to fold the raspberry coulis gently through the marshmallow mixture to create a rippled effect.To make the marshmallow, put the sugar, glucose and 200ml/7fl oz of water into a heavy-bottomed pan and stir. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the mixture reaches 127C/260F on a sugar thermometer. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.) The best marshmallows are made at home and I’m not exaggerating one little bit. These caramel marshmallows are fun to make, actually pretty easy and taste of rich homemade caramel. Orange zest: You don’t absolutely need orange zest but I do highly recommend it. The zest has a lot of intense orange flavour and works beautifully in these marshmallows.