I realize that most people show their crafty projects after the intended recipients have received them, but does it make any sense for me to show you a valentine craft project 364 days before valentines day 2010? I think not.

After these Fred Flare valentine hot chocolate packets were featured on Weddingbee, I remembered that one of the cookbooks I received for Christmas had a recipe for homemade marshmallows that all of the women back home were raving about. I wasn’t going to pay the insanely high price of $8 for a packet of cocoa, so I decided to come up with my own version. I don’t usually do step-by-step photos, because the lighting in my apartment is so awful, but with a project like this I thought you all might like to see how to make your own.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for brushing
4 pkgs unflavored gelatin
3 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Brush your jelly roll pan with vegetable oil. Cut a piece of wax paper and lay it on top of the oiled pan, and brush more vegetable oil on top. Set aside.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Pour 3/4 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let sit for at least 5 minutes.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Place 3 cups granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Take a moment to soak in exactly how much sugar marshmallows really contain.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Set saucepan over high heat and bring to boil.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Insert a candy thermometer, and cook until mixture reaches soft-ball stage (238 degrees F), which will be after about 9 minutes of boiling.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Using the whisk attachment beat hot syrup into gelatin on a low speed.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Gradually increase speed to high, beat until mixture is very stiff, somewhere around 12 minutes. Ooooh and aaaah as it turns white like magic. Beat in vanilla.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

What does very stiff mean exactly? I have no idea. I guessed it meant something like this.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Pour mixture into the jelly roll pan and let sit for 3 hours, or overnight. The picture below is of the marshmallows after sitting overnight.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Place 1 cup confectioners sugar in a fine strainer and sift onto a clean work surface. Invert large mashmallow onto the sugar-coated surface, and peel off the wax paper.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Take your heart shaped cookie cutter and dip it in vegetable oil.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Press down firmly, twisting a little at the bottom, to make sure you cut all the way through the ‘mallow.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Roll the marshmallow in the excess confectioners sugar.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Have a little fun playing with the leftover cutouts (please note, this step is unnecessary).

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Call your husband in and while pointing to your hearts say “Look how pretty!” (This step is necessary).

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Line up your hearts in neat little rows. Continue with the “Look how pretty!” statements.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Fill plastic baggies, one with hot cocoa mix, the other with marshmallows. Use your (new!) rotary paper cutter to cut out strips of red paper. Fold in half, and use hot glue gun to affix “i love you” ribbon to the front. Staple label to the top of the baggie.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

If you are really crafty, you will make sure the personal instructions look at pretty as the rest of your packaging. If you are me, you break out the ball point pen and scrawl across the back of the labels with your unsightly handwriting.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Don’t the hearts look so cute all smooshed together like this?

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

I couldn’t resist doing a little test run for myself. Isn’t that one of the sweetest sights you have sever seen?

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

Actually, 3 marshmallow hearts floating together in my hot cocoa cup might be the sweetest sight.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

No! No! No! The absolute sweetest is 5 marshmallow hearts, oooey and gooey and a little bit melty, floating together in my hot cocoa cup.

hot cocoa and marshmallow valentine

I’m so happy how this turned out, it’s definitely the cutest thing I’ve ever made. I’m going to keep the recipients of these valentines a secret so they can be surprised when they receive them.

What are you crafting for Valentines Day?

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