These are a Few of My Favorite Things: Marshmallow Fluff. (And the best vegan marshmallow fluff recipe.)
March 25, 2018
In my youth, I had a thing for opaque white confections… marshmallow, nougat… To me, these were decadent treats far more alluring than chocolate and the multitude of brightly colored forms of cooked sugar. I knew them by brand names. Marshmallow Fluff and Charleston Chew (Not frozen, unless I’m at Prospect Pool in East Meadow and I stubbed my toe on the concrete on the way to the snack bar)… the white section in the Sky Bar… the blue-wrapped Brachs Royals… aaah
But it was spoonfuls of Fluff I remember most. I loved it so much I put the label on my crafted purse in my High School days. 
I have made it a mission to find enjoyable vegan marshmallow satisfaction the rivals these early food experiences. Since the start of vegan marshmallow products emerging, I have tasted with high hopes of regaining that sweet satisfaction. Documented on my earlier days of blogging here and here, my quest is as least a decade long. (Here I am in my old Brooklyn apartment in 2007.) 
But: I’m on hiatus from buying marshmallow products since my most favorite marshmallow treat is no longer. (I did not take it very well; R.I.P. Sweet & Sara) Now I am more motivated to try to satisfy myself, to be in charge of my own marshmallow destiny lest it be yanked away again. I’ve had many marshmallow adventures in my quest, but feel I’ve found the best recipe for marshmallow fluff thus far. I discovered it whilst making vegan macarons from Floral Frosting‘s wonderful recipe.
I am posting it here, slightly adapted, for ease of repeated use and in homage to vegan trailblazers who don’t give up.
The Best Vegan Marshmallow Fluff
3/4 cup aquafaba (liquid drained from one can of chickpeas)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Step 1: Reduce the Aquafaba
Reducing in cooking means cooking out the water to thicken and enhance flavor. Reducing aquafaba gets it to the consistency of egg whites. Drain the aquafaba directly into a glass measuring cup. It should be about 3/4 cup. Pour the aquafaba into a small saucepan and keep the measuring cup next to the stovetop. Simmer over a medium heat until it has reduced to 1/3 cup. I poured the simmering aquafaba in the measuring cup several times after a good 5 minutes of boiling. Once it was 1/3 cup, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Whisk the Aquafaba
Pour the reduced aquafaba into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla and whisk until well combined. Then add the rest of the sugar and whisk at high speed until it is glossy and thick like marshmallow fluff.
Step 3: Lick the Whisk Attachment
Lick all the spokes of the whisk attachment in a delicious and rewarding feat of tongue dexterity.
[…] I love Floral Frosting‘s macaron recipes. I may have said this before. Here is my version of them in my characteristic over-explanatory fashion. Note that the start of them are the same steps in creating the best marshmallow fluff (previous post). […]