Little Mermaid Sea Foam Marshmallows - Alison's Wonderland Recipes (2024)

Today we’re continuing our Hans Christian Andersen recipe series with sea foam marshmallows from The Little Mermaid! Most of us were first introduced to the story through the 1989 Disney movie, but the original story has some key differences. SPOILER’S AHEAD!

In Andersen’s version, the little mermaid (who goes unnamed throughout the story) does not win the love of the prince in the end. He falls in love with another girl, and the mermaid succumbs to the witch’s spell and dissolves into sea foam. Not exactly the happily ever after we got from Disney, but don’t weep just yet. Another thing Disney left out of the movie is that the prince’s love isn’t the mermaid’s primary goal. She wants to receive an immortal soul, and to do that, she must obtain the love of a human. Although she turns into sea foam, her unselfish efforts in pursuit of love (which culminate in sacrificing her own life rather than kill the prince to save herself from the witch’s spell) earn her a second chance at a soul. Though she was born a spirit of the sea, she is allowed to become a spirit of the air, which allows her to obtain a soul after 300 years of kind, generous acts.

Today’s recipe commemorates that fateful moment when the little mermaid makes the ultimate sacrifice and is rewarded with another chance for her greatest wish. When I first decided to make sea foam, a few different foods came to mind (marshmallows, of course, but also honeycomb candy and cotton candy). I tried making a colored version of honeycomb candy since I had just finished developing a basic version for my cookbook, but the colors dulled and didn’t blend right. I wasn’t in the mood to fuss over cotton candy, so I tried making marshmallows swirled with iconic mermaid colors: pink, purple, and light blue. I’m so glad I did! The vibrant colors and light, foamy texture had me fantasizing about the light of a pink and purple sunset brushing the crests of gentle ocean waves.

“As the days passed, she loved the prince more fondly, and he loved her as he would love a little child, but it never came into his head to make her his wife; yet, unless he married her, she could not receive an immortal soul; and, on the morning after his marriage with another, she would dissolve into the foam of the sea.”

— The Little Mermaid

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp cold water
• 1½ Tbsp gelatin powder (2 0.25 oz packets)
• ¼ cup room temperature water
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp corn syrup
• ¾ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract (I used this because it’s what I had on hand, but coconut extract would be even better!)
• Neon food coloring gel (magenta, purple, and teal—the colors will lighten considerably when mixed in)
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• You will also need a candy thermometer

Makes 16 2-inch round marshmallows

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. Line an 9×9-inch baking pan with tinfoil. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
   2. Add cold water to the bowl of a standing mixer. Sprinkle in gelatin and stir gently to combine. Allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
   3. While you wait, add room temperature water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Do not stir. Heat on medium high until the mixture reaches 240-250° (approximately 10 minutes), swirling the pan occasionally.
   4. Turn the mixer on low for 30 seconds to break up the gelatin, then very slowly pour in the hot sugar mix, taking care not to touch the sides the pan. Gradually increase the speed to the highest setting and beat until the mixture is white and opaque and the bowl is almost completely cool to the touch (approximately 10 minutes). Beat in the vanilla.
   5. Scoop 1 cup marshmallow mix into a bowl. Quickly and thoroughly mix in 6 drops magenta gel coloring.
   6. Repeat Step 5 with purple coloring.
   7. Mix 6 drops teal coloring into the remaining marshmallow mix. Scoop the pink and purple marshmallow back into the large bowl with the teal marshmallow. Give the mix 2-3 stirs to lightly combine. Quickly scrape the marshmallow mixture into the foil-lined pan, spreading quickly until even. Don’t worry about getting the mixture perfectly flat in the pan. It’s pretty difficult to get marshmallow to sit super flat, and you don’t want it to set before you’re finished working with it. If you really want that flat top, just flip the cut marshmallows over when you’re ready to serve.
   8. Whisk together cornstarch and powdered sugar and sift a tablespoon over the marshmallow mixture. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to set overnight.
   9. Sift approximately ¼ cup of the cornstarch mix over a cutting board and overturn the set marshmallow onto the board. Coat a 2-inch cookie cutter with cooking spray and cut out shapes.
   10. Add to a bowl and toss in remaining cornstarch mix. To store, tap off excess cornstarch mixture and place in a large sealed plastic bag.
   11. Serve to a little mermaid who has just gained an immortal soul!

Check out my other fairy tale recipes! 🙂

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