Move over cupcake, there’s a new sweet in town! While once thought of as a mere adornment to hot cocoa, the marshmallow has been made over and is quickly becoming the dessert d’jour. Gourmet companies, like 240sweet, infuse their artisan marshmallows with over 70 different kinds of flavors, including root beer and peanut butter. And gourmet grocery stores, like Whole Foods, have moved them out of the baking aisle and into the much fancier prepared desserts section.
When I first spotted the beginnings of the marshmallow craze, I was a little dubious. I mean, I love me a good ‘smore, but I really didn’t think the gooey treat could stand on it’s own. Boy, was I wrong! The marshmallow mavens over at 240sweet recently sent me a few samplings and I couldn’t believe how delicious they were. Let’s start with the flavors…
I tried Root Beer, Peppermint, and Coconut Chocolate Chip. They were as tasty as they were innovative and scarily addicting. At first, I thought they might be too sweet, but the flavors were well balanced and I had no problem eating an entire pack in one sitting! I remember traditional marshmallows as really chewey with a hard exterior, which is why I always needed to melt them a little beforehand. But this new type of marshmallow is completely different. The texture is fluffy and sticky in that finger lickin’ sort of way (and yes, I did actually lick my fingers afterwards). And unlike frozen yogurt or cupcakes, this it-treat can be easily transported. Companies like 240sweet even offer a Marshmallow of the Month Club where they send you a pack of 3 different flavors every month.
As a self-proclaimed sugar fanatic, I am constantly looking for the new it-treat of the moment. And with the heyday of frozen yogurt being so 2008, and the cupcake way past its prime, I’m happy to welcome this new faze of sugary deliciousness!