Healthier homemade, soft and fluffy marshmallows cut into adorable bunny shapes and covered in dark chocolate for the perfect springtime treat or healthy Easter dessert! Freeze dried blueberries give the marshmallows a beautiful purple tint and speckled robin’s egg effect. Making your own marshmallow is surprisingly easy and tastes so much better than store bought! This recipe is made healthier as it uses no corn syrup or starch and made with less refined sugars than conventional marshmallow recipes!
What Do These Healthy Homemade Marshmallows Taste Like?
These healthier marshmallows taste exactly like a marshmallow should: soft and fluffy, springy and chewy, and melt in your mouth. Homemade marshmallows are absolutely delicious and taste even better than any store bought variety. And the addition of the blueberry powder makes these simply irresistible! It adds a bright, sweet, and slightly tart flavor that goes so well with the classic vanilla marshmallow. If you’re possibly wondering, are homemade marshmallows worth it? The answer is YES, YES, A MILLION TIMES YES! Homemade marshmallows are fun and easy to make and such a delicious treat. Plus you’ll avoid any preservatives or science-derived ingredients!
Here’s why you will LOVE these Chocolate Marshmallow Bunnies!
- Fun and pretty easy to make!
- Homemade marshmallows are so much better than store bought.
- A healthier marshmallow recipe – corn free and uses less refined sugars.
- Dye free! Blueberry powder creates a natural speckled blue tint.
- Cut into any shape to make them festive! Cute bunnies make them a perfect healthier Easter dessert recipe.
What Ingredients Are Used to Make These Healthier Homemade Chocolate Covered Marshmallows?
This healthier homemade marshmallow recipe contains no corn syrup and is made with organic cane sugar, a less refined version of white sugar. Overall it has less sugar than a conventional marshmallow, but still just perfectly sweet. These healthier marshmallows are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and nut free.
Here’s a look at the ingredients and some possible variations:
- Cane Sugar – While I normally use coconut sugar whenever possible, unfortunately it does not work for a marshmallow recipe. Coconut sugar cannot heat to the correct temperature without burning. I use and love Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar.
- Maple or Agave Syrup – Instead of the conventional corn syrup, I use maple syrup or agave as the liquid sweetener. Of the two, I prefer maple syrup. The Whole Foods brand is reasonably priced and good quality.
- Gelatin – To get that fluffy, chewy marshmallow texture, gelatin acts as the thickener for the whipped sugar syrup. Great Lakes in my favorite brand. Be sure to use gelatin and not collagen.
- Vanilla – For the classic ‘mallow flavor.
- Salt – Just a little, for balance.
- Tapioca Flour – Instead of the conventional cornstarch or powdered sugar, I use tapioca flour to keep the ingredients on the healthier side making these marshmallows corn free.
- Freeze Dried Blueberries – To give these marshmallows that light blue tint and speckling without using food dyes, I use freeze dried blueberries blended into a powder.
- Chopped Chocolate – Use your favorite chocolate bar or chocolate chips. I use Theo’s Pure Dark 70% chocolate, it’s great chocolate, fair trade, and organic.
- Coconut Oil – Just a touch to help easily coat the marshmallows in chocolate.
How Do You Make Chocolate Covered Healthier Homemade Marshmallows?
Making homemade marshmallows is actually pretty easy! The only special tool you will need is a candy thermometer. If this is your first time using one, don’t let this deter you from make these, it’s really a simple (and fun) process!
Here’s a look at the steps:
- Let gelatin bloom with some water in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Make blueberry powder by blending freeze dried blueberries in a DRY blender.
- Heat sugar syrup in a small pot until mixture reaches 240 degrees. This will take about 6-7 minutes. Tt’s important to take it off the heat the second it hits this temperature. If this is your first time making candy or marshmallows I highly recommend babysitting the pot, because there’s nothing worse than cleaning burnt sugar. So, try not to walk away from the pot to say, fold some laundry, water your plants, or get sucked into tiktok, just pay attention to the thermometer.
- Whip sugar syrup with gelatin in the stand mixer for about 7 minutes. The mixture with thicken and fluff.
- Add vanilla and a dash of salt.
- Mix in the blueberry dust.
- Scoop into baking dish.
- Let set at room temperature, preferably overnight. After about 4 hours, I like to move it to the freezer, especially if it’s a warm day. These marshmallows are a bit stickier than average, so freezing helps cutting.
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
- Cut marshmallow. Use any cookie cutter you like! Or a knife/pizza cutter to cut into squares. I used the smallest in this adorable bunny cookie cutter set.
- Coat marshmallows in chocolate.
- Let chocolate set. Either at room temp or in the freezer.
- Enjoy!
These healthier homemade Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Bunnies are the perfect fun and festive treat to celebrate springtime or as a healthy Easter dessert recipe! Homemade marshmallows are surprisingly easy to make and infinitely better than store bought. The addition of the blueberry powder really makes marshmallows pop, and then covered in chocolate, I mean, c’mon! These cutie marshmallows are undeniably delicious!
More Springtime Recipes!
- Meyer Lemon Pound Cake (paleo)
- Lemon Blueberry Bread (paleo)
- Carrot Cake Muffins (paleo)
gluten free, grain free, dairy free, corn free, nut free
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If you make this recipe, please spread the love by leaving a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see and share your creation! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna in your feed or stories and I will share on my account!
Chocolate Covered Blueberry Marshmallow Bunnies
Healthier, homemade fluffy marshmallows cut in bunny shapes and covered in dark chocolate for the perfect springtime or healthy Easter treat! Freeze dried blueberries give the marshmallows a beautiful purple tint and speckled robin's egg effect. Made with no corn syrup and less refined sugars than conventional marshmallow recipes!
gluten free, grain free, dairy free, nut free, corn free
Ingredients
- 1 cup (34 grams) freeze dried blueberries
- tapioca flour for dusting (about 1/4 cup)
- coconut oil (about 2 tbsp) or cooking spray
- 1 cup water divided
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp gelatin
- 1 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 2/3 cup maple syrup or agave
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- dash salt
- 1 cup chopped chocolate of choice
- 1/4 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
Make blueberry powder. Blend the freeze dried blueberries in a DRY blender until it becomes a powder, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish by greasing with coconut oil or cooking spray ensuring the bottom and sides of the dish are well oiled. Add 2 tbsp of tapioca flour to the dish and shake it all around the pan so the entire dish is well dusted. Add an additional tbsp of tapioca if needed.
Bloom the gelatin. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with whisk attachment, gently stir 1/2 cup of water with the gelatin and let stand.
Make sugar syrup. Arrange a candy thermometer on a small pot and add the remaining 1/2 cup of water, cane sugar, and maple syrup and cook over medium high heat.
Cook the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees (this will take a few minutes, but be sure to watch the pot). Once it reaches this temperature, promptly remove from the heat.
Whip syrup with gelatin. Turn the mixer to low and while running, slowly (and carefully) pour the hot sugar mixture down the side of the mixing bowl into the gelatin. Once sugar mixture has all been poured into the bowl turn the mixer to medium high speed.
Whisk until the mixture is white, thick, and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes.
Add in the vanilla and salt and whisk again on high for another 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be glossy, thick, and still slightly warm. Add the blueberry powder and stir until just fully mixed.
Scoop marshmallow fluff into the prepared baking dish using a lightly greased rubber spatula and spread into an even layer.
Dust the top of the marshmallow with 1 tbsp of tapioca flour and let set for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. After 4 hours, place in the freezer to help reduce stickiness making cutting easier.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler or in short 5 second bursts in the microwave. Once chocolate has mostly melted, stir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Set aside to let cool for a few minutes while cutting the marshmallow.
Cut the marshmallows.
If using a cookie cutter: Keep a small bowl of warm water nearby to help the cutter easily slice through the marshmallow. Dip the cookie cutter in the bowl and shake off excess water between cuts.
If NOT using a cookie cutter: Use a well oiled pizza slicer or knife to cut the marshmallow into desired shapes/sizes.
Coat the marshmallows. Shake off any excess powder from the marshmallow and dunk into the melted chocolate, turn it over to coat completely, and use a fork to lift the marshmallow out of the chocolate. Tap the fork on the edges of the bowl to remove excess chocolate and place the coated marshmallow on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Repeat with all marshmallows.
Place in the fridge/freezer to set. Should only take a few minutes.
Enjoy! Once chocolate is firm.
Recipe Notes
Storage: These will keep at room temperature stored, in an airtight container, in a cool dry place for 2-3 days. Afterwards move to freezer for longer storage. (I prefer these straight out of the freezer!)
Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): bunny cookie cutters, candy thermometer, pizza cutter, silicone spatula, kitchen scale
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