Tis the season to be green. In your annual time of giving, I am sure many of you are contemplating giving to your favorite green charities. Here is another green that you can give to loved ones. This one is especially good as favors or as treats to children celebrating the holidays at schools. I made a batch which took approximately 2 hours to make 65 wreaths. That, I is think, is real value for time!

Here’s a recipe for marshmallow cornflake wreaths, I found the original one in Rose Beranbaum’s book, Rose’s Christmas Cookies. I have made a few changes, mostly in the amount of vanilla and green colour, so the recipe is still hers. 

Holiday Wreaths

Ingredients.

4 cups cornflakes

7.5 oz. vanilla marshmallows (3 cups)

1/2 c (one stick) butter

1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon green liquid color

Red cookie icing.

The cooking process in the recipe is quick, so ensure that you have all your ingredients measured or weighed out before you start. Also, if you are like me, ensure that you know where you have kept each one of these!

Cover 4 large cookie sheets with wax paper or parchment paper and grease them lightly with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan till frothy. Add the marshmallows all at once. I used homemade tahitan vanilla marshmallows made by my dear friend Pia. These really elevate these treats to some kind of a special dessert. 

Stir the mixture on low heat, till the marshmallows have dissolved and the mixture is one bubbly glob. At this point add the vanilla and green liquid food coloring and mix well. Be cautious here because the marshmallow mixture will splatter with the addition of these liquid ingredients. 

At this point transfer the mixture to a hot water bath (see note). Drop a tablespoon full of the mixture onto the greased cookie sheet and shape into a wreath (a ring) using lightly greased fingers. These will probably be an inch and a half in diameter. Work fast as the marshmallow mixture begins to harden and becomes less pliable.  

Let the wreaths set in a cool, dry space overnight. Use red cookie icing to pipe dots all around once the wreaths have set. Admire the pretty greens and eat them as soon as you can!

The Red Cookie Icing can be made by mixing 3 drops of red liquid food coloring with 3/4 cups of confectioner’s sugar. You can add additional confectioner’s sugar, if required. You do want a thick icing, not one that simply coats the back of a spoon. 

The hot water bath is created by placing the bowl with the marshmallow mixture in a larger bowl with an inch of very hot tap water. I transfer the mixture to a glass bowl before immersing in a hot water bath because glass is a slow conductor and retains heat for longer periods of time.

The homemade marshmallows have real tahitian vanilla bean, so I have used 1/2 teaspoon vanilla less than recommended in Rose’s recipe. 

Happy Holidays! Enjoy!