Hello readers!  I’ve got another guest post today.  Jen at Beantown Baker is blogging this awesome dessert recipe to help spread the word about a cause near & dear to her heart.  I’m so honored she wanted to use my blog as an outlet to spread the word.  So read on to learn more, and find out about these delicious treats!

Pumpkin, apples, and cranberries tend to dominate recipes at this time of year. I thoroughly enjoy each of those ingredients, but October also makes me think PINK. As many of you know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

If you’re anything like me, you or someone you know has been touched by this horrible disease. Within the last 9 months, my Hubby’s mother and a dear friend’s mother were both diagnosed with early stages of breast cancer. My own mother is a survivor (8 years this year!)

I have made breast cancer awareness and fundraising a personal mission of mine. I have walked three Avon Walks (I plan to walk all 9 of them), organized Bloggers Bake for Hope, and created the Power of Pink Challenge five years ago. Through this challenge, I ask that fellow bloggers make something pink to help raise breast cancer awareness (non-bloggers are welcome too). This year, each participant will be entered to win a $100 donation to a charity of their choice.

I decided it would be fun to make some pink raspberry marshmallows to participate in my own challenge. Have you ever had homemade marshmallows? If not, I highly recommend making some. They are at least a million times better than store-bought. Possibly more like a billion. And they get super gooey when mixed into hot cocoa or melted into a s’more.

I searched for raspberry marshmallow recipes online and most of them used raspberry flavoring and food coloring. I decided to take a shot at just using raspberry puree in my favorite marshmallow recipe and it worked beautifully. These marshmallows have a delicate raspberry flavor and a pretty pink color. I couldn’t be happier with them! I can’t wait to stir some into a mug of hot cocoa.

If you would like more information on the Power of Pink, including how to participate, click here.

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Pink Raspberry Marshmallows

Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Directions:

Place raspberries and their juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. You should get 1/2 cup of raspberry puree.

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with raspberry puree. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown