Matcha Green Tea Frog Marshmallows (beginner-friendly Piped Marshmallows)

I fell down a rabbit hole of cute piped character marshmallows and wanted to make my own. While I was in awe of all the complex shapes people could create, I wanted to make a design that was more beginner-friendly and forgiving.

While I think I focus more on the decoration, I will include the recipe I used, which is adapted from:

• this video by Cookingwithamyy
• this video by Manna-Tanuki
• this recipe for regular marshmallows by KawaiiSweetWorld

I also recommend this recipe from The Flavor Bender for a lot of information on troubleshooting homemade marshmallows.

Equipment:

• 2-3 piping bags
• sifter (to dust powdered sugar and cornstarch)
• saucepan and stove
• hand mixer or stand mixer
• spatula
• candy thermometer (optional)
• tray large enough to pipe your marshmallows on
• toothpicks

For the marshmallows:

Meringue:

• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon grams of sugar

Gelatin:

• 1/2 tablespoon of gelatin (around half a packet)
• 2 tablespoons of water

Sugar Syrup:

• 1/2 tablespoon of gelatin (around half a packet)
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 tablespoons of corn syrup

Additionally, you will need:

• a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar to coat the marshmallows (I used around 1/4 cup of each)
• 1 tablespoon of matcha powder
• Green food coloring (optional)
• Pink food coloring (optional)

For the decorations:

• chocolate
• small, round white (or light-colored) sprinkles

Sift a generous coating of the powdered sugar and cornstarch mix onto your tray.

Combine the 1/2 tablespoon of gelatin (around half a packet) with the 2 tablespoons of water, and set aside.

Prepare at least one large piping bag for the main frog shape and one small piping bag for the eyes. Optionally, prepare an additional small piping bag if you want to add pink cheeks.

I did not want to use as many plastic piping bags for such a small amount of marshmallow, so I created my own by folding parchment paper into cone shapes and taping them.

Alternatively, you can use two round piping tips (one large and one small) and a coupler for the green marshmallows, and switch the tip between piping the body and the details.

Whip the egg white until it reaches a foamy consistency. Gradually add the granulated sugar (1/2 a tablespoon at a time) and continue to whisk until it reaches stiff peaks.

Add the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons water, and 1/2 tablespoons of corn syrup to a saucepan. Heat on medium heat until it reaches a rolling boil, and let it boil for 1 minute.

If you have a candy thermometer, you would want to cook this until the mixture reaches 230°F or 110°C

Allow the sugar syrup to cool down a bit and slowly drizzle this mixture into the meringue, continuing to whisk.

Melt the bloomed gelatin, and add this to the syrup and meringue mixture. Whisk until it is just incorporated, but be careful to not overmix it or the marshmallow to begin to set. It should still have a runny consistency.

You will want to do the next few steps quickly as the marshmallow will begin to set rapidly.

If you are adding pink cheeks to your marshmallow, set aside some of the marshmallow in a small bowl.

Add your matcha powder, and mix it in with a spatula. If it looks too pale, add a drop of green food coloring.

Add most of the green marshmallow to the large piping bag (for the body). Add the remaining to the smaller piping bag (enough for the eye details).

If you plan on switching the piping tips to create the body and details instead of using two separate bags, use the larger piping tip on the piping bag first and switch it to the smaller tip when you are piping the details.

Repeat the steps with the remaining white marshmallow, this time dying it with pink food coloring. Add this to a small piping bag.

On the dusted trays, begin piping circles of green from your large piping bag.

Once all the large circles are piped, use the smaller piping bag and add two green circles for the eyes.

Note: If the marshmallow begins to set up as you are piping and you think you can remelt the gelatin a bit, it is possible to remove any metal piping tips and microwave it for 5 seconds or less to get it back to a workable consistency. However, this is not recommended, and if you do try it, it should not be done too often or the egg white will begin to cook and make a sweet, scrambled egg.

Add two pink ovals just under the green eyes to create the cheeks.

Using the sifter, dust a generous coating of the cornstarch and powdered sugar mixture over all of the marshmallows to keep them from being sticky.

Use a clean paintbrush to lightly dust off the excess powdered sugar from the marshmallows.

Melt the chocolate.

You can do this in whatever method you prefer, whether it is in a microwave or on a double boiler. Mine was done by heating it for 30 seconds in the microwave, then stired until it was all melted. A small amount of coconut oil can be added to keep it workable for a longer time.

Draw two circles with the chocolate to create the eyes. You can add a small, round sprinkle to create an eye-catch to make the marshmallows look cuter. Draw on a mouth to complete the face.

What I love about this design is that they are very forgiving and look cute even with mistakes.

If the marshmallow set too quickly and you end up with odd blobs, you can still add eyes and decorate them to look like slimes or chu chu jellies. The one pictured was done by adding a large round sprinkle over the chocolate eyes, then adding a pupil to the sprinkle with chocolate.

If you get a cone-shaped marshmallow without eyes, you can easily transform it into Oogie Boogie, a green alien, or whatever other creature your creativity takes you to make.