Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts Recipe: chewy vanilla marshmallow centers wrapped in silky chocolate with a tender bite and a light snap. I made this for anyone craving a cute homemade candy for gifting or parties, and you can finish a batch in about 1 hour including cooling. I tested these while my kid raided the sprinkle drawer, so I took very thorough notes.
Why You Should Try This Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts Recipe
Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts Recipe gives you plush, bouncy marshmallow inside and a glossy chocolate shell outside. The hearts look bakery-level, but you can pull them off with basic tools. They pack and ship well, so you can share them without drama.
You control flavor and sweetness, which beats store candy. Use dark, milk, or white chocolate and switch up extracts for fun twists. Heart-shaped cutters do the cute work for you.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unflavored powdered gelatin: 3 envelopes, about 21 g total (Knox works great)
- Cold water: 1 cup total, divided
- Granulated sugar: 1 1/2 cups, 300 g
- Light corn syrup: 1 cup, 320 g (prevents crystallization and keeps marshmallow tender)
- Fine sea salt: 1/4 teaspoon
- Pure vanilla extract: 2 teaspoons (swap almond, strawberry, or peppermint for a twist)
- Confectioners’ sugar: 1/2 cup, for dusting
- Cornstarch: 1/4 cup, for dusting
- Chocolate for coating: 12 ounces dark, milk, or white chocolate, chopped (Guittard, Ghirardelli, or Callebaut melt smoothly). Pantry shortcut: use chocolate candy melts to skip tempering.
- Neutral coconut oil or cocoa butter: 1 to 2 teaspoons, optional for easier dipping if you skip tempering
- Optional add-ins: pink gel food color, Valentine sprinkles, flaky salt
Substitutions and shortcuts:
- No candy thermometer: use candy melts and skip tempering, or use a thermometer app probe if you have one.
- No stand mixer: use a hand mixer with a deep bowl and whip a few extra minutes.
- Time saver: buy candy melts and large store marshmallows, cut marshmallows into slabs, and punch hearts with a dusted cutter. The texture runs firmer than homemade but still tastes fun.
Equipment:
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment or a hand mixer
- Medium heavy saucepan
- Candy thermometer
- 9×13 inch pan for thinner hearts or 8×8 inch pan for thicker hearts
- Parchment paper
- Sifter or fine mesh strainer
- Heart-shaped cookie cutters, 1 to 2 inches
- Offset spatula
- Microwave-safe bowl or double boiler
- Fork or dipping fork
- Baking sheet
How to Make Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Set time: 30 minutes
Total time: about 1 hour 5 minutes
- Line and dust the pan. Line your pan with parchment and let it overhang for easy lifting. Sift together confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch, then dust the pan generously.
- Bloom the gelatin. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of your mixer. Sprinkle gelatin over the water and let it sit while you cook the syrup.
- Cook the syrup. In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup water, and salt. Set over medium heat, stir just until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and clip on the thermometer. Cook to 240°F, the soft-ball stage, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Start the mixer and stream in the syrup. Turn the mixer to low. With the mixer running, carefully pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the bloomed gelatin.
- Whip until thick and glossy. Increase to high and whip 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture triples in volume and falls off the whisk in a thick ribbon. It should feel slightly warm, not hot.
- Flavor and color. Add vanilla and a drop or two of gel color if you want pink hearts. Mix to blend.
- Spread and set. Scrape the marshmallow into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Dust lightly with the sugar-cornstarch mix. Let it set at room temp 30 minutes, or cover and leave it up to 4 hours.
- Prep the dusting bowl. Sift the remaining sugar-cornstarch mix into a shallow bowl for coating cut hearts. Dust your cutters so they don’t stick.
- Cut hearts. Lift the marshmallow slab out by the parchment. Press out hearts, re-dusting the cutter as needed. Gently toss each heart in the dusting mix and tap off excess.
- Melt or temper the chocolate. For candy melts or chocolate with a bit of coconut oil, microwave at 50 percent power in 20 to 30 second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. For real temper: melt dark chocolate to 113 to 118°F, seed with a handful of finely chopped chocolate, stir to cool to 88 to 90°F, and keep it there while you dip.
- Dip the hearts. Set each heart on a fork, dunk, and tap the fork on the bowl to knock off extra chocolate. Slide onto parchment and add sprinkles or a pinch of flaky salt.
- Set and serve. Let the chocolate firm at room temp 15 to 25 minutes, or pop the tray in the fridge for 5 minutes. Share or box them up for gifts.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a light spray of oil on the parchment, then dust, to prevent sticking.
- Keep a small bowl of hot water near the cutters and wipe them often for clean edges.
- Hit 240°F on the syrup for bouncy, not rubbery, marshmallows.
- Use candy melts if tempering stresses you out. The finish will still look shiny enough for gifting.
- Warm the chocolate gently and keep the bowl on a folded towel to hold temperature.
- Add a tiny bit of coconut oil for easier dipping, but go light so the shell still snaps.
- Store some hearts undipped for a soft, sugar-dusted option.
- Flavor swaps: almond extract, peppermint, or strawberry extract each works at 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.
What to Serve with Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts
Set out the hearts with fresh strawberries, raspberries, or orange segments for a bright contrast. Pour coffee, hot cocoa, or black tea, since a little bitterness balances the sweet bite. For a party tray, add shortbread, pretzels, and roasted nuts so guests can mix crunchy and soft. If you want a plated dessert, tuck two hearts beside a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Store dipped hearts in an airtight container with parchment between layers at cool room temp up to 5 days. Refrigerate up to 7 days if your kitchen runs warm, then bring them to room temp before serving so the chocolate softens slightly. Freeze up to 2 months in a well-sealed container, then thaw overnight in the fridge and 30 minutes on the counter to avoid condensation.
You don’t reheat these candies. If the chocolate looks dull after chilling, let the hearts sit at room temp and the gloss often returns. If you want to refresh the coating, dip them in a thin second layer of melted chocolate and let them set again.
Nutrition Information
Per heart, based on 24 hearts with dark chocolate: about 120 calories, 5 g fat, 19 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 2 g protein, 20 mg sodium. Actual numbers vary by chocolate choice, size of cutter, and sprinkle load.
Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.
- Dip each marshmallow halfway into the melted chocolate.
- Place dipped marshmallows on parchment paper and allow the chocolate to set.
- Refrigerate for 10 minutes to harden the chocolate.
- Serve and enjoy your Chocolate Marshmallow Hearts.