Peru: The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

The much-anticipated Great Peruvian Adventure, starting with the Salkantay Trek, got off to a rocky start. Chris and I intended to fly out Friday afternoon, arrive in Cuzco early Saturday morning, and then spend our first day in the city acclimatizing and resting up before trekking.

Campsite at Suyroquocha

However, an egregious airport error meant we missed our Friday flight, so we didn’t arrive in Cuzco until Sunday morning. Instead of resting up for a day, we quick-quick dropped off some things at our hostel, stopped by a grocery store to buy trekking food—bread, salami, cheese, granola, trail mix, cookies, peanut butter—and found the collectivo (shared van) stop for Mollepata.

The Salkantay Trek starts at Mollepata and ends at Machu Picchu, and is considered by National Geographic to be one of the top 25 treks in the world. It’s a solid alternative to the Inca Trail and (to our advantage) requires no permits or advance planning. You can do this trek with a guided group (most people do) and they will carry all your things and cook your food and you will have a lovely time I’m sure. However, the route is super simple, so if you’re cool with carrying your own stuff true backpacking style then I vote just do that. Obviously we did the latter.

From Mollepata (sidenote: a town made for me?!) we caught a ride to Soraypampa (10 soles per person), effectively skipping the first (boring) day of trekking up a dirt road. As our car wound up into the mountains, our driver peeling giant tangerines as he went, we caught our first glimpse of MOUNTAINS—the huge Apu Humantay right in front of us. He dropped us off at the edge of a village and we strapped on our packs to start day 1 around 2pm, after almost 24 hours of transit and very little sleep. 

Back side of Humantay as seen from Salkantay Pass

There were other groups hiking up the valley, so we hiked along with them, trekking through llama herds, along a creek, and then up up up towards Salkantay, a Proper Pointy Peak if I’ve ever seen one (though only the 12^th highest in Peru, it’s the it is the second most topographically prominent, meaning high compared to the other things around it).

Apu Salkantay

 There was a large group of encouraging and enthusiastic Irish trekkers starting around the same time we did, so w followed them for significantly longer then expected (but if they can do it so can we!?) arriving at Suyroquocha (4480m/14,694ft), the campsite just below the pass, around 5:30 pm.

We crawled into our tent, slowly consumed sandwiches between trembling fingers, and burrowed into our sleeping bags. We were slightly suffering some negative elevation effects due to our rapid ascent from effectively zero to almost 15,000 feet in just 24 hours (plus the Irish trekkers informed us that it got down to negative 9 that night, which in ‘Murican is 17 degrees!!!).

We awoke early for the final assault on the mountain (why is it always called an “assault”? So violent!), fueled by a breakfast of cookies and peanut butter (we didn’t bring a stove since you can’t fly with fuel, and for only a couple days camping it didn’t seem worth the effort). From our campsite to the pass was a short hike very steep up and then THIS.

Salkantay Pass

We spent a while on the pass (4600m/15,090ft), feeling on top of the world (or at least in close proximity to the mountains that seemed like the top of the world).

Salkantay Pass

About ten minutes into the descending hike we saw a couple and their guide coming across the rocks on what was barely a trail. Is it worth it? We asked. Yes definitely!  They said. So we did our own brief off-roading excursion and LOOK WHAT WE FOUND.

Lake at Salkantay Pass

 A million pictures later we began our descent in earnest. At the base of the mountain we arrived at Huayramchay—which is not quite a village but has a few structures catering to trekkers—very tired and pretty dehydrated. I spent a steep but 100% worth it 10 soles on a Gatorade, followed by 10 soles each on an incredibly satisfying lunch of soup and bread and pasta and pollo saltado (us gesturing and looking hopeful: Comida? Dinero? Quantos por favor?)

The rest of the day was spend going down down down, the trek descending from high mountain moonscape to semi-tropical studded with flowers and vines and green. [Pro tip: wear pants or bug spray, the area is rife with sand flies that leave some of the worst welt-like bites I’ve ever experienced.] We finished in the town of Colpapampa, where we set up our tent on someone’s lawn for the cost of 3 soles.

The next day was an up-and-down walk along a river, giving our very sore calfs and quads a semi-break, until La Playa. People do trek all the way from La Playa to Machu Picchu (via Llactapata), but we had neither the days nor the interest (apparently it’s not a particularly beautiful walk), so we hailed a ride to Hydroelectrica, and from there hopped on the train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu.

Bus ride up to Machu Picchu

 Aguas Calientes is a quirky and picturesque little tourist-trap of a place, reminiscent to downtown Siem Reap (next to Angkor Wat). The food is pretty good though and the pisco sours are delish (everywhere is “happy hour” all the time), so it’s worth staying there for a night pre-Machu Picchu. From Aguas you can either hike or take a bus up to the Machu Picchu entrance for $24 USD (everything about the Machu Picchu experience is absurdly expensive so you just have to keep reminding yourself, Seven Wonders of the World, Seven Wonders of the World).

Machu Picchu from the Montana

 And Machu Picchu itself is pretty cool. We had tickets to hike up the montana (of course), which is about 2 hours up stairs on stairs on stairs to see Machu Picchu from high above. 

Always stairs

It was 5 million degrees out (or maybe high 70s, but goshdarnit I was wearing pants as bug protection), but we spent significant time (with significant crowds) wandering the ruins, petting baby llamas, and imagining life as ancient Incans.

Afterwards we enjoyed one last lunch in Aguas Calientes before taking the very fancy train back to Cuzco. The train, though luxurious, was loooong and I felt sorry for the very clean, very not smelly, older couple across from us...thus are the side effects of walking (for days) to get to somewhere...

One last view of Machu Picchu

Peru: Rainbow Mountain & Trekking the Ausangate Circuit

The Ausangate Circuit has to be one of the most insanely spectacular least-known treks in the world. It's one of the highest in Peru -- never dropping below 14,000 feet -- including 4 mountain passes, continuous glacial views, multiple high-altitude lakes, and thousands of alpacas. 

Ausangate from the way up to Arapa Pass

Chris and I had been referring to Salkantay, the first trek of our 12-day Peru trip, as our warm-up trek, but Ausangate was the main event and primary motivation for going to Central Peru. Though rarely featured on top-whatever listicles, Besthike (a rather insider source) ranks it as the fourth best in the world. Let me tell you guys, I think that might be right. There wasn't a moment that wasn't spectacular, and I don't use that word lightly. The trek traverses the Cordillera Vilcanota, circumnavigating Apu Ausangate, the fourth highest mountain in Peru at 20,945 feet, and offers insane views all the way.

Laguna Uchuy Pucacocha (I think)

Our advance planning for this trek, however, was (typically) minimal. We thought that the Rainbow Mountain (Vinecunca) was part of the Circuit, but turns out it's not! Luckily we popped into a travel company on our one day in Cuzco between treks and met the most helpful man who enabled us to do ALL THE THINGS. 

Chris taking pictures on the way to Campo Pass

Just in case you want to recreate, here's the short version of our itinerary:

Day 1

• Get picked up at 3am, drive to the start of Vinecunca/Rainbow Mountain hike, hiking by 7am.
• Hike up to Rainbow Mountain and back [~5-6 hours]
• Drive to Lower Upis and meet up with horseman [~3 hours]
• Hike to Upper Upis [~2 hours]

Day 2

• Hike starting at Upper Upis  >>>  Arapa Pass (4757m/15,600ft)  >>>  along Laguna Uchuy Pucacocha and Laguna Jatan Pucacocha (lakes)  >>>  Apacheta Pass (4850m/15,908ft)  >>>  Laguna Ausangatecocha [~6-8 hours]

Day 3

• Laguna Ausangatecocha  >>>  Palomani Pass (5165m/16,941ft)  >>>  Pampacancha (village)  >>>  Campo/Jhampa/Jampa/Q'ampa Pass (4850m/15,908ft)  >>>  Jhampa Campsite [~10 hours]

Day 4

• Jhampa Campsite  >>>  Laguna Q'omercocha (lake)  >>>  Pachanta (town) >>> Tinki (town) [~5 hours]
• From Tinki you can take a taxi or local bus (10 soles) back to Cuzco. [~4 hours]

Ausangate + alpacas

Now for the narrative.

We started our first morning at long-before-morning o'clock (i.e. 3 am) to drive to the Rainbow Mountain (Vinecunca). This is a simple but challenging out-and-back hike (no guide necessary) that starts at 4326m/14,189ft and climbs to 5,020m/16,466ft in just 2-3 hours. But if you're feeling lazy or sick (don't be lazy or sick!) you can hire one of the many local Quechua to lead you on the back of a horse the last section up. We, of course, were on a tight time table, so we did it quick-quick, but spent a while at the top taking pictures because duh. I was SO into this you guys. I'd been seeing pictures of this for weeks, but in person it was just...wow. So much wow. 

It's impossible to get the full sense from pictures, but this ridge is quite high, with glaciers behind and miles upon miles of colorful red ridges contrast with clear blue sky ahead. If you look behind my head in the picture you can see (very tiny) the saddle, where there's a little rock structure at the immediate base of the rainbow part and many people stop. But you must walk up the mountain to the opposite to get the full view. Again, wow. 

Rainbow Mountain/Vinecunca

We learned later that the Rainbow Mountain was covered under a permanent blanket of glacial snow until a couple of years ago, so being able to see it today is a disconcerting mix of sad from a global warming perspective but amazing from a things-I-get-to-see-in-my-life perspective. Sigh. At least they're limiting where you can walk now (stay on the trail!) to try to preserve its awesomeness. 

A 3-hour car ride later, our true trek started in Upper Upis (aka Upis Alto) at a breathtaking (literally) 14,035 feet.

Because of our Rainbow Mountain morning, we didn't meet up with Pablo Santiago (our hired horseman/guide/cook) and his trusty steed (henceforth known as "Caballo") until 4:30 pm. Pablo loaded Caballo with a stove and fuel, food, and our tents, while our backs carried the rest of it all. 

We trekked for a solid two hours through alpaca farms and fields, coming closer and closer to a cloud-enshrouded mountain in the distance. That night we spent in a "home stay" -- basically someone's shed turned into a bunkhouse -- since it was super windy, completely dark, and kinda raining when we finally finished walking. 

Upon arrival, our first of many communication woes with Pablo ensued. Conclusion: he wasn't down to cook us dinner (unclear why...to our detriment we speak very little Spanish and 100% zero Quechua, the local language). So after a solid 7-hours of extremely high altitude up-and-down hiking we inhaled some bread and salami and cheese and lay down to sleep, tightly sealed into our sleeping bags against the uncomfortably large spiders that infested the house. (Ok fine fine they were totally normal-sized, but I still didn't want them snuggling with me.)

Day 2

The next morning we awoke long before dawn cracked to the sounds of Pablo cooking. Oatmeal with raisins and sugar?! we thought hopefully, as we had purchased 5 days worth of delicious hiking food for the three of us and were really hoping to actually eat some of it. It was not to be. He presented us with heaping plates of a boiled rice and fried pasta mixed together, with a few tomato slices and salt on top. Weird. Unexpected. Ok.

Our first full Ausangate day (technically day 2) was quite a day. It started with the climb to Arapa Pass (4757m/15,600ft). We acquired a joyous perro (= dog) along the way who had absolutely no problem running ahead of course. We learned later that he belonged to an alpaca herder who is friends with Pablo, but enjoys joining trekkers for long sections of their hike. 

Arapa Pass was shortly followed by a gentle down then a very steep up to our first lakes of the trek. [Pro-tip: fill your water bottles where the trail crosses the stream at the mouth of the first lake, as there is literally no water for hours after that point. We learned this lesson the very hard and veerrryyy thirsty way.]

Arapa Pass + Perro

The first is Laguna Vinecocha, then you skirt upwards to its south side and pass by Laguna Uchuy Pucacocha and Laguna Jatan Pucacocha with rocky redish steeps to your right, views of Ausangate across the lakes to your left, and alpaca and sheep farms right in front of you. I think Chris probably averaged one picture for every five minutes of trekking -- totally reasonable considering the prevalence of Proper Pointy Peaks (PPPs). We'd seen a group of French people first thing in the morning, but other than that just one American couple the whole day. But the area certainly wasn't deserted -- local Quechua, tending their flocks (?) of alpaca, walk up and down these passes constantly, the women dressed in colorful skirts and sanq'apa (traditional hats elaborately decorated with sequins, flowers, rick-rack, and beads) and the men sporting cowboy hats on top of colorful chullo (Andean ear flap llama or alpaca wool hats).

Laguna Jatan Pucacocha + alpacas

The next pass of the day (we were in a haze of dehydration at this point) was the Apacheta at 4850m/15,908ft. Since we were already so high at the lakes it didn't feel like much of a climb, but the subsequent steep down down down afterwards belied its pass-worthy-ness. Our day's trek concluded around 1:30 pm at Laguna Ausangatecocha where you pay 10 soles per person to a Quechua lady to camp. The lake sits in between a high glacier and an alpaca-studded valley with red and brown hills in the distance. Pretty freaking cool.

Laguna Ausangatecocha

Upon arrival, Pablo, realizing our super thirsty state, made us a whole pot of tea and commanded us to "augumenter" (which turns out is not a word in Spanish...what was even happening?) our cups again and again until we finished it all. We hoped for something delicious and satisfying for dinner (as apparently Pablo doesn't believe in stopping for lunch), only to be unpleasantly surprised by the exact same rice-pasta-tomato situation we'd had for breakfast. We groaned, morosely shoveled it in, laid down for a long night in the tent, comforting ourselves in the knowledge that we'd just completed an 8-hour trek in 6 and our campsite was SUPER amazing -- yet another one for the REI catalog collection.

Laguna Ausangatecocha Campsite

Same campsite, different angle.

Day 3

The next morning started with exceptionally early tea in our tent, followed by a confusing but thank-God-it's-not-rice/pasta/tomato breakfast of pasta (sigh), a whole sweet potato, and a cup of oatmeal. I will never not be confused by our food on this trek. Then off we went up the very steep trail out of the valley of our lake, alongside the glacier, and up to Palomani Pass, the highest of the circuit at 5165m/16,941 (some sites claim 17,056) feet. We were the first to get up there, which was obviously awesome.

On the way up to Palomani Pass looking back at our campsite

Chris on top of Palomani Pass

The trail down led along a long dusty mountainside to the valley and village of Pampacancha below, with mountain views and alpacas all the way (of course). We walked along Rio Chilcamaya past the village then skirted around some boggy flats (Pampa Jatunpata) before starting northwest up along the Rio Jampamayo. This view distracted me from my very tired feet.

Pablo + Caballo
I think this is Senal Nevado Pico Tres, but I'm not 100% sure.

Chris and I were under the impression that we'd be done by 1:30 (Pablo had said something around 10:30 about us finishing in 4 hours) and were looking forward to it. Going over high mountain passes is tiring work! But as we passed by the village of Jampa and continued to carry on we started to get a little bit concerned and a little bit upset. 

When we finally caught up to Pablo (he tended to take the horse waaaay far ahead of us and then sit on a rock chewing coca leaves until hola amigos! we arrived and then he was off again), we asked him how much further and he responded with a shrug, tres horas mas o menos. TRES HORAS?!? What. No. How. I was none too pleased about this scenario but resigned myself to plod along as long at it took. (We realized later that when we'd thought he said 4 more hours what he really said was we'd be finished at 4pm. Very different for tired trekkers.) I gave Caballo my sleeping bag to carry, because really I have nothing to prove here. 

The ensuing hike up the valley, however, was absolutely stunning as we walked directly at a range of unknown peaks (later identified as Senal Nevado Pico Tres and Nevado Puca Punta).

On the way to Campo Pass.

We were shocked and confused to go over what appeared to be a very significant but completely unrecorded pass late in the day -- beautiful and cairn-covered as it was -- and assumed it was oddly missing from our map. The sign at the top said Jampa Pass, which was not listed in our Lonely Planet Trekking in the Central Andes (blog research recommend this book for its descriptions of the trek, even though it's been out of print since 2002).

So what happened?? At a long airport layover on the way home, intently consulting the internet and our guidebook, we realized that Jampa is the same as Q'ampa is the same as Campa is the same as Campo pass (which was in our book). So it turns out that Pablo, our tricky tricky horseman, led us over THE TWO HIGHEST PASSES on day three. No wonder I was tired beyond tired. But also, look!

Campo/Jampa/Jhampa/Q'ampa Pass

Did Pablo drag us over an additional peak because he was so impressed with our fitness and had overwhelming faith in our astounding pass-hiking abilities? Or was it a more selfish motivation, knowing that the sooner we finished the sooner he could go home and pocket the extra day's pay? Or -- and after much debate we think this is the most likely answer -- our guidebook map, which we used to point out the location we wanted to camp, has the town of Jampa labeled (which is before the pass) but as of 2013 a bunch of new campsites have been built and Jampa is the name of a campsite on the other side of the pass. So Pablo probably did what we asked (camping at Jampa), it just wasn't what we thought we were asking for.

Conclusion: learn Quecheua. Or Spanish. Or just suck it up and keep waking and enjoy the hot soup and yet another stunning campsite at the end.

Jampa Campsite, view of Apu Ausangate

Day 4

After one final freezing night (temperatures during the day were in the 60s and 70s, but at night dropped to the high teens), we awoke looking straight up at the pointiest view of Apu Ausangate yet. Ok ok Ausangate, you win. Though breakfast was again rice/pasta/tomato/salt...so there's that. 

[Day 4 pictures to be added in the next couple days (my camera died) -- check back they're good! For now here's a picture of an alpaca.] 

This was a downhill day, first alongside Laguna Ticllacocha (swoon) and then one of my favorite views of the trip -- wetlands looking back at the mountains bidding us adios. Shortly after that it was just a long dusty road down past Pachanta (a town that a lot of treks stop in) to Tinki. Then from there we sprinted to catch the 2 pm bus back to Cuzco, a shower, and a hot meal of pollo a la brassa. 


What a trip.

Cake of the Week: Pink Velvet Raspberry Cheesecake

You may have heard we had a bit of a snowstorm here on the East Coast last weekend. I worked from home on Friday, fitting in a mid-day tempo run just as the first flakes began to fall. By Friday night it was a blizzard, and by Saturday morning the outside world was a blur of of whitish gray with earth, trees, houses, and cars barely differentiated from the sky.

Sunday was all clear and blindingly sun-shiny, but my usually mobile urban life was severely and snowfully restricted. There was literally no public transportation open all weekend and just walking (or more accurately, trekking/plodding/swimming through feet of heavy powder) a couple blocks constituted an epic journey.

But journey I did! After two days of barely leaving the house I needed to get outside. And like the crazy person I am, I needed to run. So I tramped to a gym, paid a drop-in fee, and found myself treadmill'ing next to SpeedyKate for fourteen miles .

Strategic distractions aside (X-Games viewing, episode 3 of Serial, and many many songs on Pandora's No Diggity station), spending fourteen miles on a treadmill gives one a lot of time to think. So I thought about cheesecake. And then I journeyed home and made it happen.

I have concocted many a cheesecake in my day, but this might be the best one yet. It is super light and creamy, much more mousse-like than the New York style heavy cheesy cheesecake. The buttermilk, vinegar, and hint of raspberries makes it delightfully tangy but the Oreo crust is there to remind you that this is definitely a decadent dessert.

To be honest, the whole raspberry part wasn't planned, but rather a reaction to the fact that I never have red food coloring. And I'm so glad that was the case! There is still some food coloring in this cake (I mixed some pink and magenta and yellow and brown like the mad scientist/artist that I am), but the raspberries add such a nice hint of flavor! And the cake really is beautiful, no?

Pink Velvet Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• Crust 
• 2 cups Oreo crumbs (about 20 normal Oreos)
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• Cheesecake filling
• 24 oz cream cheese, room temperature (three 8 oz packages)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup raspberries (either fresh or frozen and thawed), blended in a food processor to smooth out the seeds
• Pink or red food coloring (optional)
• Whipped Cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a food processor combine Oreos and butter until it looks like sand.
3. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
4. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
5. Cheesecake filling: Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
6. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa with an electric mixer until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl
7. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
8. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries and buttermilk until smooth.
9. Add the sour cream, buttermilk/raspberries, vinegar, vanilla extract, and food color (if using) to the main bowl. Beat until well combined.
10. Pour the filling into the crust.
11. Fill a pan (like a 8x8 or something like that, the size doesn't really matter) with water and place it on a lower rack in the oven.
12. Put the cheesecake in the oven on a middle rack.
13. Bake for 2 hours. To see if it's done, gently shake the cake -- if the center looks liquidy then keep baking.
14. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.
15. Crack open the oven door and leave the cheesecake in there for another 20 minutes.
16. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack (in the fridge if you're in a hurry, or overnight -- cheesecake is actually best made one day in advance). The cheesecake should be completely cooled before the whipped cream part. 
17. Whipped Cream: With a mixer on high, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until it's thick, then smooth on the top of the cake. 
18. To serve, run a knife under warm water before slicing.
19. YUM.

Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't say I'm much of a football fan (shocking I know from a girl who blogs about books and baked goods). I'm not anti-football, I'm just indifferent as to who throws a thing or kicks a thing or wins or loses or runs where on the field over an insanely stop-and-start 5-hour televised experience.

Football related snacks, however, are a completely different story! I will cheer for whomever's team of choice if there are ample snacks provided. And I'm happy to do some snack providing of my own.

Recently my roommates and I hosted a huge pre-football brunch. Chilaquiles, pancakes, eggs, cinnamon rolls, and bacon. So. Much. Bacon. As the crew settled into couches and chairs in a food-coma football daze, Steph and I decided that the time was finally right for a much-anticipated bacon chocolate chip cookie experience.

The bacon is candied!!!

But how much bacon is enough? How much is too much? Like the (mad) scientist we are, we decided to conduct some A-B testing.

The base recipe is compliments of Steph's recipe box (have I mentioned that I now live with another avid baker!?). We made half the recipe as "Medium Bacon" cookies -- meaning that they included ample candied bacon. The other half -- "Very Bacon" -- we took things to a whole other level and used bacon grease instead of butter (I KNOW), in addition to the candied bacon pieces.

We thought there would be a clear winner, but results were shockingly mixed! "They're chewy and crispy at the same time!" shouted one friend. "So much bacon," sighed another. "Just so much bacon."

I preferred the Very Bacon version, while there were others who preferred the Medium Bacon. We concluded that if you're going to eat multiple cookies at once then the Medium Bacon were the better choice, while the Very Bacon were more intense and thus more of a one-off eating experience.

I'll leave the recipe choice up to you. Either way, these are an excellent contribution to any party, football or otherwise.

Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 package (12 oz) bacon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 2/3 cups whole or rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups (1 bag) chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup butter (OR 3/4 cup solid cooled bacon grease -- note that we had bacon grease reserved from our morning bacon experience)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. To candy the bacon: Lay bacon strips on a baking sheet with raised edges (so the grease doesn't ruin the inside of your oven). Mix maple syrup and brown sugar and brush over bacon. Bake at 350 degrees until crispy (20-ish minutes). Once bacon is cooled, use your hands to break them into little pieces. 
2. To powder the oats: Pulse the oats in a blender until coarsely ground.
3. To make the cookies: Mix sugars and butter (or bacon grease). 
4. Mix in egg and vanilla.
5. Mix in dry ingredients (dough will be very crumbly, you may need to use your hands).
6. Mix in bacon pieces and chocolate chips. 
7. Using your hands, form dough into 2-tablespoon sized balls and place on a baking sheet.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 
9. Cool and enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

Making marshmallows is like making magic. Watch the silky soft semi-translucent peaks of egg whites transform into thick and shiny white swirls of marshmallow before your eyes. Create a substantial and yet pillowy light something, then slowly but surely watch it dissolves into nothing when plopped into a mug of hot chocolate. Sounds like sorcery or legerdemain, but really it's simple science and love. 

When most people think about marshmallows, they think toasted s'mores around a campfire, they think a handful of those mini dry things in their hot chocolate, they think Lucky Charms cereal or Easter Peeps or some other kid's candy. And don't me wrong, those are all great things. But what if we thought about marshmallows as something a little more sophisticated? A homemade confection, coming in limitless flavors, to be eaten alone as a bonbon or luxuriously melting into a mug of hot chocolate or coffee. A gift for friends, a treat worth bringing to a party. That is the kind of marshmallow I'm talking about. 

The mass-produced kind are fine, but homemade marshmallows will change your life. Or, your marshmallow life at least. They're so fun to make, require minimal ingredients, and once you start making your own you'll never go back. Here's a basic vanilla recipe. You can also experiment with different extracts for different flavors -- imagine a peppermint marshmallow in your hot chocolate! An almond marshmallow covered in coconut flakes! This really is the perfect winter treat. 

Vanilla Marshmallows

Ingredients:

• 2 envelopes powdered gelatin 
• 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup corn starch

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water until it's dissolved (do this before you start anything else -- it can sit for a while). 
2. In a small pot over medium heat, mix the sugar and corn syrup with 1/3 cup water. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pot. 
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer) beat egg whites until frothy, then add a pinch of salt.
4. When the syrup in the pot reaches 210ºF/99ºC, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat the whites until stiff peaks form (see this image if you're not sure what that means).
5. When the syrup reaches 245ºF/118ºC remove the pot from the stove and slowly pour the hot syrup into the whites while the mixer is running on high (if you're using a hand mixer you'll probably need a trusty assistant to hold the mixer while you pour).
6. Scrape the gelatin/water, which should be pretty solid, into the pot that you used for the syrup (no need to wash it hooray!). Warm it until it melts to liquid. 
7. Pour the liquified gelatin slowly into the whites as the mixer is running (again, you may need a trusty assistant). Add the vanilla extract and continue to whip for at least 5 minutes, until the outside of the bowl feels completely cool when you touch it. 
8. Mix powdered sugar and corn starch in a small bowl. Use a sifter to thoroughly and completely dust a 9x13 pan with the mixture (you don't want any of the pan showing, or else the marshmallows will stick). You should use about 2/3 of the mixture.
9. Use a spatula to spread the marshmallows in a layer on the pan. Allow to dry uncovered for at least 4 hours, or overnight. 
10. Dust the top of the marshmallows with the rest of the powdered sugar/corn starch mixture. Use a pizza cutter or scissors to cut the marshmallows into any size or shape pieces that you’d like. I prefer large squares about the size of a coffee mug -- you can imagine why. Roll the edges in the powdered sugar/corn starch mixture to make sure they're not sticky on any sides. 
11. Shake the marshmallows in a wire strainer to remove the excess powder.
12. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
13. ENJOY!!!