Cinnamon Churro Marshmallows Copycat Recipe Gluten Free or Homemade Marshmallows

Name: Gluten Free Churro-Cinnamon Marshmallows (or other flavors)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup water (divided); 1 tablespoon gluten free unflavored gelatin (Knox); 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup light corn syrup; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or to taste); 1/4 teaspoon LorAnn Oils cinnamon spice emulsion (see above link, or more vanilla, or to taste); 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or to taste)

Homemade Gluten Free Cinnamon Churro Marshmallows with the following variations: Strawberry, Vanilla, Candy Cane, Hot Chocolate, Lemon, Almond, Chocolate-Almond, Chocolate-Cinnamon, Shortbread, Chocolate-Shortbread, and More!

There is nothing like homemade marshmallows. They are softer and more flavorful. Think marshmallow fluff but sturdier, and they can be turned into any flavor you want. The Cinnamon Churro Marshmallows flavor is made up of cinnamon-flavored marshmallows with a crunchy sweet cinnamon texture on the outside. They’re unique and addictive. Unfortunately, this flavor of Smashmallows brand is not gluten free. So, take the time to make them yourself. It’s pretty simple. You have to try this recipe at least once.

Calories in the Homemade Version

Each 1 x 3/4 x 1/2-inch piece is only 14 calories. Plus, there’s no fat in marshmallows, making it great for a weight-loss treat. Can you tell that I’m excited? I am! These are really good! I’m going to try my strawberry idea next. (See the Tips section below for multiple variations.) Enjoy!

Smashmallows “Cinnamon Churros” Are NOT Gluten Free

The Cinnamon Churro flavored package of Smashmallows lists “malt” in the ingredients list, which usually indicates that it contains gluten (barley to be exact). However, some other flavors appear to be gluten-free such as the strawberry flavor.

Where to Purchase Smashmallows

You can purchase Smashmallows at Target stores offers the Cinnamon Churros flavor for $3.79 for each (4.5 oz.) package. Vitacost.com offers the same size for $3.22 each. Then, Amazon offers 12 (1.15 oz) packages for $41.16 (that’s $3.43 for very small packages with free shipping). Just read the labels carefully to avoid any gluten-containing versions. So, all-in-all, not only do you save tons of money by making them yourself, but you can make multiple variations and flavors. Your friends will be making requests. Just wait and see.

This recipe is available to everyone.

Gluten Free Churro-Cinnamon Marshmallows (or other flavors)

Homemade Cinnamon Churro Marshmallows taste like cinnamon in the inside and have the texture of churros on the outside. They're so addictive!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Marshmallows:

1/2 cup water divided
1 tablespoon gluten free unflavored gelatin Knox
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or to taste
1/4 teaspoon LorAnn Oils cinnamon spice emulsion see above link, or more vanilla, or to taste

For the Cinnamon Sugar:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or to taste

Instructions

To Make the Cinnamon Marshmallows:

Oil an 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan or dish; set aside.
In the heat-proof bowl of your mixer, fitted with the whisk/balloon attachment, beat together only 1/4 cup water and gelatin powder on low speed; set aside.
In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, add the remaining 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, corn syrup, and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the mixture reaches soft ball stage, 240°F. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon emulsion..
Slowly pour the mixture into the bowl of bloomed gelatin and beat on low speed. Slowly increase speed as you add more hot liquid. At this point, if your mixer’s bowl has a splash guard, cover the bowl with it and beat on high speed for 15 minutes.
Scoop the whipped marshmallow into the prepared pan/dish and smooth out as best you can; set aside for 5 minutes.

To Make the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:

Combine the 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle some on top of the marshmallow in the pan. Pat the cinnamon-sugar into the marshmallow.
Invert the marshmallow pan onto a baking sheet or sheet of parchment paper, wax paper, or clean brown bag paper. Sprinkle and gently pat the top and sides with more cinnamon sugar. Begin to cut the large piece into smaller pieces, all the while, dredging all sides into the cinnamon-sugar. You can just keep cutting the pieces of marshmallow smaller and smaller. Just realize that they begin to increase in calories the smaller they are due to an increase in cinnamon-sugar. If you make them about 1×3/4-inch square and 3/4-inch high, you’ll make about 100, which makes them about 14 calories each and 3.5 net carbs (3.6 total carbs). You can cut them the same size as Smashmallows which is about double this size, making them about 28 calories each.
Store your marshmallows in a zippered storage bag or sealed container.

Tips

Variations:

Churro Cinnamon Rice Treats: Add some gluten free crispy brown rice cereal to the cinnamon sugar for a crunchy version.
Strawberry: You can use LorAnn Strawberry Emulsion (which will turn the marshmallows light pink) in place of the cinnamon and roll them in a mixture of crushed dehydrated strawberries (from Trader Joe’s) and sugar.

Vanilla: You can replace the cinnamon emulsion with additional vanilla extract and dust them with powder/confectioners’ sugar.

Chocolate: You can make the marshmallows as is with the cinnamon emulsion and then dip one side in n melted gluten free chocolate to make a cinnamon-chocolate flavor. You can also coat the chocolate with minced nuts of your choosing.

Lemon: Use lemon emulsion instead of cinnamon and roll them in a mixture of 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar + zest of 1 lemon.
Candy Cane: Replace the cinnamon emulsion and replace with mint extract. Then roll the marshmallows in a mixture of sugar and crushed candy canes or a mixture of half white and half red sugar.

Hot Chocolate: Roll them in gluten free powdered hot cocoa mix.
Almond: Replace the cinnamon emulsion with almond extract and dredge them in minced almonds.

Shortbread: Replace the cinnamon emulsion with more vanilla extract and roll the marshmallows in crushed gluten free shortbread. Or, dip one end in melted chocolate and then in shortbread crumbs.
Others: Use other LorAnn Oils emulsions to make your favorite flavors from root beer (which will create a root beer float flavor) to pumpkin to cheesecake.

Carla

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View Comments

Ariel says:

May 13, 2021 at 9:22 pm

At what point do you add the vanilla extract and cinnamon emulsion? The instructions missed that step.
- Carla says:
  
  May 14, 2021 at 10:22 am
  
  Ariel,
  
  You add the extract and emulsion when you remove the liquid mixture in the sauce pan from the heat. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
  
  Carla