Homemade Fried Bubblegum

Today the Texas State Fair announced their list of Fair Food Finalist!  Each year the most unique foods are entered, and previous winners have been fried butter, fried bacon, fried twinkies, fried snickers, fried frito pie... are you seeing a trend? 

Here is the list of finalist this year:

• Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack
• Deep Fried Pineapple Upside Down Cake
• Deep Fried Texas Salsa™
• El Bananarito
• Fried Autumn Pie
• Fried Bubblegum
• Hans' Kraut Ball
• Walking Taco

I'm interested to try the Texas Salsa, which is salsa rolled in masa, then deep fried.  But the Fried Bubblegum is what really caught my eye.  I mean, how do you fry bubblegum, and why would you fry bubblegum?  Well, it's actually bubblegum flavored marshmallows that has been battered and deep fried.  I couldn't wait!

Really, I couldn't.  I had to try to make it! As soon as my older kids got home from school, we went to our local Michael's, in search of bubblegum flavoring,  Sadly, Michael's doesn't carry a large selection of imitation flavoring.  However, the lady my daughter had asked to come help us said that SHE had some at home, and that she just lived right around the corner, and she was already off work.  Danielle had just snagged her as she was walking out the door!  I'm going to stop right now and tell you that she is the nicest lady I have ever met!  Thirty minutes later we have a brand new bottle of bubblegum flavoring, and exchanged phone numbers, and promised to bring her a sample of our creation!  People in Texas are the nicest in the world!!!

I found a recipe for homemade marshmallows, put a video on for my three year old, and we began destroying the kitchen!  The marshmallows themselves were pretty easy, except that my 3 year old ran in and dropped our prepared pan, scattering powdered sugar and corn startch everywhere!  We got so excited when the concoction turned a recognizable marshmallow cream white!

I wasn't sure how the marshmallows are battered, but I thought a french toast batter sounded the most appealing.  We divided up the marshmallows, and began frying.  It only took a few to decide that we had to dip them in egg and then in flour, otherwise the marshmallows just melted away!

Once they were all cooled, we all sat down and tried them.  Wow!  It's just such an unusual taste!  You really can't describe it or compare it to anything else, because your brain wants you to c-h-e-w!!!   But they are good, and really sweet. I don't know if we will make any more fried bubblegum in the near future.  For one thing, like most things deep fried, it doesn't keep well.  Once they cool, they are soggy.  But I can't wait to try them at the State Fair.  Every thing is better at the fair, anyway.  Just the excitement of being there, and the anticipation of standing in line has it's own flavor!

   Here is the recipe we used. 
Ingredients:

• Powdered sugar
• Cornstarch
• Unflavored gelatin
• sugar
• Light corn syrup
• Bubblegum flavoring

• In a wax paper lined 13 x 9 x 2 inch-baking pan, sift 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, covering the bottom of the pan.
• Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin and 1/3 cup water in a bowl you can place in a water bath.  Let set for about 5 minutes.
• Place the bowl in a larger pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.  Add 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved.
• Remove bowl from the warm water and slowly drizzle 3/4 cup of corn syrup in while beating with an electric mixer for 10 minutes until creamy and thick. Add your flavoring, 1/4 teaspoon was all we needed.  Different brands concentration will differ.  Mix until flavoring is incorporated.
• Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.  Let it set for about 20 minutes. 
• Lift the set marshmallows out of the pan and place onto a cutting board.  Cut the marshmallows into squares.
• Mix a 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar and 1/2 cup of cornstarch.  Dredge the pieces in confection's sugar and cornstarch.  

))) You can stop here and have some really good marshmallows  (((

To Deep Fry:

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs mixed
• 1 cup flour
• Crisco oil

• Pour oil into pan so you have at least 2",   Heat to a temperature of 345 to 375 degrees Farenheit.  The oil needs to be hot because you are going to cook quickly, otherwise the marshmallow will just melt into the oil, which, trust me, makes a huge mess! 
• Dredge your marshmallow in the egg, then in the flour.  Make sure all the marshmallow is covered in flour, otherwise the marshmallow will escape, making a huge mess!
• Fry on each side about 10-12 seconds, and quickly remove from the oil.  Set on wax paper to cool. 
• Sprinkle powdered sugar on marshmallows.  The State Fair ones will have icing on them as well, but trust me, they don't need any more sugar! 

Enjoy!!! We had a blast making these, and we made some awesome memories, as well!!