My Valentine-for-life is a curious mix of rugged and nerdy. He enjoys football, guns, archery, digging in the yard, blasting electric guitar, building projects, winter camping and fast hikes through the woods. At the same time he’s an unapologetic history geek — bring up Medieval times or the Stone of Scone and he’ll happily launch into a lively, detailed monologue.
He’s thoughtful in small, unexpected ways. Once, when we had a push mower, he’d walk ahead and sweep his feet to encourage any small animals to scurry away. After decades of rarely dancing, he took tap lessons with our eight-year-old just to share the fun. He hung Christmas lights over the boys’ beds to help them feel safer in the dark. He carries our tiny chihuahua inside his hoodie like a baby and plays acoustic guitar with gentle skill. When I was nauseous and craving hot fries after a hospital visit, he politely asked the drive-through worker if she could give us fresh-from-the-fryer fries — the kind of small kindness that sticks with you.
I adore him and his quirks.
He prefers milk chocolate and loves coffee — two personal preferences I don’t share, but which make gift-giving easy. To make something special for him, I combined his favorites into heart-shaped, coffee-flavored marshmallow pops dipped in silky milk chocolate. They’re sentimental, tasty, and perfect for Valentine’s Day or game-day treats.
You can keep the marshmallows simple — make them rectangular or skip the sticks — but I like using sticks for easier dipping and neater eating. If ribbons are your thing, tie a festive bow on the stick for presentation. Whatever you choose, these marshmallows are a fun, thoughtful way to combine coffee and chocolate into a handheld treat.
Mocha Marshmallow Pops
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
For the Coffee Marshmallows:
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (about 0.75 oz)
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coffee extract
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
For the Mocha Marshmallow Pops:
- Pop sticks
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or shortening
Instructions
To Make the Coffee Marshmallows:
- Line an 8 x 8- or 9 x 9-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil the surface. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water and let it soak for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Once boiling, let it boil hard for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Carefully pour the hot syrup into the soaked gelatin. Using the whisk attachment, start the mixer on low and gradually increase to high. Add the salt and beat for 10–12 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy and cooling toward room temperature. Add the coffee extract and beat briefly to incorporate.
- Grease your hands and a rubber scraper with a neutral oil. Transfer the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and press it evenly with greased hands. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap to seal and let it set for several hours or overnight until firm.
- Generously dust a cutting surface with confectioners’ sugar. Invert the marshmallow slab onto the sugared surface, dust the top, and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter (or another shape) dipped in confectioners’ sugar to cut pieces. Depending on cutter size you’ll yield 4–12 pieces per slab.
To Make the Mocha Marshmallow Pops:
- Insert a pop stick into each marshmallow and place them on a parchment- or wax-paper-lined sheet. Freeze for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours) before dipping.
- Combine the milk chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat 45 seconds on high, stir, then continue in 10-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Let the chocolate rest 5 minutes at room temperature.
- Remove the marshmallow pops from the freezer and dip quickly into the melted chocolate, letting excess drip off, or drizzle the chocolate over the pops with a spoon. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition tool.
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These mocha marshmallow pops are an easy, charming dessert that blends coffee flavor with creamy milk chocolate. They make a thoughtful homemade gift, festive party treat, or a kid-friendly activity for creating seasonal sweets together.