Introduction: Vegan "Flødeboller" (Marshmallow Kisses)

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About: Inspired by my cat Chili, who is full of fun and energy, I like to share about food and other home crafts with a new twist of 'chili'-fun. (This user was previously called Snowball10)

I think these "flødeboller" are currently one of the most tempting treats to make for me and my family. They are so light and creamy with some crunch, and then they contain CHOCOLATE!

Flødeboller is the Danish word for these delicious treats, and the closest translation I could find was marshmallow kisses, which I will call them from now on.

The problem for many is that these treats are not vegan -- they contain eggs. For a long time I have wanted to make some that were vegan, but it was not until I learned how to make vegan meringue, that these fluffy, chocolatey, crunchy bites became a reality.

See the next step for the secret and totally weird ingredient that makes this happen! Enjoy!

Step 1: Marshmallow Creme

The marshmallow creme is a meringue made with hot syrup. The special thing about this marshmallow creme is that it is vegan -- which means it has no eggs!

Instead of whipped egg whites, I used whipped chickpea water. (Yeah, I didn't believe this either when I saw it -- that is, until I tried it myself!)

So what you need to do is this. Drain a can of chickpeas (Picture 1) until you have 2 Tbsp. chickpea water (Picture 2). Use the chickpeas for hummus, falafels, or throw them in the freezer for later. Pour the water into a bowl and add a splash of lemon juice (Picture 3 and 4).

Whip the chickpea water with a hand mixer until you have soft peaks (Picture 5). (You need a hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment for this. A simple whisk and hand power will take way too long time!)

While you are whipping the chickpea water, bring 60 g. (=60 mL) of syrup or honey (I used Danish sugar-beet syrup) to a boil. If you don't have syrup, you can make one from 50 g. sugar and 1 Tbsp. water. Do not let the syrup boil too long. (Picture 6) Note: I have recently seen on the internet that the syrup should reach 118 degrees Celsius (144 degrees Fahrenheit), but I have not thus far tested the temperature when I have made the marshmallow kisses.

When the chickpea water has been whipped to soft peaks, slowly pour in the boiling syrup while whipping. Continue whipping another 15-20 min. until you have a shiny, very hard foam that almost clumps around the whisks. (Picture 7 and 8)

Congratulations! You have now made you vegan marshmallow creme and the most essential part of your marshmallow kisses!

Step 2: Chocolate

The chocolate is almost as important to the marshmallow kisses as the marshmallow creme itself. So choose a good dark chocolate.

Unless you eat the marshmallow kisses while the chocolate is still melted -- like we did -- the chocolate should preferably be tempered. But it is not so hard as you might think. Here is the simple method I use that requires no thermometer. (You might recognize this method from my instructable Healthy Frozen Snickers Bars. I learned it from Alexandra Whisnant.)

First, prepare a water bath by placing a heat-resistant bowl over a pot with boiling water.

Next, prepare the chocolate. You need 100 g. of dark chocolate. Chop it up really small (unless you are using chocolate chips) and then place 1/2 of it in the bowl. Let it melt undisturbed until you can see the outermost chocolate pieces have begun spreading and the rest of the chocolate is glossy. Now, stir the chocolate, and if there are any more lumps, let them melt.

When the chocolate is nice and melted and smooth, remove the bowl from the pot, wipe the bottom, and add the unmelted chocolate to the melted. Stir until everything is smooth again, and voila! tempered chocolate ready to use.

(To be sure the chocolate is tempered, you can dab a small amount of chocolate under your lower lip or on your wrist. It should feel cool. If it feels warm, add some more chopped chocolate or just let the chocolate cool while stirring. To be 100% sure the chocolate is tempered, put some on a cold plate and let it harden. It should be glossy and snap when broken.)

NOTE: When water steam begins to escape from under the bowl, remove the pot from the heat, so that no moisture gets in the chocolate. If the chocolate will not melt, return the pot to the heat. Always be careful that no water gets in the chocolate, as that will ruin it. Please note that chocolate should never be melted directly in a pot on the heat. It can, however, be melted in the microwave.

Step 3: Assembling

The base of the marshmallow kisses consists of sweet crackers (English biscuits). However, some people use slices of marcipan (almond candy dough) instead.

This recipe makes 6 large marshmallow kisses or about 8 normal sized, so you need 6 to 8 sweet crackers depending on the size of the crackers. Place them on a couple of plates.

Put the marshmallow creme in a piping bag. The shape of the tip is irrelevant, as everything will be smoothed out when the chocolate is brushed on. If you don't have a piping bag and tip, just use a ziplock bag or other plastic bag and cut off the corner. Pipe the marshmallow creme onto the crackers.

Pour the chocolate onto the marshmallow creme and spread it out with a brush so that it covers the creme. This can be a bit messy and perhaps not so pretty, but it tastes good anyway!

If you want, sprinkle some desiccated coconut on some or all of the kisses (I think they are not complete without it , and others would rather be without).

Step 4: Enjoy!

If you want the chocolate crackly, refrigerate the kisses for a few hours -- otherwise enjoy!

These kisses do not hold up well to storage, as the marshmallow creme will start to collapse. But if the marshmallow creme is whipped really well, it can last till the next day. But who wants to wait that long?! Enjoy!

If you like this, please vote for me in the sugar contest. And if you try it, please post some pictures. Thanks!

Step 5: Quick Tip for Parties

This is a simpler way to make the marshmallow kisses if you are making a lot for a party or potluck or something like that.

I baked a lot of small sweet crackers (3 cm. in diameter). When they were cool, I placed a small piece of Viennese/German nougat (a chocolate and hazelnut praline) on each cracker and then topped off with marshmallow creme. Instead of chocolate, I just sprinkled with cocoa powder and some coconut.

Easy! And the guests ate them all -- that's a good sign!