Can I skip dehydrating the marshmallows?

Sure, but you'll end up with all the problems I outlined above. If you don't want to spend time minding marshmallows in the oven, set them out to air dry for the simplest possible way.

Can I just buy dehydrated marshmallows?

Sure, but they're many times more expensive that drying them yourself at home. These Hampton Dehydrated Marshmallows are $11.50/pound vs. like $2 for a bag of fresh marshmallows. The price difference should always lead you to DIY this situation. The one exception is marshmallows from cereal like Lucky Charms which are already dry. They will be more expensive in comparison, but sometimes you want the look of novelty marshmallows.

How far in advance do I need to dehydrate the marshmallows?

You can use them straight away after dehydrating or store them in ziploc bags for another day. Both work equally well.

Do I need a dehydrator?

Absolutely not. I purposely tested the oven, air drying, and my dehydrator on this recipe to prove that you do not need a dehydrator for this process. Please refer to the recipe for times or my handy summary table above.

Why is there such a wide time range for air-drying the marshmallows?

On large marshmallows, there won't be much difference between a 12 hour marshmallow and a 24; most of the drying happens in those first 12 hours. As such, if you forget about your marshmallows, nothing bad will happen. Air-drying is the most forgiving of the drying methods.

9 Reasons Your Marshmallow Cookies Turned Into A Sticky Mess

Description

Getting rid of most of the moisture in packaged marshmallows is the key to getting marshmallows that bake into gooey stretchy cookies without ruining your cookies.

Ingredients

Scale

10 ounce bag of mini marshmallows
12 ounce bag of large marshmallows
Cooking spray (if using parchment
(Affiliate)
)

Equipment:

sheet trays
silicone baking mat
parchment
(Affiliate)
(if not using a silicone baking mat)
dehydrator (optional, below)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Setting up the marshmallows

If using parchment
(Affiliate)
, place it in a sheet tray and spritz the parchment
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with a little cooking spray.
If using a silicone baking mat, place it in your sheet tray.
For a dehydrator, either line dehydrator trays with parchment
(Affiliate)
or line sheet trays that fit in your dehydrator with parchment
(Affiliate)
(I can use 1/4 sheet pans in mine).
Place the marshmallows on the tray, doing your best to keep the marshmallows from touching each other.

Choose your drying method

Air dry: Set your marshmallows on top of a refrigerator or another undisturbed place like the top of a bookcase. Dry miniature marshmallows for 8 hours and large marshmallows for 12-24 hours.
Dehydrator: Set your dehydrator for 135 F (57 C). Dry miniature marshmallows for 3 hours and large marshmallows for 4 hours.
Oven: Set your oven for the lowest possible setting of 170 F (77 C). Dry miniature marshmallows for 2 hours, 15 minutes and large marshmallows for 3 hours.

Marshmallow Dehydrating Times Table

Storing dehydrated marshmallows

Let all marshmallows cool completely before sealing in ziploc bags for storage. Dehydrated marshmallows will keep in the pantry as long as you would keep a bag of fresh marshmallows.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: a few hours
Category: Baking Building Blocks
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American