Cut your homemade marshmallows into big chunks to eat as a sweet, or cut into smaller chunks and serve with a big mug of hot chocolate. They also look fantastic served on a party table.

1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
125 ml (4 fl oz) hot water
25g (1 oz) sachet gelatine
red food colouring
2 free-range egg whites 500g (1 lb) granulated sugar

1. Sift together the icing sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Grease a 20 cm (8 in) square shallow cake tin with a little vegetable oil, then shake some of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture to coat the tin. Set aside.
2. Pour the hot water into a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine on top and stir gently until the gelatine crystals dissolve. Add 2–3 drops of food colouring to the gelatine and mix thoroughly. (Pink is traditionally used, but you can use whichever colour you wish.)
3. Put the egg whites into a food processor and set aside. Put the granulated sugar into a medium saucepan and add 250 ml (8 fl oz) of water. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. In the meantime, turn on the food processor and mix the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Boil the sugar mixture until it reaches 121ºC (250ºF), the hard ball stage – when a small amount of mixture is dropped into water it will form a ball that holds its shape. Take the pan off the heat.
4. Pour the gelatine into the pan of syrup, stirring continuously until the gelatine is thoroughly mixed with the syrup. Turn the food processor back on and carefully pour the syrup onto the beating egg whites. Continue mixing until the mixture turns thick and bulky but is still pourable. If you lift up the beater, a ribbon of marshmallow should remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking back down into the mix.
5. Pour the marshmallow into the prepared tin and leave to set in a cool place for approximately 1 or 2 hours (do not refrigerate).
6. Dust a chopping board or work surface with the remaining cornflour and icing sugar mixture. Butter a sharp knife and carefully ease the marshmallow mixture out of the tin and onto the board. Sift any extra icing sugar and cornflour over the marshmallow if necessary. Cut the marshmallow into cubes.
7.Store in an airtight tin lined with baking parchment or greaseproof paper for up to one week. You can freeze marshmallows – they will only take a minute or two to defrost.

CARAMEL BITES

Nicki Trench's recipes for homemade, old-fashioned sweetie treats are perfect as presents or make them with the kids and keep them for yourselves ...

These delicious bites have just the right mix of a crunchy base, succulent caramel and chocolate topping that just melts in your mouth. Make plenty – they will disappear very quickly!

for the shortbread:
55 g (2 oz) cornflour
225 g (8 oz) plain flour
55 g (2 oz) icing sugar
225 g (8 oz) unsalted butter

for the caramel:
115 g (4 oz) butter
115 g (4 oz) sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
175 g (6 oz) tin of
condensed milk

to decorate:
115 g (4 oz) milk chocolate
grated white chocolate (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Line a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) Swiss roll tin with lightly greased baking parchment.
2 To make the shortbread, blend all the ingredients in a food processor or mix with a wooden spoon. When the dough is well mixed, bring together using your hands and press into the lined tin. Prick the shortbread base with a fork and bake for about 15 minutes.
3 To make the caramel, put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat slowly until the butter is fully melted. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously for 8–10 minutes.
4 Test to see if the mixture has reached the soft ball stage (drop a small amount of mixture into a glass of cold water – if it forms a ball, the mixture is ready) or 116ºC (240ºF) on a sugar thermometer. Cook for a few minutes and then remove from the heat. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and spread evenly. Leave to set.
5 When the caramel is completely set, melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie or put it in a small bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Don't let the bowl touch the water. Heat gently until the chocolate has melted. Spread the chocolate over the caramel.
6 To decorate, either grate white chocolate over the top or score with a fork when the chocolate has cooled slightly. When the chocolate has set, cut into small bite-sized squares. These are best eaten straight away, but will keep for a few days stored in a biscuit tin.

CHOCOLATE-COATED TOFFEE BALLS

These are such fun. They are hard, so roll them into very small balls so they are bite-sized and don't pull your teeth out! They make beautiful gifts if wrapped up in cellophane and tied with a ribbon or put into glass jars and decorated with ribbon.

For the toffee:
250 ml (8 fl oz) double cream
300 g (9 oz) caster sugar
55 g (2 oz) cocoa powder
1 tbsp honey
25 g (1 oz) butter
for the coating:
115 g (4 oz) good-quality plain chocolate, chopped hundreds and thousands

to decorate:
115 g (4 oz) milk chocolate
grated white chocolate (optional)

1Put all the toffee ingredients into a large saucepan and melt together over a medium heat, stirring continuously until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the mixture reaches 116ºC (240ºF) on a sugar thermometer, stirring occasionally.
2Allow to cool to a comfortable temperature so that you can handle the mixture, but don't allow the mixture to cool so much that it starts to set. Roll pieces of the warm mixture with your fingers to make very small, bite-sized balls. Place the balls on a sheet of greaseproof paper and leave to cool completely.
3Put the chocolate into a bain-marie or a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water. Heat gently until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
4Dip the toffee balls one by one into the chocolate, then drop each ball into a small cup and sprinkle with hundreds and thousands. Swirl the ball around in the cup so that the hundreds and thousands coat it, then place the ball on a sheet of greaseproof paper to set. Store in an airtight container.

ALMOND NUT BRITTLE WITH ORANGE ZEST

These traditional crunchy bites have the magical ingredient of a hint of orange and will be a hit with family and friends of any age; they are also quick and easy and are an instant crowd pleaser. The almonds have to be baked first in the oven – take care not to forget about them or the mixture will taste burnt.

200 g (7 oz) whole almonds, blanched
450 g (14 oz) granulated sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
100 g (3½ oz) flaked almonds
finely grated zest of 1 orange

1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4.
2 Spread the whole almonds in a 23 cm (9 in) square baking tin, lined with baking parchment. Gently roast in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until they are light golden. Set aside.
3 Put the sugar and golden syrup in a heavy-based saucepan and heat over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved and reaches the soft-crack stage, 132ºC (270ºF) on a sugar thermometer, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaked almonds and orange zest.
4 Pour the sugar syrup into the baking tin and flatten slightly with a metal spoon. Leave to cool.
5 When the brittle is completely solid, turn it out onto a work surface or chopping board and break it up into shards using a small hammer or rolling pin. Store in an airtight container.

Sweet Temptation by Nicki Trench is published by Cico Books and is available, for £9.99 hardback, from all good bookshops.