Why You'll Never See Chocolate Marshmallow Fluff

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Marshmallow Fluff is a sweet, sticky, gooey American classic in a jar. It makes a simple and delicious cake topping or a super tasty spread with peanut butter in the unforgettable fluffernutter sandwich. There are some interesting details about Marshmallow Fluff: it's been made the same way since 1920, and it's actually not as bad for you as you think. While it's not particularly nutritious, containing only corn syrup, sugar, egg whites, and artificial vanilla (Strawberry Fluff also contains beet juice color and other natural and artificial flavors), Marshmallow Fluff is, essentially, an Italian meringue made by heating sugar and corn syrup then whipping them with egg whites to make a velvety, aerated mixture. Despite marshmallow's harmonious pairing with chocolate, a chocolate-flavored Fluff has never been produced. Why is that? 

Chocolate contains fat, and fat breaks down the molecular bond of fluffy, whipped egg whites, preventing them from remaining thick and airy. Marshmallow Fluff mixed with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or chocolate syrup would turn out runny — more of a syrup than a puffy meringue or traditional marshmallow crème. That said, there are some easy and delicious ways to incorporate chocolate flavor into your Marshmallow Fluff at home.

While it won't be as spongy and structurally sound as the stuff in the jar, you can make a simple Marshmallow Fluff chocolate sauce that's perfect for dipping strawberries, bananas, pretzels, or whatever your pleasure. Start by bringing equal parts cream and water to a boil, then remove them from the flame. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate pieces until melted, and stir in Marshmallow Fluff until it's all incorporated. For a thicker chocolate Fluff, you can bloom a little gelatin powder in room-temperature water before you bring it to a boil with the cream. It's best to enjoy this mixture when it's warm because the gelatin will cause it to set once it cools, but you can pop it in the microwave to loosen it up again.

Marshmallow Fluff is also great for indoor s'mores. Spread a graham cracker with Fluff and top it with chocolate squares for a delightfully mess-free s'mores experience. You can even heat them in the microwave to get the true melty experience. Melted Fluff also makes an impressive drizzle to top French toast, cookies, crêpes, or a chocolate hazelnut breakfast bread. Put your Fluff in a microwave-safe bowl and zap at 30-second intervals until slightly liquified, then pour it carefully over the confection of your choice. You can even go full nostalgia with a chocolate fluffernutter banana bread. Simply mix chocolate and peanut butter chips into your banana bread batter and top it with melted Fluff once cooked and cooled. Although you're not likely to encounter a chocolate-infused Marshmallow Fluff at the store, there are all sorts of workarounds to mix in that sweet cocoa flavor.