Marshmallow Top Hats are a nostalgic Scottish party treat. Made with just chocolate, marshmallows, and Smarties – they’re as fun to make as they are to eat. Perfect for birthday parties, bake sales or just a bit of throwback baking with the kids!
If you were a child growing up in Scotland, I can almost guarantee you felt all nostalgic when you saw these little Marshmallow Top Hats pop up on your screen. An absolute must-have at any Scottish children’s birthday party or school fairs.
These are so incredibly easy to make that it almost feels a bit silly to share a recipe for them. That being said, I always thought the same for my Chocolate Easter Nests, and that continues to be one of the most popular recipes on Baking with Granny. And if you’ve wanted to make some Marshmallow Top Hats for a while but haven’t been sure on quantities, you can use this as a reference, because I’ve done all the working out for you.
The only thing that has changed about these lovely little party treats over the years is the Smarties… In 2006, Nestle switched to using natural colours in Smarties, which means they are slightly lacklustre these days. With that in mind, I sometimes use chocolate M&Ms instead, if I really want a super bright Top Hat Marshmallow.
Similarly, if you are based in the States, Smarties are something different entirely. With that in mind, it’s chocolate M&Ms you’ll want to use to top your marshmallows with. Alternatively, you could even try using Reese’s Pieces.
Top Tips for Marshmallow Top Hats:
• Use a small spoon or piping bag: For adding the melted chocolate to the petit four cases – it helps keep things neat and even, and stops you getting chocolate absolutely everywhere!
• Choose normal-sized pink and white marshmallows: Avoid using mini marshmallows or oversized ones, like the big ones you get for making s’mores. Your average bag of pink and white marshmallows is the perfect size for the petit four cases.
• No cases? No problem: If you can’t get your hands on some petit four cases (mini cupcake cases), don’t stress. Instead, pop down a piece of greaseproof paper and simply pop a blob of chocolate down, before placing your marshmallow on top, finishing with a Smartie as normal. This is also a great way to save on extra rubbish, in the form of used cases.
• Smarties or M&Ms: Smarties are the traditional choice for Top Hat Marshmallows, but after Nestle changed to using natural colours in them in 2006, Smarties have never really been the same. Chocolate M&Ms are a great alternative, which still has colours that are nice & bright.
Smarties are also something entirely different in the US, so if you are based there, you’ll be wanting to use chocolate M&Ms too, or even Reese’s Pieces if you’d prefer.
More Scottish Bakes You’ll Love:
• Traditional Tablet
• Chocolate Tiffin
• Scottish Snowballs
• Empire Biscuits
Marshmallow Top Hats
EQUIPMENT
- Petit Four Cases (aka. mini cupcake cases)
- Spoons or Piping Bag
- Bowl
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g Marshmallows usually one packet in the UK
- 150 g Milk Chocolate
- Smarties (M&Ms)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt your chocolate over a bain marie, or in short bursts in the microwave.
- Spoon (or pipe) about a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into the bottom of a petit four case.
- Place a marshmallow on top of the chocolate, gently pressing into place until you see a little chocolate coming up the sides of the petit four case.
- Dab a little bit of chocolate on top of the marshmallow before topping with a Smartie (or M&M). Repeat until you've used all of your marshmallows.
- Allow the chocolate to set before serving. You can pop them into the fridge to speed up the setting time.
Video
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Storage: Keep your Marshmallow Top Hats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If it’s particularly warm, you can pop them in the fridge to stop the chocolate from melting – just let them come back to room temperature before serving.
- Make Ahead: Top Hat Marshmallows are perfect for making ahead of time. Just prep them the day before your party or bake sale, and keep them cool and covered until required.
- Substitutions: You can easily make substitutions in Marshmallow Tops Hats to suit your needs and accessibility to ingredients:
- Smarties: If you can’t get Smarties or prefer a brighter look, chocolate M&Ms are ideal, or any generic sugar-coated chocolate drops. For a dairy-free option, D&D Chocolate Drops are a great option.
- Marshmallows: The classic pink and white marshmallows work best, but you can use whatever marshmallows are your favourite. Dandies Vegan Marshmallows are a great gelatin-free option for vegetarian and vegan Marshmallow Tops Hats.
- Chocolate: Milk chocolate is usually the obvious choice for Scottish Top Hat Marshmallows but you can use dark chocolate or white chocolate, if you prefer.
To make Marshmallow Top Hats, melt milk chocolate and spoon it into petit four cases. Press a marshmallow into each one, then add a dab of chocolate on top to stick on a Smartie (or M&M). Then you just let them set before serving. Easy Scottish baking at its best, making them a great easy birthday party snack.
Yes! You can use any kind of chocolate you like. Milk is the traditional chocolate to use, but white or dark chocolate work just as well.
They do help with portioning and presentation. But if you don’t have any, you can simply spoon a blob of chocolate onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and place your marshmallow on top, finishing with a Smartie as normal. Allow the chocolate to set completely, before peeling them away from the greaseproof paper and serving on a plate.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: Most marshmallows and chocolates are naturally gluten-free, but always double-check the ingredients list, especially on Smarties.
Dairy-Free: To make these dairy-free Marshmallow Top Hats simply use a dairy-free chocolate (many dark chocolates or vegan milk-style chocolates work well), and top with a vegan sugar-coated chocolate drop, like D&Ds Chocolate Drops.
Gelatin-free: Marshmallows are usually made with pork or beef gelatin. To make these gelatine-free Marshmallow Top Hats (to suit a vegetarian or vegan diet), simply use a vegan marshmallow, such as Dandies Vegan Marshmallows.
Vegan: To make this a vegan Marshmallow Top Hats recipe, simply follow the dairy-free and gelatin-free tips above, using dark or vegan chocolate, and swapping to vegan sugar-coated chocolate drops and vegan marshmallows.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
