Fondant about it

Fondant is a fun dessert decorating medium that can add some flair or elegance. But did you know that it doesn’t have to be bought online or in a store? Most of the ready made fondants are made in shared facilities or contain soy. Great for the non-allergy families but a big no no to us suffering from food restrictions.

Well there is a relatively easy solution- make your very own! With a few simple ingredients you can have fresh fondant that can last up to a month if properly stored.

First grab a large microwave safe bowl and coat it with a safe oil or shortening.

Next put your marshmallows into the bowl. I like the smaller ones because they melt faster.

Add your water and vanilla extract. If you want a clean white color use clear extract if you want a subtle off white color regular vanilla extract will do.

Then pop that into the microwave and in thirty second increments cook the marshmallows until they are a soft fluff consistency. If you are still seeing the shape of any marshmallows cook longer. This can take up to two to three minutes depending on your microwave.

Once everything is melted and uniform take out and set aside. This is where you are going to need another person to help.

Now coat your flat surface with more oil or shortening.

Then pour about half the amount of powdered sugar you need into a pile with a hole in the middle. This needs to be sifted! Any lumps or clumps will end up in your fondant. And no one likes weird clumps.

Have your lovely assistant now pour the melted marshmallow mixture into the hole of the powdered sugar pile while you start to mix the sugar into it. Careful the marshmallows are still pretty warm at this point.

Start kneading the sugar and marshmallows together. Folding and folding and folding until you start to feel the dough become less sticky. If you need to cover your hands with powdered sugar so they don’t stick to the dough then do so. You may need to do this multiple times while kneading.

Now again ask your baking helper to sift half of the remaining powdered sugar onto the now sticky dough while you continue kneading.

If you find the fondant too sticky add a few tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar at a time until it is a soft and moldable dough that is slightly sticky when pulled apart.

This is very messy but it turns into a beautiful fondant that can be rolled, formed, shaped and can be even dried without gum paste!

Now that there is a beautiful base you can add color. Because you are adding more liquid to the fondant you need to add more powdered sugar to keep the dough from becoming a sticky mess again. Just continue kneading the fondant until the desired color is achieved. If it’s too light in color add more dye, If it’s too dark add more fondant. Remember you can always add more dye but you may run out of fondant if the color is too dark.

You can store your fondant in a couple layers of plastic wrap making sure there is little to no air in it. I then like to place it in a ziplock bag with the air removed from that also. The more access to air the fondant has the quicker it will turn hard.

Enjoy the fun process and the all the new decorations that are not only fun to make but safe to eat!