This is my super easy to make marshmallow fondant that takes about 15 minutes to make, is super cheap, tastes really really good and even if you've never made or used a marshmallow fondant recipe before, you will be able to use this! This fondant tastes like the expensive stuff but costs only a few dollars to make.

Fondant is used in cake decorating as an outside covering for your cakes. It has a slight vanilla flavor and goes over the top of your buttercream. Fondant is easily colored with food coloring and can be molded into shapes. It's easy to paint on with food coloring too. Many modern cakes are made with fondant such as the ruffle cake.

A few tips before we start:

The first thing we need to do is gather our ingredients and our tools.

Ingredients:
2 lbs sifted powered sugar (you may not use all the powered sugar depending on your area, that is okay)

1 lb mini marshmallows (Hy-Top, Walmart brand or Haribo Brand if you can find it)

2 tbsp water (use only 1 tbsp if it is very humid in your area) .5 cup shortening (or trex)

1.25 lbs of Wilton fondant (if you buy the 5 lb box, use one half of one of the packages, if you buy the 1.5 lb box, use the whole package) I use my 50% or 40% off coupon to purchase my fondant at Michaels or Joanns so that the overall cost of my fondant is less. You can get these coupons online, with the app or in the newspaper.

Extra powered sugar (for kneading) Tools Needed: Stand Mixer Large plastic bowl Spatula Dough hook for mixer - See more at: http://artisancakecompany.com/2012/11/the-best-ma...

You may not use all the powdered sugar depending on the humidity in your area. If your fondant is dry, subtract a cup of sugar. If it's sticky, add more sugar until it's smooth and not tacky.

For this recipe, it is much easier if you use a stand mixer with a dough hook. YES you can make this by hand but it's much more difficult but if that's all you got then roll up your sleeves and get to mixin'

A scale is handy but you can mostly eyeball that part.

The proper marshmallows are important for this recipe and make sure you have the full 16 oz. Some bags only have 10 oz. If that is all you can find, use a bag and a half. Again, you can eyeball this.

To color dark colors like the black pictured, you have to subtract one tablespoon of water and replace it with food color gel, I prefer the kind from Americolor. Add the color at the same time you add the water in the mixing stage.

Make SURE you really knead the heck out of this fondant or it will be crumbly and not stretchy. The kneading is just as important as the ingredients.

Step 1: Sift Your Sugar!

I'm super serial guys... sift that sugar or you will be sad. You'll have lumps of powdered sugar in your fondant that you will not be able to get out and that sucks.

To sift, I place my bowl onto the scale, press tare to remove the weight of the scale then scoop powdered sugar into the bowl until I reach two pounds. I use a big sieve to sift my sugar into the bowl. I just push my hand back and forth to make the sugar go through the sieve.

Step 2: Melt Those Mallows

Next we melt the marshmallows. I put them all into a big microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute 30 seconds. I give the mallows a mix and then melt in 30 second intervals until all the mallows are melted and all puffed up.

Step 3: Add the Water or Coloring

After the mallows are puffed up, I dump in my two tablespoons of water or food coloring. The water helps release the mallows from the bowl. Pour the water and melted mallows into your stand mixer bowl. Attach your dough hook. Place your shortening into the melted mallows and start mixing on low speed.

Step 4: Add Powdered Sugar

Start adding in your sugar a cup at a time as the mixture mixes. Once you have about half added, let it all mix until it's smooth and the mixture is sticking to the sides of the bowl. This is an important step to developing the stretch factor of the fondant.

Step 5: More Sugar

Add in another scoop of sugar and use a spatula to help pull the mixture away from the bowl. Scrape into your remaining powdered sugar in the bowl and knead until you have most all of the sugar incorporated. Don't worry if it's not all mixed in, as long as your fondant isn't sticky, you're good to go.

Warm your block of fondant for about 30 seconds and knead it into your mixture. This adds the all important stretch your marshmallow fondant needs!

Step 6: Knead Your Heart Out.

So when you first start kneading, you're going to have this lumpy crumbly mess and think, there is no way this is going to be any good! I promise this is normal! Place the fondant on the table and hold down with your left hand and pull the other half towards you with your right as pictured. This is the taffy pulling method. At first it will break and crumbly but keep pulling and pushing back together and pulling until it pulls and stretches without tearing. Now your fondant is ready! You can use it right away or store it in a ziplock bag at room temp for weeks or even months.

REMEMBER!

Always re-warm your fondant and re-knead it in this fashion until it is stretchy before each use for best results.