I just made my first EVER batch of MMF and I have a question! I followed the recipe but I'm wondering if it needed more water???? It was so thick by the time that I added the last half of the powdered sugar that the bowl kept trying to come off the mixer!! I have a 6 qt. Kitchenaid, the bowl snaps into place. It also wouldn't incorporate all the sugar. I took it out of the bowl and just put a little water on my hands and kneaded it a little bit. Then wrapped it in saran really well. Was that okay or am I going to end up with a ball of white garbage filler? I have never touched this stuff before so don't know what I'm doing!!! Can anyone help me?

TIA, Anna

I just had the same thing happen to me, I dont use a mixer though... I kneed it by hand. I would warm it in the microwave for about 15 seconds, add a couple tablespoons of water and more crisco. Keep adding crisco until it's the right texture. Let me know how it turns out!

Thanks! How do I know what the right texture is? So it's okay to add more water to it? I am just totally clueless about fondant, as you may have guessed! I still have it wrapped in saran.

Anna

Oh, sorry. Ya, just add a little more water, but more crisco until it's like the texture of bread dough...it shouldnt rip or tear when you pinch it on the ends... elasticy

It will feel a lot like playdough. Also, next time you make the MMF, don't add all the sugar. I have found that the MMF recipe actually comes out much better if you don't add the last 1 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Good luck! Once you get the texture right, you're gonna love this stuff!

Well, right now I hate it! I just kneaded it with more water and more crisco. Then I rolled it out with cornstarch and went to lay it on the dummy and it is cracking and ripping! Does that mean it needs more crisco?? Thank you for the tip not to add all the sugar! It seems way too dry. I'm very dissapointed! It's so hard to teach yourself stuff like this. Go through allot of ingredients before figuring it out! Right now my four yo DD is playing with it. I still have half of it, is it salvagable or should I start over??

Anna

i never add extra water just crisco..but that is me. I dont usualy have a problem with it tearing, but if that is the prbblem then yes you probibly do need more crisco..also before you kneed it in put it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up and make it more plyable. hope it turns out. what recipie did you use?

I used the MMF recipe on this site.

2 T water
2 tsp. flavoring
16 oz. bag marshmallow
2 lbs. of powdered sugar

Why isn't there any crisco in the recipe if it needs it to be pliable??? Did I use the wrong recipe or what?

Anna

never use all of the ps! Knead with tiny amounts of crisco .... keep kneading in a little bit of crisco until you can fold it over and no cracks or rips form....it just takes a little while....you will get the hang of the consistancy....it usually takes a few kneadings to get it to not tear or break...this is what I do.

I don't know why they didn't put the crisco in the recipe...another thing I forgot to add is I add about a tablespoon of crisco to the marshmallows before I melt them...so there will be a little more give in the dough when I first start to mix it.

Thank you! I'll write that down on the recipe card! I'll skip the mixer next time to and just knead it by hand! Feels like I'm asking allot of dumb questions! Kind of embarrassing. Thanks for the help everyone!

Anna

First let me say ... I only made my first batch LAST NIGHT... so I am not an expert, only someone with recent experience.

I think it is salvagable, as long as it's been wrapped up, or not left out in the air to dry.

I think I used less sugar than called for. I added more water than the 2 T. And I kept my hands and counter top greased with crisco. So that by itself added crisco. I needed it by hand like bread dough for about 10 minutes.

I'll include a link to a website that I found with what I thought was really good tutorial for a first timer.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm

But for mine .... only time will tell if what I've got wrapped up will roll ok. I don't need to use mine until later in the week.

edited to add:

The pile I dumped out of the pot (I don't have a microwave), was a mess... and I didn't think I would be able to incorporate the sugar, but it did eventually come together... ended up looking sort of like playdough.

Oh! I never thought to put crisco on the COUNTER!!!!! The recipe said to put cornstarch on the surface you're rolling it out on but I was concerned it would affect the flavor and it left white spots on it that I did not like. Crisco sounds like a much better idea!! Did you not use any cornstarch? Very helpful info!!!! Thank you!

Anna

I've made MMF --slightly different recipe-- but find the key ALWAYS is the Crisco on the counter. After I melt the MM in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds,) I add about 3/4 of the sugar on top of the melted mixture. As they were melting, I had prepped my work surface with about a 1/4 cup of Crisco spread out well. Then I dump the entire contents of the bowl on that surface. NOTE: make sure your hands are well coated in Crisco as well. Then take a spatula and start folding in the sugar into the mm. (If you have ever seen them fold fudge on marble top this is much the same procedure.) When the two ingredients are incorporated (at this point you can decide whether or not you need additional sugar -you'd know because it would still be quite sticky), knead by hand. I find it takes no more than about eight good turns to have the consistency you want. If it is dry feeling, add more Crisco to your hands, and knead a few more times. I have read that if worse comes to worse, you can add a little glycerine as well. Don't give up! Homemade fondant is actually so much more cost effective and MUCH better tasting than commercial.

Oh, and I forgot... ALWAYS use pure cane sugar, not the cheap stuff. Many cheaper brands incorporate the root into the sugar which causes stiffer, coarser results.

I do use cornstarch to roll out; however, it is a cornstarch/powdered sugar mix. Don't try to roll too thin as you can have tearing as you try to lift. Some people roll on a mat and invert their fondant. It is also VERY worthwhile to invest in a non-stick roller.

Sorry for the rambling...

Also, if you choose to use powdered sugar or cornstarch to roll your fondant onto, I have found that vodka works great getting the white powdery spots off the fondant. I just put a cup of vodka in a small sprayer bottle and spray the fondant once it's on the cake and smoothed down. Then just lightly run your hand or a pastry brush over the spots where you sprayed . The vodka evaporates, but it also absorbs the sugar/ starch so you don't have any spots left.

hi Anna
I made MMF for the first time this weekend. Someone had mentioned here on CC to add 2 Tbsp of corn syrup just after the marshmallows were melted. I forgot, but added them with the powered sugar when mixing. I used my Kitchen Aid too, it didn't take up all of the sugar in the bottom but was fine when I used it. I kneaded it with some Crisco on my hands before I rolled it. I used a cornstarch/powered sugar mix on the mat when I rolled it, use LOTS it's very sticky (compared to the Wilton stuff).

The consistancy shouldn't be VERY sticky when you roll it out...it should be a little, all fondant is if you don't prep your surface, but the texture of MMF is NOT sticky once you have let it rest and start using it.

Great point, Christi, resting your fondant overnight is best...

I have made 2 batches of MMF this week. Same recipe marshmallows,
2T water, 1 bag powdered sugar. I used my kitchen aid mixer. The first batch turned out perfect-soft and pliable. The second batch was just wrong from the beginning-it was stiff and cracked. I kneeded with crisco, but it just wouldn't work well. The difference was when I was making the first batch I followed the directions to a T the second batch I forgot and dumped all the powdered sugar in at once. Is this MMF that tempermental???

I did let the MMF sit over night. Maybe I should have kneaded more of the sugar into it? I just need to make another cake to 'practice'. lol

Wow! Thanks everyone for the help!!! I need to sit down with a pen and paper and take notes! Maybe I will try this again after all! Really, I don't know what I would do with out CC and all you wonderful people!
I need to get to the grocery store before I can try again though. Maybe I'll try "take 2" tomorrow!! I really want to get this MMF figured out! I'll let you know how it goes! Hopefully I'll have a dummy cake to post.

Anna

Kathleen when you make MMF start out with 1/2 bag of ps and make a well inside your mixer bowl (make sure you grease really well first) pour your marshmallow mixture in and use the paddle attachment first, I just put in a small amt of ps and let it go for a minute then attach my dough hook and pour in ps and let it go ...pour a little at a time...touch it every time you stop...once the mmf doesn't stick to your finger you are finished!! I know it will feel a little sticky when you get it out..but pour it out on a greased surface....add just a tad bit of ps and knead like its going out of style...just until pliable and soft...it should be very heavy...not light at all...wrap it...two or three time...store in a plastic ziploc and put into container...I always let mine sit for at least 8 hours or overnight.....when you take it out it shouldn't be sticky at all....grease your surface and knead ...if you fold the mmf over on a knead and it breaks or gets tears knead in a little bit of crisco..till when you knead it doesn't do that anymore.

HTH

Christi

Anna tell us how it turns out for you !!! I love the stuff!

VickyG,
Thanks for posting the tutorial. That may have answered my question on another thread. I had a similar situation, but a little different question.

Anyway, Should I have used the entire 1/2 cup of Crisco? I don't think I used that much. I used some to grease the bowl, some for my hands, and some for my surface, some for the outside of the fondant ball but not 1/2 cup. Should I have put a thicker coating on the fondant before wrapping? Does anyone know??

Thanks Christi
I can't wait to try it again, and again, and again....

Amber, I find the 1/2 cup of Crisco is your standard... it sounds like you used it well and in all the spots you should. Sometimes you use at least that much, sometimes not. Sometimes, if I have not used the entire batch of fondant and store it in the fridge (will store up to 2 weeks) I have to knead in more Crisco to get it going again -of course, that's after it has returned to room temp.

Amber, I'm not sure how much Crisco I used. I had just a small amount in the can so decide not to measure and just kept dipping my hands in when I need more. And I only put a small amount on the outside once I was finished. I think the 1/2 cup is just an estimate, so that you've got it out convenient to use during the kneading.

I haven't tried to roll mine yet so not really sure if it will turn out ok.

I had the same problem with my first batch .... I put it in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it was nice and soft. Then I kneaded it until it was soft and pliable.