I have recently picked up the hobby of cake decorating. My favorite thing to do right now is make fondant cupcake toppers. I have been buying the Wilton Fondant, but I have seen where a lot of people use MMF & love the taste better. I haven't tried this yet, but I was hoping you could share some good recipes with me. I am also having trouble with keeping my fondant toppers from wilting on the cupcakes, so if you have any tips on this, as well, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hello! I like just a simple MMF recipe of 1 pound mini marshmallows, 2 pound powdered sugar.  It's simple, cheap, and actually tastes tolerable.  I don't eat it usually (I prefer just the buttercream), but a lot of my customers actually eat it with the cake..

@Brookebakescake  Do you just melt the marshmallow and add the powdered sugar?  Nothing else?  How is it applying it to cakes?  Easy to work with?

I use Liz Mareks recipe and love it but I'm re-working all my cake recipes now, trying to find cheaper recipes without giving up the quality and taste.  I just found a really good chocolate cake recipe that's cheaper to make than my current one and it was a huge hit this weekend.  This fondant recipe would knock my cost down about $3/batch.  But, fondant is scary on a good day, hard to change when you find a recipe you like.

@brittany0207  If you're just doing cupcake toppers, I would suggest looking into modelling chocolate.  It's super easy to make and tastes sooo much better than any fondant.

Thanks ladies!

@Jinkies  - Do you make your own modeling chocolate? Is it easy to make pieces out of like fondant?

Yes, it's really easy.  Basically just some candy melts and corn syrup.  Do a search on youtube and there are plenty of videos showing you how to make it.  You can color it just like fondant too.

The cheapest, easiest, and best tasting is just what brookebakescake said:

Use a generous amount of Crisco to coat a microwave safe bowl, melt 10oz mini or regular MM's for about 1 minute (may need longer depending on wattage, but be careful not to melt them too long or the MMF will become stiff). Stir in 1 TBLS of butter flavoring to the melted MMs with desired food coloring. Gradually add the 2lbs PS, stirring with a spatula until it gets stiff enough to knead with your hands. 

There is a learning curve to get the feel for the proper consistency (soft Play Doh), as factors including humidity, indoor temperature, and food coloring affect the consistency of the recipe. I typically don't need all of the PS, but in hot or humid weather or with the use of a lot of coloring, I use more PS. 

TIP: When making black, red, blue, or orange, I use both powdered food coloring and gel food coloring.

Yep, just microwave the mm slowly until melted, but be careful not to stir vigorously. You don't want to work in a lot of air bubbles. Then mix in the sugar. I just use my hands covered with shortening or oil. Its easy to use and goes on cakes great. 

In the pic, pretty much everything you see is made from this fondant. Including the gloves, tea cup, and white "table cloth" and lace hanky. The tea pot is covered with it, and the cake board (ignore the bubbles) :)

Thanks MacsMom and Brookebakescake!  I think I'm gonna try this recipe today :)

Thank you so much @MacsMom  !!

@Brookebakescake  - that is beautiful!! I made my first batch of MMF last night, using a simple recipe of mini marshmallows and powdered sugar. What does the butter do to it? And where can I buy powdered food coloring? Do you typically use the whole 2lb bag of PS? I did last night, just because that is what the recipe called for. Do you put your fondant in the fridge afterwards? And how long do you put it in there before you use it next? (Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm doing it right! :) ) Thanks in advance!!!

Sometimes I don't use the whole bag, just depending on the weather. The butter FLAVORING is just that. I have seen a recipe that calls for butter, but I've never used it. 

I don't refrigerate, but I have read that its best when allowed to rest at least overnight. 

Sometimes I don't use the whole bag, just depending on the weather. The butter FLAVORING is just that. I have seen a recipe that calls for butter, but I've never used it. 

I don't refrigerate, but I have read that its best when allowed to rest at least overnight. 

I use this recipe all the time and it tastes great!

http://www.cakecentral.com/recipe/60818/buttercream-flavored-marshmallow-fondant

Great!! Thanks for sharing, @Tea42  ! I can't wait to try these new recipes!!

I don't refrigerate, it is not necessary. It does not need to "rest", either. I prefer to make MMF as needed and roll it out right away. 

If you notice an excessive amount of air bubbles in your melted MM after stirring (usually the result of melting too long), then walk away for 5 mins to allow the bubbles to surface, then stir gently again to get rid of them.

I buy powdered food coloring from a local store, or online at Country Kitchen Sweet Art.