posted by Lisa on January 28, 2015
I can’t tell you how many times I have made marshmallow fondant only to shake my head and try to figure out how not to waste half of it. Sometimes you just need half a batch to make a few little characters or some simple little flowers. Well, today I am sharing my easy fondant recipe that has been cut in half just for you!
I love using this half a batch of fondant because I feel like I can cover small cakes or make fondant flowers without wasting anything. But you may be asking why there are three batches of fondant in this picture. I can explain that. I am also going to share my ‘Fourth a Batch of Easy Fondant Recipe’ with you later this week. It is great for practicing techniquesto make flowers and characters.
I hope you are ready to start playing with fondant because that is something I want to add to the blog. It really does open up a new world of decorating. Stay tuned because there is a polar bear that is dying to meet you! I promise I will keep things simple.
Supplies for Easy Fondant Recipe-Half a batch:
8 ounces of Marshmallows
1/4 cup of Solid Shortening such as Crisco– I never use that much. I do however place it in a small bowl just in case I need it.
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Water
1 pound of Confectioners’ Sugar (10x’s powdered) (We call it powdered sugar here in the south)
Easy Fondant Recipe-Half a Batch
Have you ever needed marshmallow fondant but didn't need a full batch? Well, here is a recipe for a half of a batch fondant recipe for a smaller project. Perfect for when you only need a little.
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces of Marshmallows
- 1/4 cup of Solid Shortening such as Crisco-I never use that much. I do however place it in a small bowl just in case I need it.
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Water
- 1 pound of Confectioners' Sugar
Instructions
Place the water and marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 35 seconds. Remove from microwave and mix. Repeat until the marshmallows are melted which will take about 2 minutes to melt them all.
Remove from microwave. Grease a cutting mat or counter to mix and knead the fondant.
Pour the powdered sugar onto the mat. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture into the powdered sugar. Rub the solid shortening on your hands and start to knead. The marshmallows may be hot so be careful!
Continue kneading and adding all the remainder of the powdered sugar.
If your Fondant is dry or cracks, add a little more water.
You will probably need to grease your hands several times during this process.
Continue to knead until all the powdered sugar has been mixed into the fondant and you don’t see any more little powdered sugar balls hanging around.
Rub the disc with Crisco then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it into a Zip Lock bag removing all the air. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks before use.
Here is a video to see how the fondant comes together when it is kneaded. It reminds me of making biscuit dough with my grandma when I was a kid. I always overworked it, but she would let me play and knead until I felt like my arms were going to fall off. I cherish those days in the kitchen with her. She was a great woman!
Doesn’t this look like fun? Click here for the step-by-step tutorial for the full batch of fondant.
Does seeing powdered sugar make your heart skip a beat? No? Just me. Okay. I love it and I don’t care who knows it! I love it so much that I wear a smudge of it on my face most of the time. 😉
There it is! A half a batch of my easy fondant recipe! I hope you make it and create something amazing! Remember, stick around and I will share a fourth of a batch soon along with some fun characters and pretty flowers!
Full Batch of Marshmallow FondantSmall Batch of Fondant
Bear hugs,
posted in Bearfoot Basics, Fondant, Recipes, The Bearfoot Baker, Tutorials, Videos
19 Comments »
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19 comments 
Tonya —January 28, 2015 @ 2:00 pm Reply
You have me excited about trying fondant. This sounds delicious. I can’t wait for further posts to see how you use it.
Susan —January 28, 2015 @ 10:03 pm Reply
I haven’t made my own fondant yet, but I love working with it to make flowers, and characters. Thanks for the easy recipe.
The Partiologist —January 29, 2015 @ 9:09 am Reply
This is wonderful, because with less powdered sugar, I think it would be easier to mix, plus less sugar clouds in the kitchen! 🙂
cookiestosayit —January 29, 2015 @ 10:46 am Reply
I have not worked with fondant much, honestly because I do not like how the store bought stuff tastes….so I am wondering if I make my own, could I use flavoring in place of the water? Have you tried flavoring your fondant?
Thanks, maybe I will try a little batch 😉
Sheikha —January 31, 2015 @ 5:51 am Reply
Hi Lisa. I’ve started making my own marshmallow fondant this year to cover all my customers’ cakes. No more yucky store-bought ones.
Here’s a little tip : Add in half the powdered sugar into the melted marshmallows and stir them in, before placing them onto the rest of the powdered sugar on the mat. It’s easier on the arms and saves you some time. Hope that helps!
Love your site and your creativity. Keep them coming! XOXO
Lisa —January 31, 2015 @ 11:55 am Reply
Thanks Sheikha! I will try that!
Kristen Scott —February 1, 2015 @ 1:01 pm Reply
Hi! I make marshmallows from scratch. Could I use them as well? I’m wondering about this… if I make them fresh, instead of pouring them into molds and letting them firm up, I could use the soft, fresh marshmallow batch instead of melted marshmallows. What do you think?
Lisa —February 4, 2015 @ 7:12 am Reply
Hi Kristen,
I have never used homemade marshmallows to make fondant before. If you try it, will you let us know how it turns out?
Thanks,
Lisa
Marisol —March 10, 2015 @ 8:00 am Reply
I don’t have a scale how many cups of powered sugar will I need for this recipe? I know that a pound is 16 0z but that’s for liquid measurements. How much would it be for something as powered sugar? Since powered sugar weighs differently that any type of liquid would?
Lisa —March 10, 2015 @ 11:51 am Reply
Hi Marisol! One pound of powdered or confectioners’ sugar is 4 cups. 🙂
Dee —April 20, 2015 @ 3:26 pm Reply
Does the fondant have to sit overnight before you can actually roll it out and use it, or can it be used immediately?
Lisa —April 20, 2015 @ 4:47 pm Reply
Hi Dee,
Most people suggest letting it sit over night. If I make little figrues, I usually don’t wait, but if I need to cover a cake, I do let it rest overnight.
Karyn —August 9, 2015 @ 10:00 am Reply
You made it look easy!!! I had icing sugar everywhere! It was easy and fun to make. Thanks again for a great tutorial and for spending your time doing it. Awesome!
Kate —January 22, 2016 @ 3:20 am Reply
I had old marshmallows and they were all different sizes. Was able to make a half batch. At first I thought it didn’t turn out because it was really breaking and had no stretch. Thought the old mallows had the best of me. I added a little glycerin to get the stretch back and kneaded in green for a ninja turtle cake after only letting it rest an hour. This is the first round cake I have covered that did not have creases all over the bottom and it is smooth with no breaks. Yeah! So thanks for the recipe going to try and use it again with fresh mallows next time with hopefully the same out come. The birthday is tomorrow, thanks a bunch for saving me a trip to the store.
Lisa —January 22, 2016 @ 5:55 am Reply
I am glad it worked out for you Kate! Do you have a picture of the cake? I would love to see it!
Kate —January 22, 2016 @ 2:49 pm Reply
I tried sending a pic of the cake through email. Hope it comes thru. Thanks again.
Lisa —January 24, 2016 @ 12:29 pm Reply
KATE!!! That Ninja Turtle Cake is AMAZING!!!!!! I love everything about it! You are a great cake decorator!
Erika Poulin —August 24, 2016 @ 8:31 am Reply
if half a batch enought to cover a 9 inch cake and decorate it ?
Maxine —April 4, 2020 @ 12:32 pm Reply
Wow, did not realize fondant was basically PS and marshmallow. That being the case, why is it necessary to store it in the refrigerator? Do/Have not really used it, as I always thought it was yucky, but this is changing my mine, i am thinking you could add a flavor to this in lieu of some water. Would that be correct? Thank you.
Leave a Reply
Tonya —January 28, 2015 @ 2:00 pm Reply
You have me excited about trying fondant. This sounds delicious. I can’t wait for further posts to see how you use it.
Susan —January 28, 2015 @ 10:03 pm Reply
I haven’t made my own fondant yet, but I love working with it to make flowers, and characters. Thanks for the easy recipe.
The Partiologist —January 29, 2015 @ 9:09 am Reply
This is wonderful, because with less powdered sugar, I think it would be easier to mix, plus less sugar clouds in the kitchen! 🙂
cookiestosayit —January 29, 2015 @ 10:46 am Reply
I have not worked with fondant much, honestly because I do not like how the store bought stuff tastes….so I am wondering if I make my own, could I use flavoring in place of the water? Have you tried flavoring your fondant?
Thanks, maybe I will try a little batch 😉
Sheikha —January 31, 2015 @ 5:51 am Reply
Hi Lisa. I’ve started making my own marshmallow fondant this year to cover all my customers’ cakes. No more yucky store-bought ones.
Here’s a little tip : Add in half the powdered sugar into the melted marshmallows and stir them in, before placing them onto the rest of the powdered sugar on the mat. It’s easier on the arms and saves you some time. Hope that helps!
Love your site and your creativity. Keep them coming! XOXO
Lisa —January 31, 2015 @ 11:55 am Reply
Thanks Sheikha! I will try that!
Kristen Scott —February 1, 2015 @ 1:01 pm Reply
Hi! I make marshmallows from scratch. Could I use them as well? I’m wondering about this… if I make them fresh, instead of pouring them into molds and letting them firm up, I could use the soft, fresh marshmallow batch instead of melted marshmallows. What do you think?
Lisa —February 4, 2015 @ 7:12 am Reply
Hi Kristen,
I have never used homemade marshmallows to make fondant before. If you try it, will you let us know how it turns out?
Thanks,
Lisa
Marisol —March 10, 2015 @ 8:00 am Reply
I don’t have a scale how many cups of powered sugar will I need for this recipe? I know that a pound is 16 0z but that’s for liquid measurements. How much would it be for something as powered sugar? Since powered sugar weighs differently that any type of liquid would?
Lisa —March 10, 2015 @ 11:51 am Reply
Hi Marisol! One pound of powdered or confectioners’ sugar is 4 cups. 🙂
Dee —April 20, 2015 @ 3:26 pm Reply
Does the fondant have to sit overnight before you can actually roll it out and use it, or can it be used immediately?
Lisa —April 20, 2015 @ 4:47 pm Reply
Hi Dee,
Most people suggest letting it sit over night. If I make little figrues, I usually don’t wait, but if I need to cover a cake, I do let it rest overnight.
Karyn —August 9, 2015 @ 10:00 am Reply
You made it look easy!!! I had icing sugar everywhere! It was easy and fun to make. Thanks again for a great tutorial and for spending your time doing it. Awesome!
Kate —January 22, 2016 @ 3:20 am Reply
I had old marshmallows and they were all different sizes. Was able to make a half batch. At first I thought it didn’t turn out because it was really breaking and had no stretch. Thought the old mallows had the best of me. I added a little glycerin to get the stretch back and kneaded in green for a ninja turtle cake after only letting it rest an hour. This is the first round cake I have covered that did not have creases all over the bottom and it is smooth with no breaks. Yeah! So thanks for the recipe going to try and use it again with fresh mallows next time with hopefully the same out come. The birthday is tomorrow, thanks a bunch for saving me a trip to the store.
Lisa —January 22, 2016 @ 5:55 am Reply
I am glad it worked out for you Kate! Do you have a picture of the cake? I would love to see it!
Kate —January 22, 2016 @ 2:49 pm Reply
I tried sending a pic of the cake through email. Hope it comes thru. Thanks again.
Lisa —January 24, 2016 @ 12:29 pm Reply
KATE!!! That Ninja Turtle Cake is AMAZING!!!!!! I love everything about it! You are a great cake decorator!
Erika Poulin —August 24, 2016 @ 8:31 am Reply
if half a batch enought to cover a 9 inch cake and decorate it ?
Maxine —April 4, 2020 @ 12:32 pm Reply
Wow, did not realize fondant was basically PS and marshmallow. That being the case, why is it necessary to store it in the refrigerator? Do/Have not really used it, as I always thought it was yucky, but this is changing my mine, i am thinking you could add a flavor to this in lieu of some water. Would that be correct? Thank you.
