I LOVE the recent resurgence of cake and cookie decorating!! Remember when wedding cakes basically required the existence of columns and a cascade of flowers?! And now you can get a cake that *actually is* a replica of the Taj Mahal!! I love it!
I feel like cookie decorating has only just begun it's ascent into fame and acceptance. Cake decorating has had more time being "popular" and even still...it's taken a while for fun new tools to come out. The good news is that when cake and cookie decorating have an overlap...we reap the benefit!!
For example, I've been seeing fondant in the baking aisle of grocery stores for a few months now!! It's usually located below the sprinkles. I have avoided the Wilton fondant (it has great properties for beginners....but tastes awful!) and was super excited to see Fondarific Fondant being sold in the baking aisle at Walmart. So naturally, I grabbed 3 or 7 of them to try out.
There were 5 different color choices to choose from at the store I was at. I chose white because I prefer to mix my own colors because I'm controlling like that. They are sold in 8 ounce tubs for about $4. The plastic tub is sealed and the fondant inside is wrapped in a plastic bag. When I first opened the fondant, it seemed hard and crumbly and I was absolutely certain that I had purchased one that was old or had gotten air inside. I put it in the microwave for 5 seconds (that's my go-to fondant fix!) and it was PERFECT!!
It took only a few more seconds of kneading before I was obsessed with it's silky smooth texture. It smelled great and tasted EVEN BETTER. I was really quite surprised. The container said that it's a "butter cream" flavor, but I thought it tasted more like white chocolate chips.
I used some of it in the seashell molds I've been using all week. I put some homemade fondant in some different molds at the same time and put them both in the freezer. After about 10 minutes, the Fondarific fondant was rock solid. In fact, I actually had a hard time getting it out of the mold without it breaking, which is good and bad. It's bad that it was breaking, but the good part is that I didn't need to leave it in the freezer for as long before I could remove it from the mold.
After about 2 days on my counter, the homemade fondant molded pieces were more dry and firm than the Fondarific fondant pieces. Again, this is a good thing if you want your fondant to stay soft. If you are hoping to make fondant figurines or delicate flowers that you want to dry and be firm...this might not be the best fondant for you. I made the ruffle flowers that you can see in the picture above with the Fondarific and it totally dried *enough* for those cookies. (But still had a soft bite even 4-5 days later. )
The Fondarific fondant was also really easy to roll out. I didn't need any cornstarch to keep it from sticking to my counter. I even tried rolling it really thin and it still held together really well. And when I picked it up off the counter, it didn't stretch itself out either. (I was only rolling out the 8 ounces of fondant....I don't know what would happen if you pick up 2-3 pounds of it at a time.) I *really* love how it handles!!
At $4 for 8 ounces of fondant, this certainly isn't the best deal you're going to get. (But you can NOT beat the convenience of picking some up while you are already grocery shopping.) For about the same price, you could try the Wilton brand at a different grocery store, or you could pick up some marshmallows and powdered sugar and make 10 times as much fondant for the same price. (Use THIS RECIPE.)
Bottom Line: The price of this fondant is really the only downside. It's super convenient, tasty, has a smooth texture, stays soft, comes in 13 different colors AND it's gluten and nut free!! I'll probably keep making my own fondant because I'm cheap like that...but for the days when I just don't feel like it...I'll also keep a couple containers of Fondarific around too!!
Want to try some out? I've got a container of Wedding White to send to one of you!! Just click that Easy Entry button below before midnight on Friday, May 27, 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What do you think? Have you tried Fondarific before? Do you love it or hate it?
Can't wait to see if you've won? Grab some Fondarific in the baking aisle at Walmart or get *all* the colors HERE.
