I’m not sure anyone is. I certainly was curious about how it would turn out and I didn’t let myself get attached to what seemed like a totally revolutionary idea.
I mean, CHUNKS in FONDANT? I know. But they were chocolate, and being paired with peppermint. I had to give it all my love and hope. I knew it stood a chance after my Gourmet Candy Cane Fondant turned out ridiculously and surprisingly well.
And seeing as I’m not a chunks-of-stuff-in-my-baked-goods kind of person (we’ve talked about being unfriended if you put nuts in my brownies, right?) I was shocked that I enjoyed the Candy Cane Fondant as much as I did. It was my favorite gourmet homemade fondant up till… well, now!
Yep. Teasing you best I can 😉 I’m not going to ramble on too much about this fondant. It was made in my still-under-renovation kitchen when I was barely able to use the counters but still had zero appliances set up. Fondant was all I could really do – so I did.
I made 4 new flavors, shared them LIVE on Facebook, and asked YOU to vote on which one I posted first. Hands down, Mint Chocolate Chunk won. I was secretly glad, it was the one I wanted to share first. I worried that Gingerbread fondant would take the cake (pun fully intended).
Because I know these questions are coming (I already got them on the Facebook Live broadcast) I’ll answer them here for you:
NO – It’s not too sweet! In fact, this is one of the least sweet fondants I’ve made, and because of that the flavor shines through!
NO – The mint is not too strong, but you need to add it to taste. One extra drop of the oil and you may have gone to far for your own liking. I prefer a gentler mint, so I only used 3 drops.
NO – The chocolate didn’t melt in my hands…
YES – I generally have warm hands (see notes at the bottom of the recipe).
YES – It covers the cake beautifully, but panel it. With the inclusions the fondant will naturally be prone to tearing as they create weak spots. But this style fondant will win you over… it bites and dissolves when you eat it, it’s not chewy.
NO – I will not buy you new pants because you snacked on this a bit too much. Gotta buy my own new pants… 😉
Lastly, YES. You absolutely SHOULD finish it off with extra chopped chocolate chunks. Because #chocolate.
LorAnn’s peppermint oil allowed me to add natural flavor without adding tons of liquid to the fondant (and we know how sugar can be when moisture is around… hygroscopic little beast).
If you’re worried about the chocolate, take a deep breath and do this anyways. You will thank me. Swear it 😉
- 8 oz mini marshmallows
- 3 Tbsp Water
- 1 lb confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup Corn Syrup or glucose
- 2 Tbsp Shortening plus more for kneading
- 3-5 drops LorAnn Peppermint Oil
- 1/2 bar Ghiradelli 60% chocolate bar chopped rough
- 1-2 drops electric green food color
- Place marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir between each burst until marshmallows are just melted.
- Pour water over the marshmallows to release from the bowl and scrape all into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
- Add shortening, corn syrup, peppermint oil and food coloring and mix for 20 seconds.
- Add half of the sifted confectioners' sugar and mix until it begins to come together. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar a mix until your mixer no is no longe incorporating the ingredients - then remove the fondant to a counter top lightly coated with shortening.
- Knead until the fondant is smooth, using extra shortening if it feels sticky.
- Flatten out slightly with your hand and place a layer of chopped chocolate and fold together a few times to begin to incorporate the chocolate. Flatten again and add the remaining chocolate and fold 10 more times. Knead a few times to create a nice round mass, coat in shortening, wrap twice in plastic, and place into a Ziploc bag to store for up to 4 weeks.
You can use this fondant immediately - it does not need to rest.
If it has rested for a length of time, to bring it back to rolling and working consistency, place in the center of the microwave and heat it for 5 seconds. Move one end to the center of the microwave and heat again for 5 seconds, then do the same with the opposite end.
When kneading, using shortening on your hands will help keep the chocolate from melting (though this is very temperature resistant to begin with).
Paneling is the best method to apply this fondant.
Enjoy!
What is paneling?
It’s rolling out sheets of fondant (and a circle for the top) and applying them like a wrapper instead of draping and using your hand to smooth it around the cake.
Thank you for the wonderful tips and recipes and you’re time! Greetings from Ft. Worth Texas.
Mint Chocolate really looking so yummy and delicious. I will try this recipe with my family hope like this. thank’s for sharing this blog.
Fantastic Kara!
I can’t air to do this for St. Patrick’s Day!
Thinking Guinness Chocolate Cake…mmmm
OOh!!!! Yes! That sounds wonderful! Just beware of adding extra liquid to the recipe. Sugar and liquid are a mess when they hang out together. You may need to do some tweaking and adjusting, but I’m certain it can be done!