What Is Marshmallow Fluff?

Mankind’s love affair with marshmallows has taken many forms: Peeps, the freeze-dried Lucky Charms niblets, and, of course, the spreadable sandwich cream known as marshmallow creme or, more frequently, it goes by the brand name of Marshmallow Fluff. What is Marshmallow Fluff? And what do you make with Marshmallow Fluff? Read on to find out because today we’re talking about the wonderful world of Marshmallow Fluff. 

What is Marshmallow Fluff?

The primary ingredient of the “fluffernutter” (if you know, you know, and if you don’t, we’ll get to it!), Marshmallow Fluff or, generically speaking, marshmallow creme is a sweet, sticky ingredient often used in desserts like fudge and whoopie pies. It is, as you might imagine, spreadable, scoopable marshmallow made from corn syrup, sugar syrup, egg whites, and artificial flavorings.. What’s the difference between generic marshmallow creme and brand name Marshmallow Fluff? According to Marshmallow Fluff, their product is made by “batch whipping,” while generic marshmallow creme is made via “continuous mixing.” And, according to them, their method makes a superior product. 

Where was Fluff invented?

Fluff was invented in Somerville, Massachusetts by Archibald Query. In the early 1900s, he was making marshmallow creme in his kitchen and selling it door to door. But he had to stop due to wartime shortages. Once the war was over, Query didn’t feel like starting everything up again, so he sold his formula to candy makers Durkee and Mower for five hundred dollars. They named the product Toot Sweet Marshmallow Fluff. Eventually (and wisely), they dropped the “Toot Sweet.”

How to make Marshmallow Fluff?

Fluff’s ingredients include corn syrup, sugar syrup, vanilla flavor, and egg whites (dried egg whites in the case of the mass market product). If you’ve got those laying around your pantry, go ahead and get mixing. There’s more to it than that, of course. Check out this recipe from King Arthur Baking for full instructions, which include creating a syrup, beating egg whites to peaks, and then mixing it all together. 

Is Marshmallow Fluff gluten free?

Fluff is not only gluten free but it is also Kosher! The only thing it isn’t is easy to get out of your hair! 

What to make with Marshmallow Fluff?

Here in the States, we mostly use Fluff as a jelly replacement. You see, fluffernutter sandwiches are made of peanut butter and Fluff. And that’s it. Fluff can also be used as a dessert topping for ice cream or pies, or mixed in with cake frosting to give it a marshmallowy texture. Fluff is also a common ingredient in fudge recipes and you can sandwich it between a couple of soft chocolate cookies to make a whoopie pie. Also, you can put it on s’mores if you’re looking to simply cut out the middleman and pre-mush your ‘mallow. 


About the Author

Joe Rumrill

Joe Rumrill is a fictional one-eyed spinach-loving sailor created in 1929 by E.C Se- Wait, no, that's not right... Joe Rumrill is a stand up comedian and writer currently based in Los Angeles. His favorite thing about food is a close tie between the taste and the nutrients one gets from it. His least favorite thing about it is the "gritty, dirt-like quality some food has", but he's most likely referring to the time in third grade he was dared to eat playground sand.

Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!

Your thoughts.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *