This is an extra post, as I wanted to get it in for the holidays . . . You will read this and think that it sounds like a too-sweet treat, but they melt in your mouth and disappear too quickly to notice!
These classic butter mints are simple, yummy, and can be made for any holiday by changing the food coloring to coordinate with the celebration. You can chill the rolled dough and use small cookie cutters for shaped mints; you can pretend that it is Play-Doh and shape it into holly or bunnies or starfish, etc., (as per your seasonal use), or you can go old-school, as I did, and roll/ flatten it, scoring with crossed fork tines. I added some glitter sugar on top, for pretty.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Food coloring
- Pretty sugars (optional)
Directions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, cream and extracts. If desired, divide dough into portions and knead in food coloring.
- Form into balls by teaspoonfuls; flatten into patties.
- Or roll between 2 pieces of waxed paper to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut mints into desired shapes.
- Or embrace your inner child/sculptor and create 3-D shapes.
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Store in the refrigerator.
Peppermint? Butter? Sugar?
I could mainline that.
Yeah I could do some real damage to my diet with these gems.
Meh, your blood work was great! Have at it!
Right? And they really do melt in the mouth. @ManchuCandidate
Very pretty picture too!
Thank you!
Mrs. Claus is making this Santaland elf very happy with this recipe, I’ll tell you what.
MatthewCrawley-Claus!
I have seen “Candy Cane Lane,” because there’s no Christmas movie I will turn down, and it was recommended on Brain Drain. That movie is one for the ages. I hope it joins “A Christmas Story” and “Miracle on 34th Street” in the canon.
Those sound pretty good. I would probably skip the food coloring, as I have somehow managed to become grossed out by artificial colors in food, but otherwise a solid option.
The dough is white and would be easy to shape as stars or snowflakes, I think?
Have you ever eaten a blue food that contains no blueberries and it’s just food coloring? That is very disturbing. BUT, when you’re making something festive, like, I don’t know, 4th of July cupcake frosting or dessert related to Bastille Day/14 Juillet, it’s fun and people think nothing of it.