Creamy Homemade Butter Mints
Years ago, 40 or more, (how did that happen?) a neighbor friend shared this recipe with my family for what she called “No-Bake Mints”. They are so easy and are perfect tinted green for Christmas or light pink or blue for baby showers. They can even be left un-colored or tinted or yellow for a lovely addition to a wedding. I’ve found making a batch of yellow, a batch of pink, another of blue and a fourth of green makes for a beautiful Spring themed treat when mixed together in the same decorative container. For our family, they have seated themselves firmly in our list of Christmas traditions. They aren’t necessarily “old way” but the idea of making your own goodies for gift giving is.
Now for the disclaimer: As silly as this is going to sound since we have an abundance of eggs from our chickens and I’m such a raw milk and other raw food proponent, when we make mints to give to others, we buy eggs from the store because they have been pasteurized. Gasp! This recipe contains eggs that remain raw and with raw eggs comes the potential for salmonella. It may be just me, but I feel like a pretty little tree shaped Christmas jar full of salmonella nuggets would be a horrible present! I have always thought I should see if powdered egg whites would work but haven’t gotten around to experimenting with it. If you try it, please let me know!
Homemade Butter Mints
TOTAL TIME1 hr
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Egg White
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Cold Water
- 1 stick softened Butter *Use real butter, not margarine or substitute
- 1 box Confectioner’s Sugar (16 oz) plus a little extra
- 5 drops Oil of Peppermint (about 1/4 tsp) *Oil of Peppermint can be found in the grocery isle near the other flavorings and vanilla extract. Be sure to use real Oil of Peppermint and not imitation peppermint flavoring.
- 2-3 drops food coloring
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix egg white, salt, water, butter, flavoring and color. Slowly add sugar. Blend all ingredients until stiff. Knead for smoothness. If dough is tacky, add more sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue to knead until dough is smooth.
- Take a ball of dough about half the size of an egg and roll it into a snake shape. With a clean pair of scissors, snip the dough into pieces that are approximately 1/2 inch square. Let pieces fall onto wax paper, not touching. Let stand uncovered until hardened (10 to 12 hours). Store in lidded jar or freeze.
I can’t emphasize enough to make sure you use real Oil of Peppermint and not an imitation peppermint flavoring. It is also important to note the difference between food grade Oil of Peppermint used for flavoring, and regular old essential oil. The later may or may not be food safe or lend the correct taste. You can buy Oil of Peppermint in the grocery section and at some pharmacies or purchase it here:
Mix, Mix, Mix! I use a bowl and a fork but I’m sure it could go in an electric mixer also.
Roll and snip. The most difficult part is waiting for them to harden up!
