Butter Mints

This is an early holiday candy recipe, I know, but I am hosting a Holiday Dessert cooking class this Tuesday and so I was testing these out to make sure I wanted to make them for the class. I forgot how great these are and how fun these are to make, so I had to post the recipe! This dough is awesome to touch and work with, and it all comes together quite quickly! The taste is amazing, my 3 kids (including my 16 month daughter) and myself can't quit eating them, I know it says to wait 2 days to eat, but they are too good to wait!!

This is a no fail butter mint recipe that just melts in your mouth and is so much fun to make!

Butter Mints

1/2 stick (4 Tbls) butter (no substitutions) at room temperature

1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 loose cups, not packed)

1 Tbls plus 2 tsp. ice water

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Green, Red, blue, yellow food coloring

In a large bowl, cut butter into sugar with two knives or your fingers. Add 1 Tbls ice water, salt, and peppermint, and toss with a fork. Press mixture into a ball. If it seems crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tsp at a time, until dough presses together easily. Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead until it is smooth and satiny, 3-4 minutes.

Cut the dough in quarters, tint each quarter a different color (use sparingly, paler colors are prettier). You also could leave a quarter white. Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls and flatten them slightly with your palm, or you can roll them flat and use small fondant cutters (keeping remaining dough covered with plastic wrap as you work so it does not dry out). Put the mints on a un-greased cookie sheet to set.

They need to set for 2-3 hours, uncovered, at room temperature. Then move them to a covered container in a cool place, where they should ripen for 2 days to improve flavor and make them easier to handle, before eaten. They will keep at room temperature for 2 weeks and in the fridge for a month.

This is a quarter of the dough after I colored it yellow.  Isn't it cool looking.

while they are drying

Recipe from Family Fun Magazine...don't know what year or issue though :)