Homemade Butter Mints
Active Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 8 hrs 20 mins
Yield: 4 cups
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/8 tsp. table salt
4 cups powdered sugar (1 lb.), divided
1 Tbsp. half-and-half or heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/8 tsp. mint extract
Food coloring (optional)
Directions:
Place butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add 3 cups sugar, half-and-half, vanilla, and mint extract; beat at low speed until a smooth dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, beating until dough is stiff and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface dusted with powdered sugar. Knead a few times until smooth. If desired, divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal portions. Add 1 to 2 drops of food coloring to each portion and knead until evenly combined.
Pinch off a lime-sized piece of dough; roll into a 1/2-inch wide rope on a work surface. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut rope into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Arrange cut dough pieces in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until completely dry, 8 to 12 hours. Store in an airtight container with wax or parchment paper between layers for up to 2 weeks.
Notes:
Our Tips for the Best Homemade Butter Mints: ]
For the tastiest, most uniform homemade butter mints, keep these pro tips from our Test Kitchen in mind:
Use a stand mixer: While you could make these candies by hand, a stand mixer does the best job of mixing the stiff dough until smooth.
Add powdered sugar slowly: The dough comes together better if you don’t add all of the powdered sugar at once; add most of it on the front end, and then once you have a smooth dough, add the rest.
Tint as desired: These are classically made into pastel shades, but you can make them any color you want to go with different themes (think Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, July 4th, weddings [where you’d leave them white], etc.). If you don’t want to knead in the food coloring, you can let the mixer do it. Just scrape the bowl clean between batches.
Peppermint flavoring: You can use peppermint oil in place of peppermint extract, but start with much less, as it’s more concentrated. Start with two drops of oil, then add another drop if needed.
Shape as desired: For mint “buttons,” you can take each cut piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and press it into a flat disk before drying.
How To Store Butter Mints:
Once the butter mints are dry and firm, store them in an airtight container, stacked between layers of wax or parchment paper if needed, for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them for longer storage; they’ll keep for up to two months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living.com
