Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (54 page)

BOOK: Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable

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3.
Remove from heat and stir in the unsweetened and sweetened coconut.

4.
Pour mixture onto baking pan to cool and firm up, about 30 minutes.

5.
Using a small cookie scoop or your hands, roll into balls. Coat in sugar and place in candy cups. Place a single clove on top of each candy for decoration.

Yield:

About 50 coconut kisses

Storage:

Store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper for up to 1 week.

55. butter mints

BUTTER MINTS

General Description:

Dainty, petite butter mints are tinted with pastel colors and served as after-dinner sweets
. They are flavored with peppermint and are used like
peppermints
to freshen breath. However, butter mints are made with more butter, hence their name and soft, creamy taste. They are also known as
wedding mints
,
dinner mints
, and
pastel mints
.

History:

Butter mints are commonly offered by restaurants to departing diners. A crystal bowl of butter mints, along with a bowl of
candied nuts
, can found at many weddings in the Southern United States.

Serving Suggestions:

A beautiful bowl of butter mints is always welcome at a party. They are also great favors for weddings; you can easily tint the mints to match the wedding colors.

Candy-Making Notes:

Butter mints are most often shaped in small rolls, but you can press the dough into molds or cut shapes with mini cookie cutters.

Recipe:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon heavy cream

3½ to 4½ cups confectioners’ sugar

¼ teaspoon peppermint extract or 1 drop peppermint oil

Few drops food coloring, if desired

1.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream together until smooth.

3.
Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, and beat until it forms a smooth dough.

4.
Add peppermint extract and food coloring and beat to combine. If you want several colors of mints, divide the dough into portions and add color to each portion separately.

5.
Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into long ropes about ½ inch thick. Use a knife to cut into small pieces. Place on the baking sheet and let set overnight before serving.