Easy no cook candy

I can remember making these delicious peppermints as a child. My sister and I made pink ones with my mother for Valentine's Day and green and red ones for Christmas. For years, I searched for a recipe for these. Finally, I found a no cook mint recipe that tastes just like the ones I remember making. This simple recipe is a great one to do with your kids in the kitchen. You can make these mints for any occasion and color them many colors. These candies make a wonderful hostess gift when you put them in a pretty box and tie them with a pretty ribbon. I have included step by step directions with pictures and a printable copy of the recipe. Enjoy!

All you need are six simple ingredients plus wax paper and a cookie cutter. Or you can roll the "dough" into balls and flatten them for round mints. You probably have all of these ingredients--corn syrup, powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, food coloring and a pinch of salt already in your pantry.

Mix all ingredients except the food coloring with a spoon and your hands until they form a smooth dough. Later you can divide the dough and add different food colors, or choose not to add any color at all. the dough is a bit stiff to mix, but you will spend some time kneading it in the next step so it is smooth and well mixed.

At this point you can divide the dough into several sections--one for each color you are going to make. You can also leave some plain white. It is helpful to have a pastry mat or wax paper to work on. I find it is easiest to knead in the food coloring with my hands to get a uniform color throughout. Or you can achieve a "marbled" color by not blending in the food coloring totally.

The dough softens as you knead it, so you may need to put it in the refrigerator for a bit to let it get firmer. Then you can roll it out and cut it into shapes like the hearts shown here. Or you can roll it into 1 inch balls and then flatten them into circles with a fork.

The mints will harden a bit as they sit. Once they are "dry," they will not stick together as easily and you can package them into a pretty container. Sometimes, I never let them dry. Instead,my children show up and begin eating them immediately! Either way, they are yummy!

These mints would make a lovely wedding or shower favor. Or make some mints for your next hostess gift. Make them for your friends. Box them up and tie them with a pretty ribbon. What a simple an delicious gift for Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter or no occasion at all!

You can make these mints in many different colors to match the occasion. Make pink, red and white ones for Valentine's Day. Make green and red mints for Christmas. Make orange mints for harvest time or Halloween. You can cut them in shapes with mini cookie cutters to match your theme or you can simply make round mints. Any way, they are delicious!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: several hours to let mints dry

Serves: Yields approximately 72 mints

Mini cookie cutters are great fun. You can make mints in all these shapes for different occasions or make bite-size cookies for a tea party!