Peppermint Creams

Like many of you (I suspect) peppermint creams were my first experience of "cooking". My sister and I had a Blue Peter cookbook and this was one of their tried and very tested recipes, along with Grandma's stick jaw toffee & coconut ice. Sadly neither of us have the book any more so this is not the original recipe.  I like this one as it doesn't use raw egg white so its a little more kid friendly.  We have made a batch for my eldest to give as teacher gifts.  Lets hope they like them!

Peppermint Creams

400g icing sugar

4 tbsp evaporated milk

2 tsp peppermint essence

green food colouring (optional)

Makes approx 30

Sift the icing sugar into a big bowl.  Pour in the evaporated milk & peppermint essence and mix until it binds stiffly.  Generously dust the work surface with icing sugar and kneed the mixture until its a smooth glossy dough.  If you are using the green, divide your batch into 2 and add a few drops of green food colouring to one of them. Kneed in. Wrap each batch in cling film and pop in the fridge for about an hour.

Prepare a sheet of greaseproof paper by rubbing with a little vegetable oil.  Dust the work surface & rolling pin generously with icing sugar and roll out your dough to about 1cm thick.  Cut out desired shape (or roll into balls & press) and place them on greaseproof paper.  Put back into the fridge to dry out/harden.  You can drizzle with chocolate, or blob as we did! Keep in an air tight container until you need to dispatch.