There's something about these little sweets that reminds me of childhood, my grandparents, and everything special. These easy little candies are usually made with heavy cream and butter, but with a few easy adjustments I was able to recreate them in a safe way so I could share them with my own little sweetie. These can be coloured any way you like, and the flavour could certainly be changed if you switched the mint extract for a different flavour. I think little bags of these would be so sweet at a baby or wedding shower as an inclusive favour. If our allergy-kiddos have taught us anything, it's that there's no limit on adaptability.
Ingredients:
1/2 c dairy-free butter of choice (do not use coconut oil for this one)
1 tablespoon evaporated coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract (add more if you like your mints stronger)
pinch of salt
4 cups of powdered sugar (you may need more depending on the humidity in your kitchen)
food colour of choice (I like a minty soft green for the holidays but any colour works)
Directions:
Add butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until fluffy. Add evaporated coconut milk, extracts and salt and beat to combine. I like to add my food colour at this point to ensure it's nicely combined as well.
Gradually add powdered sugar until a dough begins to form (think, play doh). Once the dough is formed, turn out onto a sheet of wax paper. Taking small golf-ball sized portions and covering the remaining dough with a damp (not wet!) towel to reducing drying, roll into long snakes. When your snake is the thickness you desire, use a bench-scraper or butter knife to cut the mints into bite-sized pieces. I like them about the length of my thumb nail (I'm a very visual learner, clearly).
Once the mints are cut out, gently place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. They can touch so don't worry too much about spacing, but just ensure they aren't squished together. Leave out at room temperature over night (I actually find these set super nicely if you leave them out a little longer. I just taste tested them until they were firm, which was a win-win if you ask me:) )