These simple, old-fashioned sweets make a great Christmas present dressed up in a pretty box. This recipe was given to Tamsin by one of her lovely volunteers at the museum. Make them about a week before you need them. You’ll need:
1 or 2 pkt dried egg white - the equivalent to 2 egg whites (available in supermarkets)
60ml warm water
700g icing sugar (plus a little extra to dust on surfaces)
3-4 drops Langdale’s peppermint essence (to taste)
1 tsp glycerine (optional, but keeps creams soft)
Gift boxes
Mix the egg white powder with a third of the icing sugar (ignore the instructions on the egg white packet). Put the water into a bowl and beat in the egg white/icing sugar mix until thoroughly blended. Add the peppermint essence and glycerine. Then gradually add the rest of the icing sugar, mixing well until you have a stiff paste that can be rolled out.
Sprinkle a work surface and rolling pin with more icing sugar. Roll out the paste to ½ cm thick and cut into shapes using cutters (dust them with icing sugar first to stop them sticking). Place the shapes on a cooling tray covered with greaseproof paper, and leave for 24 hours. When dry, pack them in a gift box in layers with waxed paper or baking parchment in between.
Alternatively, you can melt and dip them in a little chocolate to make Chocolate Peppermint Creams.
For other homemade Christmas gifts, see Christmas Pud Truffles, Chocolate-dipped Orange Peel and Honeycomb Rolled Candles. |
