Well, when you combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, some sort of flavoring (didn't have peppermint, used almond extract), and some food dye, make a mess of yourself as you combine it, break off small blobs of it and roll them in granulated sugar, and then push them down into these rubbery molds...
...you get something I remember my mom making when we were kids - cream cheese mints!
Yes, yes, I fully admit the name makes them sound gross. And Brett won't even try them - saying they don't sound good and that the color looks weird (yeah yeah, he's weird too), but once you try them you'll find they can be highly addictive! I made just over three dozen, and I think there's about two and a half dozen left! Oops!
Normally you'd do something like green Christmas trees and leaves, maybe yellow flowers, etc...but this was my first attempt, and I was only doing a small batch using 2oz of cream cheese. I really didn't think it would make enough to worry about splitting it into different batches for different colors. And again, it was just to test...
These little guys really start to dry out fast, which I think you sort of want - it helps them set.
You'll notice there's a wreath rubber mold but no wreath mints. They did NOT form well - getting all mangled when they came out of the mold. I'm wondering if chilling the blob might help.
Mom's got her old recipes for this stuff, including variations like making some with cocoa - and even still has her old molds (she's wondering if maybe they've broken down some - they're probably 30+ years old!) - hence the "something old" in the header. This is my first time owning molds and making something like this - hence the "something new" in the header. Annnnnd these were often made to set out at weddings back in the day - hence the header as a whole! I thought it might be fun to make these to add to Christmas cookie platters and/or to take in to work. Who knows - maybe we'll know someone getting married and I can make a little something to contribute...
7 comments:
Hey you!
Yep, my Mom made the same mints. We used to make hundreds and hundreds for weddings. I like them right from the freezer... sweet, but pretty darn addictive!
Mmmmm -- I don't know how many of those I must have put away when my sister got married ...
They look good. Is it a Midwest thing, though? Until you mentioned them to me last week, I'd never heard of them before.
Sorry I already got married...so I guess it's Dave's turn!
:-.
(that's stunned silence)
Hey Joe! I have to admit I hadn't been to your site in ages, and yet EARLIER IN THE DAY you commented here, I was just thinking about you and your blog! What's up with that?
I've made more tonite, now that I picked up some peppermint extract. Not "hundreds and hundreds", and yet I think I'm officially done with making them "just for fun" for awhile... ;-) (That might have something to do with the "pretty darn addictive" part - up until the point where they get "pretty darn sickening"!)
Which is why....DAVE! Since I know you love 'em, AND since you've got a bit of a drive to go spend the holiday with your mom, I'll be putting a little care package together to leave with you at work tomorrow morning. You know - the kind of thing to ensure you're sick to your stomach and/or bouncing off the walls by the time you get to Mansfield! ;-)
Peter - I don't know that they're midwest. Mom couldn't remember if she started making them while we were in England or not. I know for sure she was making them in South Carolina (where we lived after England). I'm wondering if it was more of a 70s thing as opposed to a location thing?
Sharon - if we'd met for dinner Saturday nite, I was gonna hook you up with some!
by the way, a recipe for this is in my book that came with my new stand mixer!
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