Making sweets as presents

Lord_Gardener

Great green colour!

earthmother

I've been experimenting with Peppermint Cream recipes all week to get the easiest one to work with and the best taste (have 5.5 year old and 3 year old who want to make them).

The recipe I've ended up with is a bit of a mix of several, but if you want to give it a go (would be interesting to see if it's really ok, or it's just my family with odd taste buds, lol) -

half a pound of icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons of condensed milk (the 'light' version seems to work better - don't ask me why)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
green food colouring


Sieve the icing sugar, and add the condensed milk gradually - it's easier to 'wet' a dry mix than to 'dry' a wet mix - as I have found out.

Once mixed, add the juice, essence and colour (remember they'll also make the mix wetter), and knead to a paste.

Coat the work surface with icing sugar, roll paste into a sausage, cut into pieces, form balls and place on tray - the paste is easier to work with if cool, so fling open a window/door, and try not to do it at a time you have the oven on.

Chocmonster7

I've spent the afternoon adding chocolate to to a load of the sweets I've made. I think half of it is on me though! Oh well, people pay good money to have a chocolate bath in a spa so I think I'll go dip myself!

JoeyEmma

I've posted on the OS board, but I want to make old fashioned toffee like you get in Thorntons, but can't find a good recipe.

Can anybody help out?

skintchick

THis year I'm going to make shortbread for everyone. I made some earlier in the year and it was really nice. I've decided everyone likes shortbread, and as it was so yummy and easy, it's that all round this year!

I did peppermint creams last year but they weren;t very minty, took ages to make, and I didn;t get that many for the amount of ingredients. Was v diappointed.

jenny22_2

there is a cheats way of making peppermint creams which should last ages in an airtight container which i dug out of my mums 1980's good housekeeping cookbook.
all you need is the following:

ready made fondant icing
peppermint essence
food colouring (your choice of colour)

all you do is knead the icing til soft then add essence to taste and colour if you want it.

this is quick and easy and less messy especially if doing with young children.:T

you can also change the flavouring you use aswell

safesound

I wonder if this would work for orange cremes?

foxxy_queen

Chocmonster7 wrote: »

I started on my Christmas sweets today. Made peppermint creams, marzipan balls and some truffles which are made up of ginger cake, chopped apricots, ground almonds and a little orange juice.

Now just waiting for them to set before I can start adding chocolate to them!

hi, could you post your recipes for the marzipan balls and the truffles, they sound yummy, thanks

mcdelarich

How long do these sweets last? Just wondering because some have cream in them.

I'm thinking about making various batches for my in-laws, they live 150 miles away and we won't be seeing them before Xmas so I was going to make them, wrap in cellophane all pretty, box them up and send them over.

Also - any really nice, but fool-proof biscuit recipes? Or maybe long lasting cake?

Thanks in advance xx

spookybuffy

:beer: Does anyone have any ideas of some sweets and treats to bake for christmas?

thanks