Mints Altoid Style Food

MINTS - ALTOID STYLE

Steps:

• Open bag of gum paste & add the peppermint (or other flavor of your choosing).
• Close bag & knead until well incorporated.
• Remove 1/2 of gum paste (cover & set aside).
• Add food coloring to paste left in bag & knead to incorporate.
• - From this point, you may want to wear some kitchen gloves (you know - thin, food handling type, so you don't end up with red hands. You may also want to work on parchment or a cutting board to keep your counter from possibly staining :) -.
• Remove red paste from bag, finish kneading color in, if necessary.
• Working fairly quickly, to avoid the candy drying out (you can use the powdered sugar to dust the surface you're working on).
• Split red & white pastes in half & roll in to 4 long, thin ropes.
• Place 4 ropes together & roll into one rope approximately 1/2 inch in diameter.
• With a very sharp knife cut into 1/4 inch pieces.
• If they squish a little, due to cutting, just press back in to round.
• Toss in a 9 x 13 baking pan and air dry for 48 hours.
• Package in little cellophane bags or little tins (washed), etc, from the craft store.
• NOTE - Cooking time is drying time.
• From Cheeky Kitchen 2011.

HOMEMADE MINTS {ALTOIDS MINTS COPYCAT}

Steps:

• In a deep bowl, mix the gum paste with the flavoring, and water until it forms a very thick paste.
• Put parchment paper on a baking sheet, and dust with powdered sugar.
• Put the "dough" on the parchment, and dust with a bit more powdered sugar. Press it as thin as you can with the heel of your hand.
• Now at this point, you could make little balls, use a tiny mold to make these cute shapes, or even use a fat straw to punch out circles. That is a lot of work, so I recommend dusting a pizza cutter with powdered sugar and cut them into strips and pieces.
• Fill a lidded container with the pieces, and sprinkled a bit more powdered sugar in there. Shake it a few times to make sure that all the pieces are coated enough to not stick to each other.
• Spread the pieces back on the baking sheet with the parchment, and let dry at room temperature for at least 3 days. Your house will smell awesome, but please watch out for kiddos and pets. If you are using Xylitol it is especially dangerous for pets.
• Place finish mints in a mesh strainer and shake to remove the excess powdered sugar. Transfer to lidded containers and/or cute jars for giving as gifts.