Homemade Breath Mints

I think I've mentioned before that I may have the potential of becoming a hoarder because I don't like throwing things away. Don't worry, I don't keep everything...just the stuff I think I can use for something else. :) Like my breath mint tins. I've been holding onto 2 of them for about 3 months now. My husband kept asking why I still have them. I would always explain that I was going to make breath mints and I wanted to reuse the tins. I finally did it! 

I made 3 flavors. Sour Orange, Sour Raspberry/Orange, and original Peppermint. 

With the help of the lovely blog One Good Thing By Jillee, I was able to make Homemade Breath Mints!

You are certainly able to purchase gum paste, but if you would like to make it homemade, click here to get the easy recipe that I used.

Knead the gum paste, using powdered sugar if dough is sticky. 

The more you work it with your hands, the  more workable the gum paste will become.

Make a well in the center and add oil/extract and food coloring.

 If you are using the citric acid, add that now as well.

Knead it all together until it is well mixed, adding powdered sugar as necessary.

Pull a tiny piece off and taste. Add more flavoring, coloring, or citric acid as needed. 

(The flavor will mellow a little once the mints are dried.)

On a clean counter, sprinkle powdered sugar and roll out the dough until desired thickness is achieved.

 You can either use a straw to punch out circular mints or use a pizza cutter.

 I thought I was a patient person, but standing there punching these tiny mints out was
taking way too much time for me. 

 I decided to go with the little square mints and am happy with the way they turned out. 

Nothing wrong with looking "homemade"!

Toss mints with powdered sugar to keep them from sticking.

Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally to let dry evenly.

The longer you let them dry, the harder and crunchier they will become.

 Using a slotted spoon, shake off excess powdered sugar and place in tins or containers.

Ingredients

gum paste

powdered sugar

flavored oils or extracts

food coloring

citric acid (if you want sour flavors)

Directions

Knead the gum paste, using powdered sugar if dough is sticky. The more you work it with your hands, the  more workable the gum paste will become.

Make a well in the center and add oil/extract and food coloring.

If you are using the citric acid, add that now as well.

Knead it all together until it is well mixed, adding powdered sugar as necessary.

Pull a tiny piece off and taste. Add more flavoring, coloring, or citric acid as needed. (The flavor will mellow a little once the mints are dried.)

On a clean counter, sprinkle powdered sugar and roll out the dough until desired thickness is achieved.

You can either use a straw to punch out circular mints or use a pizza cutter. I thought I was a patient person, but standing there punching these tiny mints out was taking way too much time for me. I decided to go with the little square mints and am happy with the way they turned out. Nothing wrong with looking "homemade"!

Toss mints with powdered sugar to keep them from sticking.

Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally to let dry evenly. The longer you let them dry, the harder and crunchier they will become.

Using a slotted spoon, shake off excess powdered sugar and place in tins or containers.