Sweets For My Sweetie: Easy Mint Patties (Soy, Fish, Wheat, Nut and Egg-Free, Can Be Milk-Free)

Welcome to the fifth day of

with Natural and Free, Glued To My Crafts and Vanessa's Place!

Only 2 more days after today!  Wow!  Where has the time gone?  I hope you have been over to Stacey's and Vanessa's blogs to see their Valentine's posts.  They've got some amazing things there for ya! 

Please keep those amazing Valentine-themed posts coming!  Remember there are NO LIMITS on how many posts you can submit, so the more the merrier!  And each post you link-up is another chance to win our amazing give-away* which I think is pretty sweet!  If I haven't been by yet to check out your submission, don't worry - I will! :)  I cannot wait to see what you've shared!

Anyway, here's what I've shared with you so far:

1. Chocolate Syrup
  

2. Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Smoothies

3. Buckeyes

4. Red Hot Latte

And today's recipe: Easy Mint Patties!

This is another recipe that I got from my sister-in-law as posted on Baptist Missionary Women, but I did change it slightly.  I decided to call it Easy Mint Patties for 2 reasons: One, they are patty shaped and dipped in chocolate and 2, my sister-in-law's name is Patty. :)  Yes, I'm punny. :P

Anyway, this recipe is a super easy, relatively no-cook candy (awesome!) and soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), egg, fish, nut and wheat-free and can be milk-free (see variations).   Trust me when I say, candy making has never been so easy!

Easy Mint Patties

1/3 Cup light corn syrup (not low calorie, just clear colored)

1/4 Cup full-fat, salted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mint extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 Cups confectionery sugar

1 package soy-free chocolate chips

(I recommend Enjoy Life, which is also dairy-free, but you can use any chocolate that fits your dietary needs)



1. Place all ingredients except confectionery sugar and chocolate in a large bowl and blend together.
    
2. Blend confectionery sugar into the mixture until well-blended.
    
3. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on waxed paper and flatten with a spoon dipped in powdered sugar.  (Note: The filling tends to be sticky, so you may want to sprinkle the waxed paper with confectionery sugar for easier removal, too.)
    
4. Refrigerate the patties until firm, generally an hour or so, but overnight is probably best. (Note: You can put them in the freezer for this step if you're really impatient or short on time, too.)
    
5. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler method or in the microwave, whichever is your preference.
    
6. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper and assemble your patties in this fashion:
1. Place a dollop of chocolate on the paper and swirl it into a small circle big enough to accommodate the disk-shaped mint filling.
2. Place a mint filling onto the chocolate, pressing in lightly
3. Cover the mint filling thinly with chocolate.
4. Repeat until all the mints are covered with chocolate.
    
7. Place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator and allow to harden completely before serving, generally this takes a few hours. (Note: If you're impatient, you can place them in the freezer instead.)

Makes 3 dozen or so candies.
   

Variations (Please keep in mind your individual allergen needs when using substitutions.):

• Milk-Free: Substitute a dairy-free butter like Earth Balance for the butter and a dairy-free chocolate like EnjoyLife for the chocolate.
   
• Easy ____ Patties: You can make these patties into vanilla patties by omitting the mint extract and increasing the vanilla to 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons.  You can sub any flavoring for the mint, too, like orange, lemon, cherry, strawberry, coffee, caramel, chocolate - any you like.  If you don't want the vanilla flavor in there, feel free to omit it as well, though you might have to increase the amount of the other extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons.  Also, you can make these coconut by omitting the mint extract, increasing the vanilla to 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons and adding coconut flakes (Start with 1/3 Cup and add more as desired.).  If you can have nuts, you can even omit the mint extract, increase the vanilla to 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons or use almond extract or a mix of the 2 and add an almond to each one.  You could even do the coconut and almond idea together.  So many options!  Have fun playing around with it!
    
• Use whatever flavor chocolate you like best: milk, white, semi-sweet, dark, etc. You can even drizzle the tops with another type if you like.
   
• You can sprinkle the tops with sprinkles, turbinado sugar, crushed up mints - anything you want that makes them look festive to you!

You know you want one...or two...or a dozen!  So amazing!

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Now it's your turn!



<a href="http://naturalandfree.blogspot.com/ "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW-rEmnSxP7jOQZWYY2EyJPHclmeJzI-Wv39DWJbpcM5oRUUbrBiH_Ifxw0ybgC_5A1hdLduUWMs21RN8FBWAg11uOnlxVTaCkKS6irnRSA2Fvqxe9fqt0XjzeP1UYVEhHGW7cyeSJ7Zg/s144/vdaylinkupbutton.jpg" height="144" width="144" /></a>

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)