Creamy No-Cook Mints

It's St. Patrick's Day next week! It's a holiday I don't really relate to because we're not Irish, we don't drink and I think Leprechauns are silly... BUT, I'm all about making yummy green food!

These mints taste a lot like butter mints, they are super simple to make and they won't heat up your kitchen. These would be really cute in pink or blue for a baby or bridal shower. Or, leave them white and sprinkle with colored sugar for Christmas or holidays. Serve in mini cupcake liners or candy cups or on a small tray. Recipe from Cupcake Rehab. Makes 24-30 one-inch mints. Recipe is easy to double. 

3 ounces light cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon mint extract (I used peppermint extract)
2 drops green food coloring (or color of choice)
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
superfine sugar (can sub regular granulated sugar)

Place cream cheese, extract and food coloring in bowl. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. Continuing on that speed, gradually add powdered sugar and mix about 1 1/2 minutes, or until mixture becomes very stiff.

To make mints, shape mixture into 3/4 inch balls. Roll in superfine sugar and place on waxed paper coated in superfine sugar. Press them lightly with back of fork to flatten and to form ridges. Store mints tightly covered in the fridge. They also freeze well.

Swig {Knockoff} Sugar Cookies

I was preparing to make sugar cookies for Valentine's Day, when I came across a friend's post on Instagram. She had just visited St. George, Utah for the weekend and had posted about Swig's famous sugar cookies that I've heard so much about. I have never tried them, but I found a recipe online and made them as a dessert for my kids' lunches this week.... Then I made them again today... for Valentine's Day... which is this weekend! They are SO good! Now, I'm going to hide the rest of them in my freezer so I don't eat any more!

I like them for 2 reasons: They aren't overly sweet and I don't have to roll out the dough and cut them into shapes. Kind of lazy of me, but these do the trick. I even added some Valentine's sprinkles and VOILA... Very festive (easy) sugar cookies!

So, until I actually get to try a sugar cookie from Swig, these are my favorite little sweet treat.

Recipe slightly adapted from Tastebook (added vanilla & decreased salt in frosting). 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

COOKIES:
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. water
2 eggs
Dash of almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream together butter, vegetable oil, sugars, water, eggs, almond and vanilla extracts. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture. Mix until everything is combined. Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.

Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on your cookie sheet (I used a cookie scoop). Now it's time to give these babies their signature rough edge. Put 1/4 c. of sugar in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar listed above). Stick the bottom of a glass in it. This is going to be your cookie press.

Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball. You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass. If there is a lip, it's even better.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 8 minutes. I like to take mine out just before they begin to brown and let them cool for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Once they are cool, put them in the fridge.

FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup sour cream
About 1 (2 pound) package of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 Tbs. milk
red food coloring (optional)

Start by creaming together butter, sour cream and salt. Slowly add powdered sugar. When it gets too thick, add a splash of milk.

Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute. Frost cookies when cool and store cookies in the fridge until ready to serve.