Candy Cane Cream Cheese Mints Recipe | Perfect for Holidays (2024)

FAQs

Why are my cream cheese mints sticking to the mold? ›

I recommend rolling your cream cheese balls in powdered sugar before pressing them into the molds. This will help keep them from sticking to the molds. I also recommend using flexible silicone candy molds because you can pop the candies out easier.

See, peppermint comes from a little plant called the same thing but they cook it in a distilled to extract the pure oil from it. But yes, peppermint and candy canes are one and the same. The cane is made from syrup and sugar with oil added in to it for flavoring.

Peppermint was often added to these sugar mixtures because its cooling taste helped to mask the flavour of awful-tasting drugs. The peppermint Altoids was invented in 1781 by the London confectioner Smith & Company, which also made medicinal lozenges.

Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta, with mold should be discarded. The same goes for any kind of cheese that's shredded, crumbled or sliced. With these cheeses, the mold can send threads throughout the cheese — contaminating more than you see.

Cross-contamination: Cream cheese can be cross-contaminated by other pink or red foods, which can result in the pink discoloration.

The candy cane is now a traditional symbol of the Christmas holiday. Today, candy canes are available in different shapes, colors, and flavors, but the red and white peppermint candy remains the classic favorite. They've become so popular that Dec. 26 became National Candy Cane Day in the United States.

This peppermint flavored treat was first made to be a part of the Christmas experience. It is believed that in 1670, a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral handed this candy out to children at their living Nativity, to keep the kids occupied. The candy was shaped to look like a shepherd's staff.

Step 2: Casting the Hard Candy

You can pour the hot liquid into any mold that can withstand temperatures of 300 degrees. I figured vacuum-formed plastic wouldn't withstand this heat, but any silicone baking molds work really well. So would wood, ceramic, or plaster, or even hand-formed aluminum foil.

Yes, you can pour molten sugar into a silicone ice cube tray. Silicone molds, like those from Pjbold, are known for their heat resistance and non-stick properties, making them suitable for handling hot sugar.

What is the religious meaning of the candy cane? ›

He incorporated several symbols from the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.

Peppermint production has been decreasing each year in the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture. U.S. mint crops, which include spearmint and peppermint, are threatened by a fungal disease that can wipe out entire fields, but cant be killed with a fungicide, Food and Wine reported.

The big mystery is when confectioners started to add peppermint to candy canes, which were a Christmastime treat. The unconfirmed legend of the candy cane itself is that a German choirmaster asked the candy maker to add a shepherd's crook to the candy stick to remind kids of the nativity scene, but nobody really knows.

Keep the cream cheese in the foil it came in, but cut the foil away from the area that you have taken the cream cheese off the brick. Then wrap the whole thing thoroughly and tightly with plastic wrap. Keep it in the coldest part of your refrigerator, preferably in a low-humidity bin.

Once a new package is opened, "the best solution is to protect it by keeping it in an airtight container," the food expert said.

The moisture content of cheese plays a crucial role in its susceptibility to mold growth. Soft and moist cheeses, such as blue cheese and Camembert, have higher water content and are more prone to mold development. Proper storage is essential to prevent excessive moisture buildup.

Signs that your cream cheese has gone bad include changes in appearance and color, such as yellowing, mold specks, a slimy texture, or dryness. Another red flag is if you see dried-out areas of cheese around larger pools of liquid, or if you pick up "off" odors that smell overly sour, pungent, or moldy.