Our Vegan Peppermint Creams are the perfect fun activity for any festive seasons - Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, Bonfire night, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve, and many more! The peppermint creams can be simply dipped in melted chocolate or decorated with cake pens, icing, or fondant with patterns and pictures that match the festive occasion. Our kids love to draw shocked faces on their peppermint creams to enjoy over Halloween. Pack a few peppermint creams into a home-made gift box or a decorated jar for a tasty gift.
electric hand whisk or a non-electric egg beater or whisk and strong arms!
Baking trays
baking parchment or wax paper
Cookie or biscuit cutter about 2 inch [5 cm] diameter
Rolling pin
Ingredients
450gramsicing sugar[powdered or confectioner's sugar, sieved, plus extra for dusting rolling pin and work surface]
80millilitersaquafaba[drained liquid from a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) All the aquafaba may not be required.]
¼teaspoonpeppermint extract[you may require more depending on personal taste]
To decorate, optional
100gramsdark vegan-friendly chocolate[semi-sweet chocolate, melted] [may require double the amount of chocolate if covering the whole cream rather than just half dipping]
vegan edible cake pens[various colours]
Instructions
Line a baking tray or similar with parchment paper or wax paper.
Sieve the icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
450 grams icing sugar
Weigh out the aquafaba by draining the canned chickpeas in a sieve with a bowl under the sieve to catch the liquid, and moving the chickpeas around to remove most of the liquid. [Store the the chickpeas in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze for 3-4 months, and use for a different recipe.]
80 milliliters aquafaba
Using the electric cake whisk mix the aquafaba until it is frothy, bubbly, thick, and white. This will take about 3-4 minutes using an electric hand whisk.The aquafaba is ready when a spoon can scoop up a thick piece and the aquafaba slowly drips in large blobs.Using a manual non-electric hand whisk will take much longer to reach this stage.
Pour the peppermint extract into the icing sugar.
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Slowly add the aquafaba to the icing sugar, mixing with a metal spoon until it all comes together first into crumbs. You will not need all the aquafaba so don't add it all at once.
Taste a little of the mix and if its not minty enough for your liking stir through a drop or two more of the peppermint extract until the flavour is too your liking.
Using your hands bring the crumby mix together into a ball of dough.
Dust your work surface with icing sugar.
Divide the ball into 2 pieces as this will be easier to knead. Knead each piece firmly, while also cupping the ball between your palms and pressing into a smooth ball. This step may take a few minutes.
Add extra dabs of aquafaba if the icing dough is too dry and knead this into the icing mix, or sprinkle in extra icing sugar if the dough is too wet.
Dust your rolling pin and cookie cutter with icing sugar.
Using the palm of your hands firmly press each dough ball into a flat circle. With a rolling pin roll out each circle out to about ½ cm thick or thereabouts. Stamp out circles with the cookie cutter.
As you roll the icing dough little cracks may appear. These can be smoothed out by dipping your finger into any leftover aquafaba and smoothing over the cracks. Sprinkle over extra icing sugar and smooth this into the icing ball until the cracks fade.
Place the peppermint creams onto the lined baking trays. Gently smooth away any icing sugar that happened to land on the creams with a dry finger.
Ensure that the peppermint creams are sitting on the tray flat as they will dry out and set into the shape they are left in.
Allow to dry out overnight or for at least 6-8 before decorating. Cover the trays with a cake cover if available, and keep somewhere away from excess moisture such as the cooker or kettle.
Once air-dried the creams can be decorated with cake pens.
vegan edible cake pens
To decorate with chocolate:
Break the chocolate into even chunks and add to a heatproof bowl. The quickest way to melt the chocolate is to use a microwave. In 20 second bursts heat the chocolate until its about half melted then remove from the microwave and stir quickly until completely melted. The chocolate should continue to melt and turn glossy as its stirred. If not just give it another 20 second ping in the microwave.Alternatively, place the bowl into a saucepan which has gently simmering water until the chocolate melts. Be careful not to get any of the steam or water into the chocolate as this could result in the chocolate seizing up. Once the water is boiling, the stove-ring can be turned off.
100 grams dark vegan-friendly chocolate
Scrape the chocolate to one side of the bowl and dip the peppermint creams into the chocolate or use a little spatula to cover each cream in chocolate.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
Vegan peppermint creams can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1-2 weeks. To preserve the sweets longer line the container with baking parchment or wax paper, add more paper between the layers, and a paper layer at the top.
If the creams are intended as gifts ensure the inside of the gift box is lined in a layer of kitchen or Aluminium foil with perhaps tissue or crepe paper around the foil for a nicer presentation. Or add to a nice jar with an airtight lid.
Store in a cool, dry area.
Store the leftover chickpeas from the can in the fridge for up to 3 days and use in a different recipe.
If interested the jelly sweets used in the photos are Jelly Tots and Fruit Tella gelatine free sour snakes, both are labelled vegan and were purchased from our local Co-Op supermarket.
For more useful recipe notes and FAQ's have a look at our recipe notes section above this recipe card.