Christmas Calendar 2018 - Peppermint xylitol sweets

Last year I made these peppermint sweets, I thought it could be great, if it would be possible to get a cooling effect build into these sweets. This could be another way to increase the pepermint flavour in these sweets.

One way to get a cooling effect in sweet is to use xylitol, which will lower the temperature in your mouth, when the xylitol goes from crystalline form to liquid form. Therefore it is important, that the xylitol does not dissolve in these sweets. I was a little uncertain, if it would work, as there is some water available in the egg white. This experiment of mine turned out just as I had imagining it.

PS: xylitol is a sugar alcohol, so of you eat too many of these sweet you can experience a laxative effect. On the other side, this is a sugar-free sweet :-)

PPS: xylitol has a very positive effect on the health of your teeth (tooth health).

Peppermint sweet:

• 1 cup of pasteurised egg white
• 38 ml peppermint extract
• 400-500 g xylitol - grinded into the texture like icing sugar
• Crystalline xylitol for sprinkling on the surface - optional

1. Add the egg white and peppermint extract into a medium size mixing bowl. Stir it together.
2. Add in the icing sugar little by little, while the mass is stirred between each addition.
3. Keep adding in the icing mass, until the mass is firm, but still sticky.
4. Place a piece of baking parchment on the kitchen tabletop.
5. Use two teaspoons to form a smaller ball in the sizde of a hazel/walnut. 
6. Place these ball on the baking parchment. Press them flat using the backside of a teaspoon, which is dipped into water from time to time, so the peppermint sweet does mot stick to the teaspoon.
7. Leave the peppermint sweet to dry in the baking parchment for up to 24 hours, before they are stored in an airtight container.