Make Candied Mint Leaves

Candied mint leaves are an old-fashioned treat to be served at afternoon tea or as a snack. They can also serve as excellent garnishes on cakes, drinks, and ice cream. The traditional recipe calls for egg white, but not everyone can eat egg white; fortunately, there is a vegan option as well, although it is less traditional.

Ingredients

Traditional Candied Mint Leaves

• 1 large egg white
• 12 fresh mint leaves
• ¼ cup (55 grams) superfine sugar

Vegan Candied Mint Leaves

• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) corn syrup
• ¼ cup (55 grams) superfine sugar
• 12 fresh mint leaves

Steps

Making Traditional Candied Mint Leaves

1. Prepare the mint leaves. Pull the leaves off the stalk, and be sure to leave the stems. This will make them easier to handle, and you can always trim the stems off at the end. Rinse the mint leaves in cool water and gently pat them dry with a paper towel.
   • If you are planning on using these leaves to decorate a cake, choose ones that look nice. Don't use any bruised or torn leaves.
2. Beat the egg white in a small bowl until it turns frothy. You can do this using a fork or a small whisk. If you are worried about Salmonella, use pasteurized egg whites or dried egg whites instead. If you are going to use powdered egg whites, mix them with about 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of water first.
3. Brush the egg white mixture onto the mint leaves as thinly as possible. Make sure that both sides are evenly coated, or the sugar won't stick. If the mixture is too runny after you have brushed it on, wait 1 minute before proceeding. This will allow the egg white to solidify a little.
4. Coat both sides of the mint leaves with sugar. You can do this simply by tossing them in a bowl of sugar, or holding them by the stems and sprinkling sugar over them. You can also spread them out, cover them with sugar, flip them over, and cover them with more sugar.
5. Transfer the leaves onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure that the leaves are not touching or overlapping, or they will stick together when they dry.
6. Wait 24 hours for the leaves to dry, and don't cover the leaves while they are drying. Once the leaves are dry, you can store them in an airtight container or use them as a garnish.
7. Use the leaves. You can eat them as a treat, or use them to garnish drinks, pastries, cakes, or even ice cream.

Making Vegan Candied Mint Leaves

1. Prepare the mint leaves. Pull the leaves off the stalk, making sure to leave the stems on the leaves. This will make the leaves easier to handle; you can always trim the stems at the end. Rinse the leaves in cool water and lightly pat them dry with a paper towel.
   • If you going to decorate a cake with these, choose ones that look nice. Don't pick any that are bruised or torn.
2. Warm the corn syrup until it becomes thin. You can do this the microwave or over the stove. This will make the corn syrup easier to brush on.
3. Brush the corn syrup over the leaves and let them dry for 1 minute. This will help make the corn syrup stickier and less likely to slide off. When brushing the mixture on, try to do it as thinly as possible. You don't need a lot for the sugar to stick.
4. Spread the leaves on a flat surface and cover them with half of the sugar. Coat them as evenly as possible, and don't worry if the sugar layer appears thick. You will be shaking the excess off at the end.
5. Transfer the leaves to a parchment-lined baking sheet, sugar-side down. Make sure that the leaves aren't touching or overlapping, or you won't be able to coat them evenly.
6. Cover the leaves with the rest of the sugar. Don't re-use any of the sugar from the first round. It will be damp from the corn syrup and clump up. Also, don't shake off any of the excess sugar; let it sit on the leaves.
7. Let the leaves dry for 24 hours. Don't cover the leaves with anything while they are drying.
8. Gently shake off the excess sugar and use the leaves. You can eat them as a treat, or use them as a garnish for cakes, drinks, pastries, or even ice cream.

Tips

• When coating the leaves, try to coat them as thinly as possible; don't gloop the egg white or corn syrup on.
• Be sure to use superfine sugar. Powdered sugar will turn into glaze, and granulated sugar will be too chunky.
• If you can't get superfine sugar, try grinding regular sugar in a food processor. Keep in mind that this may scratch up your food processor.
• If you are in a hurry, place the leaves in a 175°F (79.5°C) oven for 20 minutes. Turn the leaves over, and bake another 30 minutes, or until the leaves are dry and the sugar is crystallized.
• Mint leaves are delicate. It might be a good idea to make some extra candied mint leaves, in case some become damaged during the process.
• If you are worried about Salmonella, used pasteurized egg whites or dried egg whites instead.
• You can make the leaves up to 1 day ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
• You can store the leaves in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• For extra flavor, mix a drop of spearmint or vanilla extract into the sugar before sifting it over the mint leaves.
• Try it with different varies of mint, such as chocolate mint!
• You can do with this other edible herbs and flowers, such as violets and basil.

Warnings

• Raw eggs may contain Salmonella. Be sure to get your eggs from a trusted source.

Things You'll Need

• Small bowl
• Small whisk or fork
• Pastry brush
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Vanilla Sugar
• Make Oregano Olive Oil
• Make Italian Seasoned Chicken
• Make Frosted Rose Petals
• Chop Basil Leaves
• Eat Wood Sorrel
• Eat Chicory
• Use Ginseng Root
• Eat Purslane
• Eat Kudzu

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