Homade Buttons/Dots

It was a daddy/daughter hour or two for B-Real and little c today.  Big C and I went shopping to see if we could locate something for her to give to her sister for Christmas.

little c is a candy addict and loves anything and everything sweet.  Yesterday she had a hankering for those candy buttons/dots that come on waxed type paper.  The only place I've seen them as of late is Michael's and we were not going to head out to Michael's just to meet her candy fix.  I speculated we 'might' be able to make them at home and after a little Google search I discovered we were in luck.

Unfortunately yesterday got away from us and I told her we'd make the dots the following day.  Well B-real was the lucky guy who got to participate in the activity with the Queen of Candy!  I think they had fun together and want to make more so they can experiment with different flavors. little c wants to try lemon now. 

Here's the recipe if you have a hankering for some homemade candy! They reduced the quantity considerably.  Mostly because who in their right mind has SEVEN CUPS of powdered sugar at their disposal? 

Recipe: Candy Buttons (from what will we make today blog)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp meringue powder (or 2 egg whites)
• 6 Tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (use vanilla, lemon, peppermint, coconut for different flavors)
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar (1 pound = 7 cups)
• decorator bags or sandwich bags (1 for each color)
• food coloring I used gel, but any kind will do. Four colors is about right)
• paper cut into 2 3/4" by 10" strips. (The dynamic duo used parchment paper)

If you are using egg whites, separate the eggs.

Whip together the confectioners' sugar and the egg whites (or meringue powder and water) on low speed for one minute.

Add the flavoring and about 1/2 of the water. You may wish to add more water later to get this to the right consistency, but start out with a little less then you think you need.

Whip mixture for 10 minutes on high speed. If the icing is too thick, think it out with drops of water until it is the consistency of sour cream. A drop should hold it's shape and slowly smooth out to create a smooth button.

While the mixer is whipping the icing, cut strips of paper into 2 3/4" by 10" strips.

You may want to use a template for candy dots if you wish.

Divide the icing into small bowls. One bowl for each color.

Pour each color into a decorator bag or sandwich bag and seal.

Cut a VERY small corner off of each bag.

Squeeze a drop of icing at a time onto the paper.

lace the strips on baking sheets in a cool dry place, uncovered, to dry overnight.