Party Mints

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon flavoring extract
food coloring
2 pounds powdered sugar
granulated sugar

Preparation

Beat cream cheese until smooth; add flavoring extract and food coloring, mixing well. Sift powdered sugar twice; gradually add to cream cheese mixture, kneading after each addition until well-blended. Pinch off small pieces of mixture and roll into small balls; roll in granulated sugar. With fingers, press each ball into rubber mold and tap mold on waxed paper to remove; or score each ball with spoon to resemble rose petals; or flatten each ball slightly with a glass dipped in granulated sugar. Dry 24 hours; store in a tightly covered container.

Yield: 175 to 200 small mints

Notes:

Hints: These mints are perishable, so do not make them more than two days ahead of time. If dough is too dry to hold together nicely, add a few drops of water. If dough is too sticky, add a little powdered sugar. During preparation, cover dough with wet cloth to prevent drying.