Homemade DIY Breath Mints

• So, yesterday my daughter and I were watching "How its Made" and they were showing Altoids Breath Mints. The light bulb in my brain went off. "BREATH MINTS" I can make those! But the main ingredients in them were Xylitol. Now Xylitol is suppose to be a "natural" sweetener but its not and does come with some side effects which I prefer not to have. So of course I Googled a substitute for it and found that Gum paste would work perfectly fine and it safe with no side effects at all. As a matter of fact, gum paste is just a sweet edible sugar dough usually made from sugar and glucose. So my fingers went looking for a recipe for DIY breath mints, which were many but this one is what I went with and I'm happy that I did. These mints came out great and my kids had a great time doing these with me.

Ingredients: 

1 pkg of Gum Paste (ready to use) 

Essential oil or flavored oils

Food coloring (optional)

Powdered sugar 

Directions: 

If doing multiple colors, divide your paste into half or however many colors you are doing. 

To start, soften your paste until it feels like play dough. Gradually add a bit of food coloring, if using until it reaches the color you desire. 

Once you achieve the color you can add a few drops of your essential oil or flavor to the paste. Just add a few drops at a time until you reach the strength you want (taste test is necessary) 

Roll the paste out until you get the thickness you want of the mint. 

Use a straw to cut out your mints. 

Once all your mints are done, toss them lightly in powder sugar, this will help them from sticking. 

Allow to dry for at least a day, but will be really hard within two. 

Place in a container and Enjoy!