Vitamin C melt aways

These little nuggets of melt in your mouth mints are just what you need on a winters day. They are packed with Vitamin C and so good tasting that even your hardest to please member of the family will rave. Cook time: 30 Min  Prep time: 30 Min I started out with a plain butter mint recipe by my friend Pat Duran and switched it up to create these.

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 c frozen OJ concentrate

1 /2 butter, softened

1/8 tsp vanilla extract or orange essential or flavored oil

 2 to 3 dash(es) orange food coloring or use you favorite or none at all

1. Butter a 15x10 inch baking pan. Place pan in refrigerator to keep cool until needed. In a large heavy saucepan with a lid, combine sugar,water and butter. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon over high heat until sugar is dissolved.

2. Bring to a boil; cover and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes to allow steam to wash sugar crystals down. Uncover; cook over medium heat, without stirring, until candy thermometer reads 260 degrees (hard ball stage).

3. Remove from heat; stir in peppermint oil and food coloring. Pour into chilled pan without scraping. Let stand undisturbed for 10 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold edges of hot candy into the center of the pan, repeating 2 or 3 times until the candy is cool enough to handle.

4. Butter your fingers well, form candy into a ball, then begin stretching until candy becomes porous and satiny about 5 minutes. Pull out into a 1/2 inch rope.( like making taffy)

5. Using buttered scissors, cut candy into 1/2 inch pieces. Store candy pillows in an airtight container for at least 24 hours before serving.So the flavor melds and ripens. Makes about 1 1/2 #'s

6. Note:you can change up the color or use no color.