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About the Recipe: Just mention Frango mints in Chicago and people will relate a holiday celebration with sweet mint meltaway candies, downtown decorated windows, and a stunning tall Christmas tree in the Walnut Room. This recipe highlights those delicious mints by enclosing them in a butterball cookie rolled not once, but twice with confectioners’ sugar. They ring out the spirit of the holiday season.
Inspired by: Marshall Field’s Frango Chocolate Cookbook http://recipecircus.com/recipes/Catgurrl/Cookies/Frango_Mint_Surprise_Cookies.html
Cook’s Note: Frango Mint Chocolates can now be purchased at Macy’s Stores around the U.S. and are available in other flavors and dark chocolate.
The Story of Famous Marshall Field’s Frango Mints:
Frango mints are a brand of minted chocolate candies first created for the Frederick & Nelson department stores. It wasn’t until 1927 that Ray Alden, who ran Frederick’s in-store candy kitchen, developed the Frango mint meltaway chocolate. Alden’s secret recipe used chocolate made from both African and South American cocoa beans as well as triple-distilled oil of Oregon peppermint and 40% local butter.
A few months after Marshall Field’s agreed to buy out Frederick & Nelson’s and take control of the Seattle company in 1929, the Frederick & Nelson candy makers in Seattle were summoned to Marshall Field’s in Chicago
Soon to introduce Frango mints to their customers. Soon, the candy kitchen at Marshall Field’s had produced its own Midwestern interpretation of the Frango Chocolate recipe. It wasn’t long before Frango mints were produced in large melting pots on the 13th floor of the flagship Marshall Field’s store on State Street for 70 years. The recipe was modified several times during the years. To people living in the Midwest, these candies became a sweet tradition that was savored during the holidays. Presently, they are produced and distributed by Macy’s department stores.
For More Information See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frango
Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph. D., Presentation to: Living History of Illinois and Chicago, Chicago, Food & Restaurants, Illinois Business, Inventors, and Inventions.
https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-story-and-myth-of-the-famous-frango-mints.html
Bake Cookies: Place the cookies, spaced 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.
Coat Cookies with Confectioners’ Sugar: Cool cookies for about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack until warm.
Sift confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl and roll the warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar until well coated. It will form a melted sugar coating. Sprinkle again before serving with another coat of confectioners’ sugar. Hint: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and can be baked up to one week in advance.
Yield: about 30 cookies.
pdf for Copy of Recipe – Frango Mint Surprise Cookies
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