Wintergreen Buttermints (for Andy)

I am following my mom's great idea, posting a recipe in honor of my brother's birthday today. The wintergreen lozenge is not a candy that everyone likes, but Andy loves them. Especially when they're soft. Well, these are very soft and tasty (and easy to make!) You can find wintergreen oil at places like Whole Foods usually. I haven't been able to locate wintergreen extract, but if you do you need to use more because it's less intense than the oil (same goes for peppermint oil and extract.)

photo from Wondertime

Buttermints

1/2 stick unsalted butter cut into slices, at room temp
1 lb (4 C) powdered sugar
1 Tb plus 2 tsp ice water
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp wintergreen oil ( you can substitute peppermint oil OR use 1/2 tsp extract)
(When I made these at Christmastime, I also made Eggnog flavor, using about 2 tsp rum flavor and about 1/2 tsp nutmeg. They were really good!)
**food coloring is optional, but use a little bit of red to make the Pink Pepto color!

In a large bowl, cut butter into sugar using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers. Add 1 Tb ice water, salt, flavoring, and toss with a fork. Press mixture into a ball; if it seems too crumbly add more water 1 tsp at a time. Turn dough out onto work surface and knead until it's smooth and satiny (dough should be something like PlayDoh's texture, maybe a little stiffer). Using 1/4 of the dough at a time, pinch off small amounts and form unto 1/2 inch balls, smooshing them into disks. Cover the rest of the dough with plastic so it doesn't dry out. Let set for 2 hours at room temp, then let ripen in a cool place for 2 days to improve flavor. They will keep at room temp for 2 weeks and in the fridge for a month.

From Wondertime Magazine