Montana Mint Chocolate w/candied mint

Those of us who live in the North know that summer is short-lived and before we know it we'll be stoking logs in our fireplaces and stoves. My backyard garden actually rests under two feet of snow for half the year.

So, when summer visits us here in Montana and mint has abundantly sprouted (like a weed) throughout my garden, I grasp it by the handfuls and take to work to use in and on our chocolates.

We candy some of the mint leaves and find that it pairs really well with dark chocolate, preferably Madagascar. We continue to make this chocolate during the winter (even though our garden has gone to bed) as it is so popular that time of the year. By freezing bundles of mint, we are able to avoid paying high prices for it at the grocery stores, too.

Here is a simple recipe for you to preserve a bit of summer.

Candied Mint
To candy mint, all you need is to boil sugar and water, four to one (four sugar to one water). Dip the cleaned fresh mint leaves into the boiled syrup and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Voila!