Making sugar mice is one of those easy family traditions which make Christmas special. It is things like this, not the expensive gadgets and throw away presents, which make memories to last a lifetime. When I first wrote this post I had no idea that it would prove to be so popular with my lovely readers – it warms my heart to think that there are families out there who have also adopted the sugar mice as a Christmas tradition, thank you!
Bonus Boy is becoming a very keen cook and he helps me in the kitchen most evenings, making suggestions for flavourings to improve the meals we prepare together and ensuring the correct amount of stirring occurs to prevent burning when I am distracted, yet again, by something or someone else! As Christmas approaches rapidly, and I begin to fill the fridge and freezer with goodies, his help has been invaluable. We’ve made Christmas Cake, Pies, Christmas Pudding Fudge, Vegetarian Sausage Rolls and more but last week we could hold out no longer – it was time to make sugar mice!
I make no apologies for the sugary sweetness of these little fellas. They are not meant to be an everyday snack or to be popped into a lunchbox! Sugar mice are so easy to make and are a lovely naughty, sugary treat to hand out to friends as simple Christmas gifts.
Look at them, up there, having a bit of a natter, what do you think they are saying to each other?!
Making sugar mice is is such a lovely thing to do with children – they can do everything themselves with no annoying adult interference.
Here they are in their tin, all ready for Christmas! We packed some of them into little bags with ribbons and labels to give away as gifts and people were VERY happy to receive them!
We really hope you’ll make sugar mice this Christmas and that is becomes a family tradition just like it has here!
This recipe is enough to make about 25 sugar mice but it really depends on the size of them – if you go for teeny tiny country mice you’ll be overrun, if you make well fed town mice with generous girths your mixture won’t go so far and if you make rats you’ll terrify everyone at Christmas, don’t do it!
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How To Make Sugar Mice
Equipment
- A baking tray
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
- 350 g icing sugar sifted
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pink food colouring we used a few of drops of beetroot juice because I have yet to find a red or pink food colouring which is vegetarian and I am not a big fan of E Numbers
- Strawberry laces these are usually, but not always, vegetarian – check the label
- small chocolate drops/sprinkles
Instructions
- Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl
- Whisk the egg white until white and foaming
- Stir evenly into the icing sugar
- Add the lemon juice and combine
- Get your hands in and bring the icing mixture together into a ball
- Turn onto a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar and knead until it’s pliable (if it’s too dry add a little more lemon juice but go easy, if it’s too wet add more icing sugar)
- Divide the mixture into two and add a few drops of pink colouring to one half, kneading until it is evenly combined
- Break off walnut sized pieces of icing dough and roll into a mouse shape (fat at the bottom, pointy at the nose)
- Pinch ears with your thumb and forefinger (or snip them in with the tips of a pair of scissorand shape – some of ours were a bit nibbled looking but it doesn’t matter!
- Add chocolate sprinkles for eyes and noses and a piece of strawberry lace for a tail.
- Place them on the baking parchment on the baking tray and leave overnight to dry
Nutrition
The Sugar Mice Say, “Pin Us for Later! Squeak Squeak!”
Oh they are adorable and yummy too! Now I have an oven I’ll make these with Kitty and Ozzy over Christmas x
Thanks Annie! *whipsers* No oven needed for these 😉
These are adorable x
When can you start making them
I’ve made them 4-5 days in advance, all that sugar is an excellent preservative. I’d be reluctant to suggest any longer as they contain raw egg white. Hope that helps!
Adorable, need to try to make with my girls!
Let me know how you get on when you do Mirka! xxx
Awww – super cute! And it sounds as though they’re easy, too. I might make some for Easter!
Really easy and VERy cute Nell 🙂
Hi there, great recipe and explanation- ill be trying this this afternoon! Just wondering how long in advance i could make these? And if there would be any special way if keeping them? Im 3 weeks from my due date atm and im trying to get my christmas gifts sorted early 🙂 x
Hi Jodie, they keep well in an airtight tin. I’ve made them 4-5 days in advance, all that sugar is an excellent preservative. I’d be reluctant to suggest any longer as they contain raw egg white. Hope that helps and good luck with your preparations! Chris x
Oh these look amazing, really must try them x
I think Robert would love to do these, but is there any way round the egg white, do you think as he can’t have eggs? They look fab!!
As a US reader, I’m not super familiar with icing sugar as it’s not a term generally used in American recipes. I read a bit about it online but am getting contradictory answers. Do you know whether the US equivalent would be powdered sugar (which generally has cornstarch added, in the states), super fine sugar, or something else entirely?
Icing sugar is confectioner’s sugar in the States – hope that clears up the confusion!
How cute!! This will be a fun project with the kids while off school for thanksgiving. Also, do you by any chance have a recipe for your vegetarian sausage rolls??
I do Talitha and – spookily enough – I’m scheduled to publish them today! 🙂
Hi Chris, thanks so much for linking up to #createmakeshare. I’m totally in love with your sugar mice, they are adorable! I’ve featured you in this month’s link up. Thanks again. x
Thank you so much Emma, this is one of my favourite posts of all time 🙂
Look at your little man. What a super star. Elinor x
He’ll do 😉
Chris you are a life saver. My son has just come home from school saying he needs to make not buy victorian sweets for a class project. These mice are perfect. Thanks. Xx
Aw! My absolute pleasure Oonagh, good luck!
Hi. Just wondering how long a shelf life these would have. Can they be made well in advance? Thanks for the recipe and method. Will be a nice little treat for my nephews and other little ones over the festive period 🙂
Hi Elena, I wouldn’t make them more than a week in advance and then keep them in an airtight container. Sugar attracts the moisture in the air and you don’t want droopy mice! I suspect they will keep longer than that if you make sure your tin is airtight but they have never lasted long enough here for me to test!
How long did you wait? You said overnight, How long was it? I just made it myself, And was wondering the time for it to Dry?
It really depends upon the weather a bit, they dry quicker in hot weather and more slowly if it is cold and damp. Eight hours (overnight) usually does the trick but you would have to check them yourself just to make sure.
Where do you put the mice to dry over night? If they go in the fridge will they stay wet can someone help me please. Thanks
Hi Emma, I just leave them to air dry. I haven’t tried drying them in the fridge but I suspect they would take longer in there. Happy Christmas to you!
cute
Thank you!
On day 23 of stay at home order here in Kansas, USA. My children & I were reading a book called One Wintry night “(set in 1800’s). In the story they are making pink sugar mice for Christmas, so we googled them & found your post! We may have to make them tomorrow since we have ingredients! What would measurements be in American equivalent?
Hi MaryBeth, huge apologies for my late response – I’ve just found your comment in my spam folder! I hope you managed to make these little critters. I have adapted the recipe to include US measurements but, in a nutshell, you will need 3 cups of icing sugar (powddered/confectioners’ sugar). I hope that helps! 🙂 x
Hi. I am going to make this recipe with my Rainbows over zoom as look very easy to make. One question, with the flavouring, would it be 1tsp for any flavouring they decide to use? You have gone for lemon in the ingredients but we usually give them options, so thinking vanilla, peppermint or orange.
Thanks
Hi Lauren, the lemon juice is there to help bind the icing sugar rather than to provide a flavour but I would think that extracts would perform the same function. I haven’t, however, tried it myself and with my ex teacher hat on I think I would have a little go myself first just to be sure. Especially as you won’t be there in person if it gets a bit sticky! Good luck!
I wonder what I could use instead of egg white as I thought of decorating the Christmas tree with mice. I have theme each year and this year it is the poem “Tis the night before Christmas when all through the house, Not a creature was moving not even a mouse.I need them to last about 3 weeks assuming the dog does not take a liking to mice!!!!!!!
I’m going to have a go using glycerine this year now that the whole family are vegan and/or egg free. I suspect it will work pretty well but no guarantees until I’ve tried it myself! I also can’t guarantee that your doggie won’t scoff them! I love the idea of the Night Before Christmas as a theme, I read it on Christmas Eve every year!
These are adorable. You can drain a can of chickpeas and use the water to whip up instead of egg whites as you would for vegan meringues.
This works perfectly for this sugar mice recipe you only need half the amount of the drained chickpea water.
Hi Linda, yes! This is how we have been making them since we have been vegan but I haven’t had time to update this post yet! Thanks so much for commenting, you’ve prompted me to sort that out asap! x
Can you set them in an oven that isn’t turned on to air dry? I am thinking of people who have young kids/pets that love to be in the midst and aren’t patient constantly trying to get into them while they are drying.
would they hold shape if you used a oven at low heat (150-200 degrees) to bake them to negate the raw egg?