Before the advent of the chocolate orange sugar mice used to be the sweet that was found in our Christmas stockings. I decided it was time to revive the tradition.
Homemade Christmas Sugar Mice
Remember sugar mice in your Christmas stocking all those years ago? I used to love finding that sweet little rodent in my stocking. I wouldn’t eat it. Oh no, I’d keep it in my dollhouse for months.
He would be a pet, a character. You couldn’t possibly eat him, could you?
I decided to make some sugar mice this Christmas. Nothing professional and fancy, just a bit of fun and true nostalgia, what Christmas is all about.
Sugar Mice
These festive rodents have been around since Victorian times. This was when Christmas trees became popular and Queen Victoria embraced Christmas with a passion hitherto unseen in this country. We have been addicted to Christmas ever since!
Anyway back then children would make sugar mice to give to their parents as gifts on Christmas Day. The little mice were very often hung on the Christmas tree as ornaments.
They then became a popular Christmas stocking filler with children finding a sweet little rodent in the toe of their stocking on Christmas morning.
Only 3 Ingredients for sugar mice
Icing sugar (aka confectioners sugar in USA) and egg white. You will also require tails. I used those strawberry liquorice shoelaces you buy in the supermarket.
You could also use red and white striped bakers twine. But hey, everyone wants to eat the mouse tail!
Coloured mice
Food colouring if you want different coloured sugar mice. I used red food colouring in a tube. You only need a couple of drops to get a light pink colour. I also made a few fawn coloured mice using cocoa powder.
Add flavour
Traditionally sugar mice had no flavour, but you can add peppermint extract, vanilla or any other flavour you fancy to your mice.
How to make sugar mice
Separate the white from the yolk of the egg and place this in a bowl and whisk till nice and frothy.
Now sieve the icing sugar into the bowl a bit at a time and start stirring. And stirring, And stirring.
Quite honestly you will have lost the will to live in about five minutes but keep going. It will eventually come together as a sugar dough.
Break it into sections if you want to make different coloured mice and add your choice of colouring.
Pull off pieces of the sugar dough and roll into sausage shapes in your hands pinching in at shoulders and squeezing for a pointy nose. Pich at sides of head for little ears.
Now quite honestly you’d never think I used to sculpt model horses for a living when you see my rustic sugar mice!
It’s the same with that roll out icing paste that so many people can turn into roses, cherubs, the Eifel bloody tower and other such masterpieces. Put sugar paste of any sort in my hands and I turn into a clumsy toddler.
Cut pieces of the red liquorice laces for tails and press a tail in each mouse and tiny snips of the stuff for the eyes or just drops of the red food colouring.
Set your posse of mice in the fridge overnight to set solid. Voila, you have just made old fashioned sugar mice.
Rule 1 on sugar mice
Get the kids to make them!
How long do sugar mice last
They will easily keep for a few weeks. But remember if they are on the Christmas tree or otherwise hanging about the house they will be picking up dust etc.
Nobody is ever going to say that sugar mice are a healthy treat, far from it. But they are a memory from my childhood and I just couldn’t resist sharing them here.
Looking for more fun festive sweet treats to make at home? Then check these out before you go:
Turkish style nutty stuffed chocolate dipped apricots
Refined sugar free carrot cake bites
Traditional Scottish macaroons
Sweet and savoury bacon chocolate bark
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
PS This recipe is part of my 100+ Homemade Liqueurs and Edible Gifts For Christmas round up.
Sugar Mice
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 400 g icing sugar this is approximate
- 2 liquorice strips red liquorice lace/strawberry laces for tails
- 1 tsp cocoa powder cochineal/pink/red food colouring for pink mice and cocoa powder for fawn mice
Instructions
- Separate the egg and whisk up the egg white until it is all nice and frothy.
- Sieve the sugar into the same bowl.
- Using a metal spoon start stirring, and stirring and stirring to make a dough
- If you want some coloured mice split the dough into three parts.In one add some red food colouring to make pink mice.In another add cocoa powder for fawn mice
- Divide up the dough into however many mice you want (size is up to you) and make a sort of short fat sausage shape out of each section. Roll at the front to get a pointy nose and pinch either side to get the ear shape.
- Using the strawberry liquorice lace push a tail into each mouse. You can cut tiny pieces to press in eas eyes or use tiny drops of food colouring gel.
- Put your mousy masterpieces on to baking paper/grease proof paper and on to a tray in the fridge overnight to set completely.
Well I’ve never heard of Christmas mice! So this is a new one – and it’s very clever and so cute! Can’t decide what to make first, the mice or the glittered oranges – those are beautiful!! I know you’ve been doing Christmas all year but that can only mean you are now 100% ready! I pull out your book yesterday and made the cola can lanterns…and tomorrow I’m going to make some preserved lemons…I have loved having your book on hand! Thanks for all the great idea – and thanks for another year of great advice and friendship! Merry Christmas Karon to you and Idgy! xo, Nan
Very cute and easy to make. I’m 13 and was home alone when i got a little creative, and made a whole “herd” of sugar mice with no problem 🙂
Thank you so much for this, I was looking for the traditional recipe, it’s so good to finally have it! Thank you ❤️
Hi Monica
So glad my old fashioned sugar mouse recipe is of use to you. Merry Christmas
K