I found a recipe in some pages I took from an Oz magazine back in 1980 for Kendal Mint Cake. I haven't made it myself, but it looks easy. This recipe is very similar except that instead of using a candy thermometer it gives the old fashioned instructions to "2. Bring to the boiling point until a little will form a soft ball when dropped into cold water".

HELEN'S* BRITISH COOKING SITE

[* no connection to me]

Kendal Mint Cake Kendal Mint Cake
http://www.hwatson.force9.co.uk/cookbook/recipes/confect/kendalmintcake.htm

According to legend, a Kendal confectioner, intending to make glacier mints, took his eye off the cooking pan for a minute and then, resuming his task, noticed that the mixture had started to 'grain' and become cloudy, instead of clear. When poured out, the result was Mint Cake.

Makes 16 squares

Granulated sugar - 450g (1 lb)
Milk - 150 ml (5 fl oz)
Peppermint essence - 1 tsp

METHOD

   1. Butter an 18 cm (7 inch) square shallow baking tin. Place the sugar and milk in a saucepan. Bring very, very slowly to the boil over a very low heat, shaking and swirling the pan occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
   2. Place a thermometer in the pan and boil rapidly until the mixture reaches 140 ºC / 275 ºF. Remove from the heat and add the essence, beating well until smooth and cooled slightly.
   3. Pour into the prepared tin and as it cools, mark out squares with a knife. Once cold cut into 16 squares.

Maybe I should start a new thread for this, but the main discussion about it seems to have been in the Secret Santa threads.

Helen