Description
These Christmas Mints are delightful homemade peppermint candies that are creamy, colorful, and perfect for holiday gifting or party treats. Made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract, these soft mints come in festive red, green, and white colors and feature a lovely striped pattern on top.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons light/clear corn syrup (Karo brand recommended)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 1/4 - 5 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 6 drops green liquid food coloring
- 6 drops red liquid food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Tray: Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking and set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, unsalted butter, light corn syrup, and peppermint extract using a handheld mixer on low speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- Incorporate Powdered Sugar: Gradually add 4 1/4 cups powdered sugar to the bowl, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on low speed. As the dough thickens, switch to mixing by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon to fully incorporate the sugar.
- Prepare Work Surface: Lay a sheet of parchment paper onto a clean counter and sprinkle 1/4 cup of powdered sugar on it. Turn out the dough onto the powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough into three equal parts. Make shallow wells in two portions and add red food coloring to one and green to the other. Leave the third portion white.
- Knead Colored Dough: Carefully knead the red and green dough balls until color is evenly distributed, adding up to 1/4 cup additional powdered sugar if needed to reduce stickiness. Knead the white dough lightly with 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar as needed.
- Roll Dough into Ropes: Roll each colored dough ball into an 18-inch long rope about 1 inch thick.
- Slice Dough: Cut each rope into 1/2-inch slices from one end to the other until all pieces are cut.
- Form Balls: Roll each slice into a small ball using the palm of your hand. Set aside on a clean surface.
- Coat in Granulated Sugar: Toss 2-3 dough balls at a time into the small bowl of granulated sugar to coat, then place them on the prepared baking tray. Repeat until all balls are coated.
- Flatten and Pattern: Use the tip of a fork to gently press each sugar-coated ball into a disc shape. The fork tines will create a pretty striped pattern on top.
- Let Set: Allow the peppermint patties to sit at room temperature on the baking tray for up to 24 hours to dry and set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Yields approximately 100 peppermint candies.
- Store the mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator; they will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks chilled.
- For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before serving.
- Add up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid food coloring for deeper, richer colors.
- Add powdered sugar gradually to reach the right dough consistency—soft but not sticky or stiff.
- Gel food coloring is recommended for more vibrant colors and less moisture, and it is safe for nut allergy sufferers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 candy
- Calories: 30 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
