Description
These Christmas Mints are delightful peppermint-flavored candies made with cream cheese, butter, corn syrup, and vibrant food coloring. They are sweet, creamy, and perfect for holiday gifting or festive parties. The candies are shaped into colorful discs with a signature striped pattern made by a fork, and they need to set for up to 24 hours for the best texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- ⅓ 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
- 4¼ 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. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl and set aside for coating the candies later.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, unsalted butter, light corn syrup, and peppermint extract on low speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar: Slowly add 4¼ cups powdered sugar in ½ cup increments to the mixture with the mixer on low. When dough becomes too thick, use a spatula or wooden spoon to finish mixing by hand.
- Dough handling: Transfer dough onto a parchment paper sprinkled with ¼ cup powdered sugar. Divide dough into three equal parts. Make a shallow well in two parts and add red food coloring to one, green food coloring to the other, leaving the third part white.
- Knead colored doughs: Knead each colored dough ball to evenly distribute colors, adding up to ¼ cup additional powdered sugar as needed to reduce stickiness. Knead white dough slightly with a small amount of powdered sugar if needed.
- Form ropes: Roll each colored dough ball into an 18-inch long rope about 1 inch thick.
- Slice ropes: Cut each rope into ½-inch slices until fully sliced.
- Shape candies: Roll each slice into a small ball using the palm of your hand. Set aside.
- Coat candies: Toss 2-3 balls at a time in granulated sugar until fully coated and place them on the prepared baking tray.
- Flatten candies: Use the tines of a fork to gently press each coated dough ball into a flat disc, creating a striped pattern on top.
- Dry candies: Let the peppermint patties sit at room temperature on the tray for up to 24 hours to dry and set.
Notes
- Yields approximately 100 peppermint candies.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks to keep fresh.
- For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
- To achieve a deeper color, you can add up to ½ teaspoon of liquid food coloring.
- Adjust powdered sugar amount as needed for correct dough consistency—avoid too stiff or sticky dough.
- Gel food coloring is recommended as it provides vibrant colors without adding moisture and is safe for nut allergy sufferers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 candy
- Calories: 30 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 1.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
