Christmas Mints

4.96 from 24 votes

This Christmas Mints recipe requires no cooking and is easy to make using a few kitchen staple ingredients. Creamy, buttery, and beautifully bright, these colorful candies are perfect for holiday parties and gift giving.

Prep Time15

Rest Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: peppermint candies

Calories: 27kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

⅓ cup granulated sugar
4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
2 tablespoons light/clear corn syrup (I used Karo brand)
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
4¼-5 cups powdered sugar divided
6 drops green liquid food coloring
6 drops red liquid food coloring

Instructions

Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese, unsalted butter, light corn syrup, and peppermint extract for 1 minute or until smooth.
Slowly add 4¼ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, to the bowl with the mixer on low. Once you get close to incorporating all of the powdered sugar, your dough will be so thick that you may need to switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and finish mixing the dough by hand.
Lay out a piece of parchment paper onto a clean counter and sprinkle ¼ cup of the remaining powdered sugar onto the parchment paper, then turn out your dough onto the parchment paper.
Divide the dough into three equal parts. Create a shallow well in the center of two of the dough balls. In the first dough ball, add the red food coloring. Add the green food coloring to the second dough ball, and your last dough ball will remain white.
Carefully knead your red dough ball to evenly distribute the food coloring. You will need to add up to an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar as you knead because the liquid food coloring will make your dough sticky. Repeat with the green dough ball. You may need to knead your white dough just a little with a tablespoon or 2 of additional powdered sugar. **The amount of extra powdered sugar you need for kneading depends on how wet/sticky your dough is. If the temperature is very warm, you may need more, or if very cold, you may need less. Don’t add too much powdered sugar at once. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it away.**
Once all your Christmas peppermint patty dough balls have been colored and kneaded, roll each dough ball into a rope about 18 inches long (it should be about 1 inch thick).
Make ½-inch slices, starting at one end, until you have cut the entire rope into ½-inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough ropes.
Roll all the pieces of peppermint dough in the palm of your hand to make little balls. Set aside.
Drop 2-3 dough balls into the small bowl of granulated sugar and toss to coat. Place them onto the prepared baking tray. Repeat until all the dough balls are coated and on the baking tray.
Using the tip of a fork, lightly press the Christmas peppermint patties into little discs. The tines of the fork will leave a pretty striped pattern on the tops of each peppermint patty.
Allow the Christmas peppermint patties to sit out at room temperature, on the tray, for up to 24 hours before you place them onto a platter to serve. This allows them to dry and set up.

Video

Notes

Yields: approximately 100 peppermint candies

Storage:

These Christmas Mints should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. They’ll last up to 2 weeks chilled. If you’re making them ahead or want to store them longer, you can freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just let them thaw in the fridge before serving!

Tips:

If you want a deeper color, you can add up to ½ teaspoon of liquid food coloring.
You may need to add more powdered sugar to the mixture to get your peppermint patty dough to be the right consistency. You do not want it too stiff, but it should not be sticky.
Gel food coloring works great for these candies because their colors are often more vibrant and intense without adding too much moisture to the dough. They are also are safe for people with nut allergies.

Nutrition