Description
These Christmas Mints are festive, colorful peppermint candies made with cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. Perfect for holiday celebrations, they feature vibrant red, green, and white colors and a refreshing peppermint flavor. The candies are easy to prepare, require no baking, and come out with a pretty striped pattern made by a fork. They store well in the refrigerator or freezer, making them ideal for making ahead and gifting.
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
- 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 and place the granulated sugar into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, unsalted butter, corn syrup, and peppermint extract on low speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar: Slowly add 4¼ cups powdered sugar half a cup at a time with the mixer on low. When the dough becomes thick, switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to finish mixing by hand.
- Prepare workspace: Spread a piece of parchment paper on a clean counter and sprinkle ¼ cup powdered sugar onto it. Turn out the dough onto the paper.
- Divide and color dough: Divide dough into three equal parts. Make shallow wells in the centers of two dough balls; add red food coloring to one and green to the other. Leave the third dough ball white.
- Knead colored dough: Knead the red and green dough balls carefully until color is evenly distributed. Add up to ¼ cup additional powdered sugar as needed to reduce stickiness. Knead white dough with 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar if necessary.
- Form ropes: Roll each colored dough ball into an 18-inch rope about 1 inch thick.
- Slice dough: Cut each rope into ½-inch slices until all dough is sliced.
- Shape balls: Roll each slice between your palms to form small balls. Set aside.
- Coat in sugar: Toss 2-3 dough balls at a time in the prepared granulated sugar bowl, then place on the lined baking tray. Repeat until all balls are coated and arranged.
- Flatten and pattern: Using the tines of a fork, lightly press down each peppermint ball into flat discs, leaving a striped pattern on top.
- Dry candies: Allow the peppermint patties to sit at room temperature on the tray for up to 24 hours to dry and set before serving.
Notes
- Yields approximately 100 peppermint candies.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
- You can add up to ½ teaspoon of liquid food coloring for deeper, richer colors.
- Adjust powdered sugar quantity as needed to achieve a dough that is firm but not sticky.
- Gel food coloring works well for vibrant colors and adds less moisture to the dough compared to liquid coloring.
- This recipe requires no baking and is great for making in advance or gifting during holidays.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 candy
- Calories: 25 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 1.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.5 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
