Description
These festive Christmas Mints are soft, creamy peppermint candies perfect for holiday celebrations. Easy to make with cream cheese, butter, and peppermint extract, they come in red, green, and white colors with a lovely striped fork pattern on top. They set up by drying at room temperature and can be stored chilled or frozen for later enjoyment.
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 the baking tray: Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl for coating the candies later.
- Make the dough base: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, unsalted butter, corn syrup, and peppermint extract on low speed for 1 minute or until smooth using a handheld mixer.
- Add powdered sugar: Gradually add 4¼ cups powdered sugar to the mixture, ½ cup at a time, mixing on low speed. As the dough thickens, switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and finish mixing by hand until fully combined.
- Prepare dough for coloring: Lay a piece of parchment paper on a clean surface and sprinkle with ¼ cup powdered sugar. Turn the dough onto the parchment sugar.
- Divide and color: Divide dough into three equal parts. Make a shallow well in the center of two parts, adding red food coloring to one, green to the other, and leave the third white. Knead each colored dough thoroughly to distribute color evenly, adding up to ¼ cup additional powdered sugar as needed to reduce stickiness.
- Shape dough ropes: Roll each dough ball into an 18-inch rope about 1 inch thick.
- Cut pieces: Slice each rope into ½-inch pieces, cutting from one end to the other.
- Form balls: Roll each piece into a small ball using the palm of your hand. Set aside.
- Coat in sugar: Drop 2-3 dough balls at a time into the granulated sugar bowl and toss to coat. Place coated balls on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with all dough balls.
- Flatten patties: Use the tip of a fork to gently press each dough ball into a disc shape, creating a striped pattern on top.
- Set candies: Leave the Christmas mints on the tray at room temperature 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 to keep fresh.
- For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge before serving.
- For deeper colors, add up to ½ teaspoon liquid food coloring carefully.
- Add powdered sugar gradually to adjust dough consistency; it should be soft but not sticky or too stiff.
- Gel food coloring is recommended for vibrant colors without adding extra moisture and is safe for nut allergies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 25 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
