Description
These Christmas Mints are festive, colorful, and perfectly sweet treats ideal for holiday gatherings. Creamy and smooth with a refreshing peppermint flavor, these mints are hand-rolled, colored, and coated in sugar, making them both decorative and delicious. The recipe yields 100 bite-sized mints, making it perfect for large parties and gift-giving.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons light/clear corn syrup (such as Karo)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Powdered Sugar and Coloring
- 4 1/4 – 5 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 6 drops green liquid food coloring
- 6 drops red liquid food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare the Workspace: Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl and set aside for coating the mints later.
- Mix the Base Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer on low speed to beat together the cream cheese, unsalted butter, corn syrup, and peppermint extract for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Incorporate the Powdered Sugar: Slowly add 4 1/4 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, to the cream cheese mixture while keeping the mixer on low speed. Once the dough becomes too thick to mix with the mixer, switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to finish mixing by hand.
- Knead the Dough: Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and turn the dough onto it. Divide the dough evenly into three equal parts for coloring.
- Color the Dough: Create a shallow well in two portions of dough; add red food coloring to one and green food coloring to the other, leaving the third portion plain white. Knead each dough ball carefully to distribute the color evenly, adding up to an additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar if the dough becomes too sticky.
- Form the Ropes: Roll each colored dough ball into an 18-inch long rope about 1 inch thick, preparing them for cutting.
- Slice and Shape the Mints: Cut each dough rope into 1/2-inch slices, then roll each piece between your palms to form small balls.
- Coat with Sugar: Drop 2-3 dough balls at a time into the bowl of granulated sugar and toss to ensure they are evenly coated. Place the coated balls onto the lined baking tray.
- Press into Discs: Using the tip of a fork, gently press each coated dough ball to flatten it into a disc, creating a striped pattern on top for a decorative touch.
- Dry the Mints: Allow the shaped mints to sit at room temperature on the tray for up to 24 hours. This setting time lets the mints firm up and dry before serving or packaging.
Notes
- If the dough is too sticky after adding food coloring, gradually add more powdered sugar to achieve a workable consistency.
- Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for easy mixing to avoid lumps in the dough.
- Store the finished mints in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- For a stronger peppermint flavor, adjust peppermint extract to taste but do so gradually to avoid overpowering.
- You can substitute liquid food coloring with gel food coloring if preferred; use fewer drops as gels are more concentrated.
