Description
Delight in these festive Christmas Mints, combining cream cheese and peppermint flavors for a refreshing holiday treat. These colorful candies are easy to make and perfect for gifting or enjoying at holiday gatherings!
Ingredients
Scale
- 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
- 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. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
- Mix the Base Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on low speed, beat together the cream cheese, unsalted butter, corn syrup, and peppermint extract for about 1 minute, or until smooth.
- Incorporate the Powdered Sugar: Slowly add 4 1/4 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, to the mixture, keeping the mixer on low. Once the dough becomes too thick to mix with the mixer, switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to finish incorporating the sugar by hand.
- Knead the Dough: Lay out a piece of parchment paper on a clean surface, sprinkle it with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and turn the dough onto it. Divide the dough into three equal parts.
- Color the Dough: Create a shallow well in two of the dough portions. Add red food coloring to one and green food coloring to the other, leaving the third portion white. Carefully knead each dough ball to evenly distribute the color. You may need to add up to an additional 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to each colored dough if it becomes too sticky from the food coloring. Adjust the powdered sugar based on the stickiness of the dough—if it’s too wet, add more powdered sugar gradually.
- Form the Ropes: Once the dough is evenly colored, roll each dough ball into an 18-inch long rope (about 1 inch thick).
- Slice and Shape the Mints: Cut each dough rope into 1/2-inch slices. Roll the pieces 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 coat. Place the coated balls onto the prepared baking tray.
- Press into Discs: Using the tip of a fork, gently press each dough ball to flatten into a disc, leaving a striped pattern on the top.
- Dry the Mints: Let the mints sit at room temperature on the tray for up to 24 hours to allow them to set and dry before serving.
Notes
- Yield: Approximately 100 peppermint candies.
- Storage: Store the mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Tips: If you want deeper colors, you can add up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid food coloring. Gel food coloring works great for vibrant colors without adding too much moisture to the dough. Adjust the powdered sugar as needed to achieve the right consistency—firm but not sticky.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mint
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 40mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 5mg