The Ultimate Guide to Festive Homemade Christmas Mints
Step into the festive spirit with our incredibly easy and utterly delicious Christmas mints recipe. These homemade delights are the epitome of holiday cheer, boasting a smooth, creamy texture and a burst of refreshing peppermint flavor. They are an irresistible addition to any holiday dessert table, bringing vibrant color and a melt-in-your-mouth experience that guests of all ages will adore.
Forget store-bought mints; once you try these homemade cream cheese mints, you’ll understand why they become a cherished holiday tradition. Each bite delivers a rich, decadent experience that simply melts in your mouth, leaving a delightful peppermint coolness. We’ve been making this recipe for years, and it never fails to impress, eliciting raves from family and friends alike. The beautiful red and green hues of these mints instantly elevate your holiday spread, making them a centerpiece of edible art.
Beyond their stunning appearance, these easy peppermint patties are incredibly versatile. They complement traditional cookie trays and a wide array of Easy Christmas Dessert Recipes, adding a unique texture and flavor profile. While perfect for Christmas, mints are a year-round favorite in our household. We often prepare Cream Cheese Mints and Butter Mints for various occasions, from baby showers and wedding receptions to simple everyday indulgence. Their simplicity and deliciousness make them a go-to treat for any celebration.
Looking for more holiday inspiration? Don’t miss out on our extensive collections of festive sweets, including 45 Gluten Free Christmas Desserts, creative No Bake Christmas Desserts, and the ever-popular Christmas Dessert Lasagna Recipe. For those who love a playful twist, be sure to try our Christmas Oreo Balls Recipe and adorable Snowman Chocolate Covered Oreos.
What You’ll Find in This Guide: Homemade Christmas Mints
- Why These Christmas Mints Are a Holiday Favorite
- Essential Ingredients for Creamy Christmas Mints
- Creative Variations for Your Homemade Mints
- Step-by-Step Guide to Making Christmas Mints
- Expert Tips for Perfect Peppermint Patties
- Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Mints
- Serving and Gifting Your Festive Mints
- More Irresistible Easy Christmas Desserts
- Christmas Mints Recipe Card
Why These Christmas Mints Are a Holiday Favorite
Our homemade Christmas mints stand out for several compelling reasons, making them a staple in holiday baking:
- Minimal Ingredients: With just 6 basic ingredients, most of which are pantry staples, this recipe is incredibly straightforward. You won’t need any special mint molds to achieve their classic shape.
- Unforgettable Flavor and Texture: These mints are a sensory delight. Their rich, creamy texture and refreshing peppermint flavor are simply irresistible, ensuring no one can have just one.
- Perfect for Festive Gatherings: The vibrant red, green, and white colors make these mints a stunning visual centerpiece for any dessert table, adding a touch of elegance and festive cheer to holiday parties.
- Ideal for Thoughtful Gifting: Homemade gifts always carry a special charm. These delightful mints are perfect for packaging and sharing with friends, neighbors, teachers, and loved ones, spreading holiday joy one delicious bite at a time.
- Budget-Friendly Fun: Making your own holiday treats is often more economical than buying them, and it’s a fantastic activity to enjoy with family during the festive season.
Essential Ingredients for Creamy Christmas Mints
The magic of these mints lies in their simple yet perfectly balanced ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to create these holiday masterpieces:
- Cream Cheese: Ensure it’s softened at room temperature. This is crucial for a smooth, lump-free mixture that forms the creamy base of your mints.
- Butter: Also softened, butter adds richness and helps create that melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
- Powdered Sugar: Sifted powdered sugar is non-negotiable for achieving a smooth, velvety texture without any grittiness. It’s the primary sweetener and structure provider.
- Peppermint Extract: This is the star flavor! Be sure to use peppermint extract, not spearmint or general mint, to get that authentic, crisp holiday mint taste.
- Red and Green Gel Food Coloring: Gel food coloring provides vibrant, rich colors without adding excess liquid to your dough, which can alter its consistency.
- Granulated Sugar: Used for rolling the mints before pressing. It prevents sticking and adds a beautiful sparkling finish and a slight textural crunch.
You can find the complete ingredient list with precise measurements and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Creative Variations for Your Homemade Mints
While the classic peppermint and holiday colors are iconic, these homemade mints are wonderfully adaptable. Don’t hesitate to get creative with flavors and aesthetics:
- Flavor Extracts: Experiment with different extracts to suit any occasion. While peppermint is traditional for Christmas, consider vanilla, almond, cherry, or even a hint of lemon for other times of the year. Always ensure you’re using high-quality extracts for the best flavor.
- Rainbow of Colors: The dough can be easily tinted with any gel food coloring you desire. Imagine pastel pinks and blues for baby showers, vibrant yellows and purples for spring events, or even team colors for a game day snack. They make a particularly charming treat for Easter gatherings.
- Chocolate Dipped Mints: For an extra decadent touch, melt some white chocolate or milk chocolate and dip your hardened mints halfway. This transforms them into gourmet-style peppermint patties, reminiscent of a famous confectionery treat. Drizzle with contrasting chocolate for an elegant finish.
- Festive Sprinkles: Add a generous handful of holiday sprinkles directly into the dough during the final mixing stage, or roll the finished mints in sprinkles before they harden. This instantly boosts their festive appeal and adds a fun pop of texture.
- Different Sugar Coatings: Instead of plain granulated sugar, try rolling the mints in colored sanding sugar for extra sparkle, or finely crushed candy canes for an intense peppermint crunch.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Christmas Mints
Creating these delightful Christmas mints is a straightforward process that yields impressive results. Follow these simple steps for perfect homemade treats:
Expert Tips for Perfect Peppermint Patties
Achieving perfectly smooth and flavorful Christmas peppermint patties is simple with these expert tips:
- Go for Gel Food Coloring: For the most vibrant and rich colors without compromising the dough’s consistency, always opt for gel food coloring. Liquid food coloring can thin the mixture, making it sticky.
- Peppermint is Key: Insist on peppermint extract. Mint extract often has a distinct flavor that can resemble toothpaste, which is not what you want for these delicious treats. Peppermint offers that classic, clean, and festive taste.
- Sugar Your Fork: Before pressing each mint, dip the prongs of your fork into granulated sugar. This prevents the dough from sticking to the fork and creates a beautiful, sparkling pattern on top of each mint.
- Don’t Rush the Softening: Ensure both your cream cheese and butter are fully softened at room temperature before mixing. This is crucial for a smooth, lump-free base and an evenly mixed dough.
- Adjust Powdered Sugar as Needed: The amount of powdered sugar might vary slightly depending on humidity and how soft your dairy ingredients are. If your dough feels too sticky to handle, gradually add a little more sifted powdered sugar until it reaches a firm, play-dough-like consistency.
- Mixing Consistency: When the dough becomes very thick, it’s perfectly fine to switch from an electric mixer to combining the rest of the powdered sugar by hand. This ensures the mixer isn’t overworked and allows you to better gauge the dough’s consistency.
- Proper Hardening: Allowing the mints to air-dry at room temperature is essential for them to develop their characteristic firm exterior and creamy interior. Don’t cover them during this stage, as air circulation aids in hardening.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Mints
Store your homemade Christmas mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To prevent them from sticking together, I recommend placing them in single layers with a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between each layer. For the best flavor and texture, allow the mints to sit at room temperature for about 15-30 minutes before serving to let them soften slightly.
When stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator, these mints will maintain their freshness and delightful taste for up to 2 weeks. If you need to prepare them further in advance or wish to extend their shelf life, they can be easily frozen.
To freeze your mints, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze them for about an hour until firm. Then, transfer the frozen mints to a freezer-safe airtight container, placing layers of parchment paper between them to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. This is an excellent way to prepare for the busy holiday season! When ready to serve, simply thaw them at room temperature for a few hours.
If your dough is too sticky to handle, gradually add more sifted powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a firm, pliable, play-dough-like consistency. Humidity can affect the dough, so trust your judgment and adjust the sugar as needed.
Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free as all the ingredients (cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, food coloring, granulated sugar) are typically gluten-free. Always double-check ingredient labels to ensure no hidden gluten is present, especially for extracts or specific brands of powdered sugar if you have severe sensitivities.
Serving and Gifting Your Festive Mints
These homemade Christmas mints are as much a treat to give as they are to eat. Here are some ideas for sharing your delicious creations:
- Holiday Dessert Platters: Arrange the red, green, and white mints alongside cookies, fudge, and other confections for a visually appealing and delicious holiday spread.
- Thoughtful Gifts: Package your mints in small decorative boxes, cellophane bags tied with festive ribbons, or cute tins. They make wonderful gifts for teachers, neighbors, co-workers, and as hostess gifts for holiday parties.
- Cookie Exchange Addition: Bring a batch of these unique mints to your next cookie exchange to stand out from the crowd. They offer a refreshing contrast to traditional baked goods.
- Party Favors: For a holiday dinner or special gathering, small bags of these mints can serve as lovely party favors for your guests to take home.
- Hot Chocolate Garnish: Crush a few hardened mints and sprinkle them over hot chocolate or coffee for a delightful peppermint twist.
More Irresistible Easy Christmas Desserts
If you’re looking to expand your holiday baking repertoire, explore these other fantastic and easy Christmas dessert ideas:
- Christmas Crack Chex Mix
- Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Christmas Dirt Cake Recipe
- Christmas Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
- Christmas Tree Cupcake Cake
- Christmas Candy Desserts
We encourage you to make these delicious homemade mints a part of your holiday tradition. Your loved ones will surely appreciate the effort and the incredible taste!
If you try this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating. We love to hear from you!
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Christmas Mints Recipe
Rated 4.93 out of 5 stars by 13 users
This easy Christmas mints recipe is perfect for the holidays and so festive. They are smooth and creamy for a great addition to your dessert table.
2 hrs 20 mins
4 hrs
6 hrs 20 mins
10 (approx. 50 mints)
American
Dessert, Candy
550 kcal
Carrie Barnard
Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
- 4 Tbsp Butter, softened
- 9 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp Peppermint Extract
- Red and Green Gel Food Coloring
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar, for rolling the mints
Instructions
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter with a hand-held mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Then, add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix together until well combined.
- Next, mix in the peppermint extract.
- Place the mixer on low speed and gradually add in the remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each cup is added. Continue until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated and the dough is thick (like play-dough) and not sticky. If the dough is still sticky, add more powdered sugar a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Divide the dough into 3 separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl, green to another, and leave the third portion white. Mix each bowl well until you reach the desired vibrant colors.
- Cover the colored dough and refrigerate for 2 hours. This chilling step makes the dough easier to handle.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or wax paper. Roll the chilled dough between your palms to form approximately 1-inch balls. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Dip the prongs of a fork in the ½ cup granulated sugar. Gently press the sugared fork down onto each mint to flatten them out and create a decorative line pattern. Repeat this process for all the mints, redipping the fork in sugar as needed to prevent sticking.
- Allow the mints to sit uncovered at room temperature until they have fully hardened (this typically takes 4-6 hours). They should be firm on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Store the hardened mints in an airtight container in single layers, with a sheet of wax paper between each layer, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
Serving size is approximately 5 mints per person.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 550kcal, Carbohydrates 111g, Protein 1g, Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1g, Monounsaturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0.2g, Cholesterol 35mg, Sodium 109mg, Potassium 35mg, Sugar 109g, Vitamin A 445IU, Calcium 25mg, Iron 0.1mg
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