Recipes

make your own peppermint patties

Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve!

Let’s cover more things in melted chocolate!

I’m Georgia bound, but wanted to share this fun (and simple!) recipe with y’all while I’m high in the sky. These homemade peppermint patties are simple and fun, and would be a nice addition to any festive holiday spread.

I want to say that these taste just like the peppermint patties you would buy in the store, but I actually think these are way better. They’re soft and chewy, and contain no calories because they’re mints.

I love that.

Believe me when I tell you this is an easy recipe. I’m pretty sure even a five year old could do it. You don’t need an oven, you don’t need a million strange ingredients and you don’t need four hours. In fact, you probably already have everything you need already in your kitchen!

powdered sugar? check

peppermint extract? check

butter? check

corn syrup? check

shortening? check

water? duh

chocolate? obviously

And just like that, my friends, mints are born!

Now if you really wanted to be totally Martha here, you would then take these homemade peppermint patties and turn them into triple layer mint s’more brownies!

If you actually do that you will have my utmost respect. Send me one? mmk.

Homemade Peppermint Patties

from Gourmet

makes about 20 patties

2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 1/2 T light corn syrup

1 1/2 T water

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 T shortening

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

2 T butter

Mix together the confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, water, peppermint extract and shortening using an electric mixture until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Scoop out and knead on a confectioner’s sugar-dusted counter top until the mixture is a smooth white ball. Roll out to 1/4th inch thick using a rolling pin and freeze for ten minutes.

Using small circular cookie cutters, punch circles into the peppermint “dough”. Freeze again for ten more minutes.

Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. Drop the peppermints in and smooth the chocolate over the tops to coat well. Lay each patty on wax paper and freeze until firm, about twenty minutes. Store in fridge or use to make the ultimate brownie.

I fuel on chocolate.

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  • Nicole @ Making Good Choices
    December 23, 2010 at 5:05 am

    I love how easy these are to make yet I’ve never had a homemade one before!
    Have a safe flight and enjoy your time home!

  • Nicole @ Making Good Choices
    December 23, 2010 at 5:06 am

    I love how easy these are to make, but I’ve never had a homemade one before. Have a safe flight home!

  • Baking 'n' Books
    December 23, 2010 at 5:10 am

    Even a 5-year-old can do? Uh-oh…this could be embarassing when I fail then ;)…oh well failures still taste good right?

  • Averie (LoveVeggiesandYoga)
    December 23, 2010 at 5:29 am

    Omg these look sooooo good! As do the smores brownies that I have been eyeing for the last week or so! 🙂

    I have tried my hand the past few years at making homemade Pb Cups as well as Peppermint Patties. It’s been a fun taste-testing and recipe trialing problem to have…perfecting the recipe…haha! I need to trial your recipe now…it looks PERFECT! 🙂

  • megan @ whatmegansmaking
    December 23, 2010 at 5:37 am

    I made these this year and they’re awesome! Everyone loved them. I actually wrote a blog post about them as well – great minds think alike 🙂

    http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2010/12/peppermint-patties.html

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey
    December 23, 2010 at 5:42 am

    All I have to do is come here and get my sugar high!!! 🙂

  • Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
    December 23, 2010 at 5:42 am

    I love homemade peppermint patties! Seriously one of my favorite treats to make. They are DELISH.

  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    December 23, 2010 at 5:44 am

    These are one of my favorite candies!! You should recreate Junior Mints! That would be awesome!!

  • Amalfi Girl (EatRunHaveFun!)
    December 23, 2010 at 5:45 am

    Gorgeous, as usual!

  • Abby
    December 23, 2010 at 5:48 am

    I agree that things with mint have no calories–similar to desserts with fruit. ( And if you call them “Thin Mints,” it makes them sound even healthier. )

    Or you could just say “screw it” and enjoy it for what it is 😉 ‘Tis the season!

  • Annie D @ Annie's Simple Life
    December 23, 2010 at 5:49 am

    Wow… these looks SO good. SO SO GOOD!!!

  • Cathy B. @ Bright Bakes
    December 23, 2010 at 5:53 am

    i’m always excited when I think about the fact that mints have no calories!!! 🙂 And have a lovely christmas in Georgia…I’m currently home with my mummy and dad in Pennsylvania and it’s so awesome I can’t get over it! Nothing like bein’ home for the holidays! (and letting them spoil you a little 😉 )
    love,
    cathy b. @ brightbakes

  • Callina
    December 23, 2010 at 6:00 am

    I am totally making these TODAY, but am a little confused as to why you said these have no calories….sorry to break it to you but the ingredient list says otherwise. If there is a trick to sucking out the calories from these, please share!

    • jenna
      December 23, 2010 at 6:08 am

      i was joking.

      • elizabeth
        December 23, 2010 at 7:17 am

        ::head smacks table::

    • lauren
      December 23, 2010 at 6:21 am

      wow

    • Callina
      December 23, 2010 at 7:20 am

      Sorry, haven’t had my coffee yet. Sometimes my sarcasm detector doesn’t work on the Internet. Sorry.

  • Lauren at KeepItSweet
    December 23, 2010 at 6:03 am

    i love the idea of homemade chocolates that people love

  • Michele @ Healthy Cultivations
    December 23, 2010 at 6:05 am

    These look like heaven!!

  • Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen
    December 23, 2010 at 6:11 am

    Oh snap, these look incredible! Safe travels!!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    December 23, 2010 at 6:14 am

    Why have I never made these before??? They look delicious! Love the photos Jenna!

  • Lori
    December 23, 2010 at 6:15 am

    I HAVE to make those peppermint patties now!

    Merry Christmas to you! So glad I found your blog this year.

  • grocery goddess jen
    December 23, 2010 at 6:16 am

    Have a fabulous trip to Georgia!

    I have no shortening in the house…do you think anything else would work?

    • jenna
      December 23, 2010 at 6:23 am

      hmmmm normally I would say butter but shortening really makes the “mint” part chewy …maybe if you had coconut oil? In a solid form?

  • Lacey @ Lake Life
    December 23, 2010 at 6:24 am

    Have a safe flight and a wonderful Christmas with your family!

  • Amanda (Eating Up)
    December 23, 2010 at 6:44 am

    Ooo fun! Have fun with your family. Can’t wait to read about your adventures at home!

  • Christie @ Abundant Self Care
    December 23, 2010 at 6:59 am

    Love this! I have never even considered making my own but I do crave them from time to time.

    Travel safe and have a lovely holiday with your family.

  • Heather (Heather's Dish)
    December 23, 2010 at 7:01 am

    thank goodness i saw this before I had another night at home to make them…they’d have to roll me to arkansas!

  • Camille
    December 23, 2010 at 7:20 am

    Oh my gosh, I didn’t even realize that tomorrow was Christmas eve! Crazy!

  • elizabeth
    December 23, 2010 at 7:24 am

    I think, but am not sure, that something happened to your brain in california… maybe you ate radioactive chocolate and now you have become a baking SUPER HERO with GENIUS ABILITIES.

    Question for you: I need chocolate help. Not chocolate EATING help, gosh no. That I have down to a science. But when it comes to baking, I’m at a loss. I typically keep 90% chocolate on hand. But that’s not so good for baking (and forget about using the 99%, that’s just dry, chocolate-y disaster).

    So what’s the diff between semi-sweet and bittersweet? And if I don’t have semi-sweet chocolate chips on hand (which I typically don’t because tablets of chocolate + wine = elegant and sophisticated, handfulls of chocolate chips + wine = I might have a problem) what percentage of chocolate squares would work? 60%? 70%?

    Also, what about cocoa powders? Dutch processed… the other kind… what’s the difference?

    I am almost positive a few minutes of googling around could solve this dilemma (and it would also reveal the proper spelling of dilema/ dilemma) but I don’t know how trustworthy the other people are and I figured you know this off the top of your head and you might be able to make a post out of it while you’re beached on the couch recovering from Christmas food orgies.

    Heck, you might be able to turn it into a series! 😀

    • jenna
      December 23, 2010 at 2:52 pm

      love all this! Semisweet chocolate is a tad sweeter than bittersweet chocolate but the two can really be used interchangeably…or at least I would use them interchangeably! I don’t really pay too much attention to the % factor..unless I’m eating it straight. I don’t really care for milk chocolate up front and when I buy chocolate to eat as is (like a chocolate bar), I’ll always buy 70-80%…just cause I like the way it tastes better! And, it’s practically a health food, you know? If you don’t have semisweet chocolate on hand, I’d just use 60-70%…you’ll be fine!

      As for cocoa, that’s a whole other animal. Dutch processed is considered the best..it’s treated with an alkali to neutralize some of the acids in it. Typically in a recipe that calls for cocoa, you also add baking soda—another way to neutralize acids. Since dutch processed has already been neutralized, you can use it in recipes that call for baking powder, not soda! Hopefully that made sense. Personally, I don’t really give a hoot and I just use whatever is on sale at the store…aka Hershey’s. 😉

      • Elizabeth
        December 23, 2010 at 7:42 pm

        Printing this out for future reference! Thanks so much! I totally agree, dark chocolate is like… a daily multivitamin!

        Merry Christmas!

  • Tamar
    December 23, 2010 at 7:27 am

    I made a different version (vegan) of these! And they were/are amazing. I only used earth balance in mine, they still came out with that ppatty texture. Also, I used dark chocolate chunks to offset the incredibly sweet mint filling. Highly recommended 😉

    • Katie
      December 23, 2010 at 12:50 pm

      Is there a link for that recipe? 🙂

      • Tamar
        December 23, 2010 at 3:13 pm

        I DID find it on the internet, but can’t find a link. If you google vegan peppermint patty, you will find a bunch of different versions. What I did was this:

        Mix 3 cups powdered sugar with several teaspoons of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (you could probably use any non-dairy milk), a few drops of all natural mint extract and 1 Tbsp earth balance. Then knead, and add more powdered sugar as necessary. Create a log out of mixture. It should be tacky, but not sticky, easily moldable. Chill the log for about an hour or more. (more is better) Slice into discs. Melt about a package of semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks in a double boiler, and coat each disc in the melted chocolate. Let them rest on waxed paper and/or chill in fridge. For faster firming, stick ’em in the freezer.

    • jenna
      December 23, 2010 at 2:46 pm

      nice! The earth balance is a great idea!

  • Heather
    December 23, 2010 at 7:33 am

    You are KILLING me! I’m pretty sure I’ve said that 122895745 times this week 😀 I actually have the stuff to make these but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Sooon!

    Merry Christmas & safe travels!

  • MMiller
    December 23, 2010 at 7:43 am

    I have made homemade peppermint patties before! They really are so good! Not sure if the recipe I used was the same but they were just so much fresher, and you knew exactly what was in them!

  • Natalia - a side of simple
    December 23, 2010 at 7:51 am

    If I weren’t addicted to chocolate, I would say you need to be tamed. But I can say with full heart, go, Jenna, go 🙂

    • jenna
      December 23, 2010 at 2:46 pm

      I cannot be tamed! muhahahaha

  • Vanessa
    December 23, 2010 at 7:55 am

    I need to make these ASAP! And I want that brownie!!!

  • Ashley
    December 23, 2010 at 8:11 am

    Peppermint Patties…my favorite! These look sooo good!

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss
    December 23, 2010 at 9:25 am

    Thanks for this! I never thought to make my own..but they look so easy!

  • Rebecca @ How the Cookies Crumble
    December 23, 2010 at 10:03 am

    Yummy! Those look amazing!

  • Amber K
    December 23, 2010 at 10:08 am

    I don’t have any of those ingredients already, but they look so delicious I might have to go face the crazy shoppers!

  • evan
    December 23, 2010 at 10:23 am

    these. look. awesome. Peppermint Patties are one of my many kryptonites…and to think that they’re easy to make with everything you have in your pantry! whoa.

  • Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
    December 23, 2010 at 10:41 am

    love the last line of this post. amen!

  • Alycia [Fit n Fresh]
    December 23, 2010 at 10:48 am

    Holy Yum! Peppermint patties are my absolute fav! Definitely bookmarking this – thanks!

  • Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down)
    December 23, 2010 at 11:10 am

    I thought I was sweeted out on all the baking I’ve been doing until I saw this post. Major YUM! 😀

  • Erika @ FoodFitnessFun
    December 23, 2010 at 11:28 am

    I’m not a big peppermint patty fan, but my brother is. I might make him some during break as a late Christmas present. 😀

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin
    December 23, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    I love anything involving chocolate + mint! Definitely bookmarking these!

  • Liz
    December 23, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    Oh man, I would have assumed that these would be much harder to make, involving boiling and a candy thermometer. I am soooo on board with these.

    The problem is that I wasted my candy calories eating a box of those kind of low-quality but oddly addictive chocolate-covered cherries they sell at Wal-Mart. Oh, but since these are mint, and have no calories….

  • eatingRD
    December 23, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    love the combo of mint and chocolate, these would make wonderful gifts 🙂 Everything tastes better homemade!

  • Kristy
    December 23, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    I hate you!! I want these right now, and it’s Christmas eve already here (Australia). I’ve got cleaning to do for guests, tractor blades to go and pick up, washing to put on the line, among many other things to do. But now, the house will be a mess, cause I just have to have these!!
    Merry Christmas – I suppose, I’ll wait to hate you after Christmas 😉

  • Heidi - Apples Under My Bed
    December 23, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    beeeeaaaaauuuuuutiful 🙂
    Heidi

  • Kristin
    December 23, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    How bizarre….I literally had a dream the other night about peppermint patties and wondered if people can make them at home. You are in my head!

  • Justeen @ Blissful Baking
    December 23, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    ohhh myyy those look absolutely incredible! and who would think to turn them into smores? genius!

  • suzie
    December 23, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    What would make these even better if you added a thin mint girl scout cookie as the base.

    • jenna
      December 23, 2010 at 2:59 pm

      agreed. Love those things…way too much.

  • Maria @ The Fitted Apron
    December 23, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    Freakinamazing!

  • The Healthy Apple
    December 23, 2010 at 6:50 pm

    Love the polka-dot plates. Adorable. And love these lil’ patties. Seriously contemplating making them right now, hehe.
    Enjoy Florida with your family.
    Happy Holidays.
    xo,
    Aims

  • amy
    December 25, 2010 at 8:10 am

    I made these last night and they’re pretty awesome. I used coconut oil (in solid form) in place of shortening since I didn’t have any on hand, and earth balance to make them vegan. They turned out perfectly! Merry Christmas!

  • katieclaireskitchen
    December 26, 2010 at 7:05 pm

    These look FENOMENAL. I know that Christmas is now over, and I have WAY too many sweets in my house, but I may just have to make these!

  • Lisa
    December 27, 2010 at 10:24 am

    Peppermint Patties are my favorite treat! I never thought about making it from scratch. Bookmarking this recipe!

  • amy
    December 27, 2010 at 6:02 pm

    A little late to the peppermint patty party, but I made these the other day and all I can say is YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!

    I had a hard time with the chocolate/butter. Maybe it got too hot and it made the frozen mint part hard to work with? Can you explain your melting/dipping method?

    • jenna
      December 27, 2010 at 6:04 pm

      the chocolate IS tricky! You really need to work over a super, super low heat (or use a double boiler with simmering water). Chocolate burns quickly! What I’ll do is melt the butter and chocolate over the lowest heat possible and then I’ll just drop in the patties and swoosh them around, spooning more chocolate over their tops. You can add a little more butter to your chocolate once it’s melted if it looks like it’s seized up at all..

  • heather h
    January 9, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    I just made these and they were so easy to make and delicious. The only problem is that I cannot quit eating them!!!

  • Lauren @ Crave. Indulge. Satisfy.
    January 22, 2011 at 5:16 am

    Yum, these look amazingly delicious! Can’t wait to try the recipe!

  • Diana
    February 6, 2011 at 11:40 am

    Yum!!! I made these yesterday and they’re amazing and fun to make!

  • Isabella
    September 27, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    AWESOME! I eat these all the time and can’t wait to make these! Thank you so much for posting!!!

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