The Best Holiday Cream Cheese Mints
These old-fashioned Holiday Cream Cheese Mints are a nostalgic, melt-in-your-mouth treat that requires zero baking! With just 6 simple ingredients, you can easily whip up a large batch of these soft, sweet peppermint candies for Christmas trays, baby showers, or weddings.
Servings: 150 mints
Calories: 16cal
Cost: $2
Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- Stand Mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- parchment paper
- Fork
- (4) small bowl
- spoons
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon butter salted, softened
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar Set aside an additional tablespoon for forming mints.
- 1 drop green food dye optional
- 1 drop red food dye optional
Instructions
- Add the softened cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until the butter and cream cheese are smooth and creamy.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer. Add half of the powdered sugar to the bowl, along with the peppermint and vanilla extracts.
- Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until a dough forms. It should have the consistency of children's play dough and be non-stick. (If your dough is too wet, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar).
- Remove the dough from the mixer. On a parchment-lined surface, divide the dough into 3 equal balls. Place each ball into a separate small bowl.
- Add one drop of red food coloring to the first bowl, one drop of green to the second, and leave the third bowl plain white. Using gloved hands, knead the dye into the dough. This takes about 3 minutes of working the dough to get a uniform color. (If your dough gets too sticky from the heat of your hands, sprinkle some powdered sugar on your parchment paper and roll the dough in it to restore the non-stick texture).
- Once the coloring is uniform, pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into balls about the size of a blueberry (or ¾ of a teaspoon).
- Dip the tines of a fork into your reserved powdered sugar (you will only need to re-dip every 10 mints or so). Gently press the fork onto each ball to flatten it and create a mini cross-hatch shape on your parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue until all the dough is formed.
- Place the baking sheets in a cool, safe place to firm up. These take about 3 hours to fully harden and cure.
Notes
Nutritional values may vary and are meant to be a guide.
- Storage: Once cured, place the mints in an airtight container with layers of parchment paper in between each level to prevent sticking. Store the container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezing: Cream cheese mints freeze beautifully! Layer them with parchment paper in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before serving.
- Flavor Variations: You can easily swap the peppermint extract for almond, wintergreen, or orange extract depending on the holiday!
Nutrition
Serving: 1mint | Calories: 16cal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg