Christmas Peppermint Patties made easy with few ingredients! Perfect fun & festive dessert for holiday parties & gifts. They taste so much better homemade!
Christmas Peppermint Patties are both fun and tasty, plus- they’re super cute! We had a blast making them and they are perfect for holiday parties and gifts. Customize them as you’d like- feel free to get creative with these treats! If you enjoy York Peppermint Patties, these taste even better as the inside is softer and creamier. The chocolate coating is thicker and tastes so much better too.
What’s the best chocolate to use when making candy?
I like to balance flavor with ease of dipping for these types of treats. So, for that reason, I prefer actual dipping chocolate in a good brand, like Ghirardelli. You can find these usually on the top shelf above the chocolate chips on the baking aisle. If you have a gourmet cooking store near you, they also tend to sell chocolate wafers in bulk.
How do you melt chocolate to coat candy?
The trick to melting chocolate perfectly is to melt it in a glass or ceramic bowl and to go slowly! You can use a double broiler on the stove, but in my mind, that creates too many dishes, so I microwave it. Add 1 cup to the bowl and heat for 1 minute. Then let the chocolate sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir gently and see how melted the chocolate is, then add time in 15-20 second increments, letting it sit for a minute or two between heating. If your chocolate thickens rapidly while stirring, you’ve overheated it, and sadly, there is not a whole lot you can do at that point. If it’s very overheated, it will sieze and become a solid mass. If it’s borderline, I’ve had success adding 1/2 tsp of shortening or coconut oil and gently stirring it in to smooth it out once more. It’s a lot easier to just be patient and go slowly when melting in the beginning!
What’s the best method for dipping candy in chocolate?
Over the years I’ve used many tools- a fork, a wooden kabob stick, even my fingers! I discovered Wilton dipping tools and MY LIFE CHANGED. They’re so much easier to use. You can find them at Walmart and at craft stores like Michael’s and Joann’s. If you don’t opt for those, my 2nd choice is to use a fork. Add the candy to the melted chocolate and use your tool to flip it over. Then scoop the candy up from underneath and gently tap your tool on the edge to let excess chocolate drip off. Transfer candy to a pan lined with parchment or wax paper and let cool to set.
Christmas Peppermint Patties
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 2 tsp peppermint extract*
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 drops green food coloring
- 2 cups dipping chocolate**
- holiday sprinkles, if desired
- Combine butter, corn syrup, extract and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until ingredients are well combined and are holding together. Add green coloring and mix until evenly colored.
- Remove dough from bowl and break off about 2 teaspoon-sized sections. Roll into a ball and gently flatten with your hands. Put patties down on a pan lined with wax or parchment paper. Once all patties are made, place pan in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds. Let sit for an additional minute in the microwave. Remove and gently stir. Remove peppermint patties from freezer. Use a fork or a handy Winton Dipping tool like I did to dip each patty in the chocolate, flip to coat the other side, then tap to remove any excess. Transfer chocolate coated patties to wax paper to cool. Drizzle with contrasting chocolate and holiday sprinkles.
- Store in an airtight container, refrigerate if preferred but it’s not necessary. Yields 40 mints.
*Add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, then mix until well combined. Taste dough. If you’d like them to be stronger, add an additional 1/2 to 1 teaspoon extract. You can also use 2 drops of peppermint essential oil instead or even 2 teaspoons mint extract for a more subtle mint flavor. Think Andes Mints as opposed to Starlight mints!
** I used 1 cup each of white chocolate and dark chocolate, then also melted 5-6 chocolate discs in a small plastic baggie, then cut the corner to drizzle. Use whatever chocolate you’d prefer!
If you enjoyed these Christmas Peppermint Patties, try some of our other holiday candy recipes:
- Cashew Toffee
- Fun & Festive Holiday Vegetable Trays
- Homemade Almond Joy Bars
- Easy Gumdrop Fudge
- Tiger Butter
- Chocolate Peppermint Truffles
- Martha Washington Candy
Christmas Peppermint Patties
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 2 tsp peppermint extract*
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 drops green food coloring
- 2 cups dipping chocolate**
- holiday sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Combine butter, corn syrup, extract and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until ingredients are well combined and are holding together. Add green coloring and mix until evenly colored.
- Remove dough from bowl and break off about 2 teaspoon-sized sections. Roll into a ball and gently flatten with your hands. Put patties down on a pan lined with wax or parchment paper. Once all patties are made, place pan in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds. Let sit for an additional minute in the microwave. Remove and gently stir. Remove peppermint patties from freezer. Use a fork or a handy Winton Dipping tool like I did to dip each patty in the chocolate, flip to coat the other side, then tap to remove any excess. Transfer chocolate coated patties to wax paper to cool. Drizzle with contrasting chocolate and holiday sprinkles.
- Store in an airtight container, refrigerate if preferred but it’s not necessary. Yields 40 mints.
Trang says
These are so festive and cute! They would be perfect for little Christmas goodies gift bags to bring into the office next month. 🙂
Dana DeVolk says
mmmm, yum! I’m thinking these might be dangerous, lol
Leanne Wyatt says
How long do these last please? Thinking of making them for Xmas pressies but don’t want to make too soon!
Jessica says
If you make them and store them in the fridge, they’ll last up to 4 weeks.
Megan (MegUnprocessed) says
These look so yummy!
Carolyn says
These are perfect for the holidays!
Richa Gupta says
Wow, these are great for Christmas!
Carrie says
Those are really great!! Very festive.
Janet says
I think I’ll make these this weekend. They look amazing!