Valentine’s Cream Cheese Butter Mints are a fun, no-bake Valentine’s Day treat that’s easy to make and almost too cute to eat. Made with just three main ingredients plus your choice of coloring and flavoring, these soft little mints are perfect for parties, gift bags, and sweet homemade treats.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for sharing. This recipe makes a large batch, stores well, and looks adorable packaged in treat bags, candy boxes, or displayed on dessert trays.
- No baking required. These butter mints come together quickly on the stovetop and set up at room temperature, making them ideal when you want a homemade candy without turning on the oven.
- Only a few simple ingredients. With butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar as the base, this recipe keeps things easy while still delivering that classic, smooth butter mint texture.
- Totally customizable. Change the colors, shapes, and extracts to fit Valentine’s Day, baby showers, weddings, holidays, or any special occasion.
I chose to divide the dough into thirds to make pink, red and white butter mints, but you can make as many colors as you want. Traditionally, peppermint or mint extract is used to give these mints their flavor, but you can also use other extracts instead. These little candies are absolutely delicious when flavored with cherry, strawberry or raspberry extracts, and I think those flavors pair so well with the red and pink that I used for Valentines Day. You can make as many flavor/color combinations as you want!
Be sure to check out a huge list of our favorite Valentine’s Day treats here!
Ingredients in Valentine’s Cream Cheese Butter Mints
- Granulated sugar – Used for coating the mints to prevent sticking and add a light crunch on the outside.
- Butter – Adds richness and helps create the smooth, creamy base these mints are known for. Salted or unsalted both work well.
- Cream cheese – The key ingredient that gives these mints their signature soft texture and slight tang. Be sure it’s fully softened for easy mixing.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the mints while also thickening the dough to a soft, moldable consistency.
- Extract – Peppermint is traditional, but cherry, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, or vanilla all work beautifully.
- Food coloring – Optional, but perfect for making festive Valentine’s Day colors.
Tips for Success
Full instructions for making the recipe can be found on the recipe card below, but here are a few helpful tips.
- Don’t rush the powdered sugar. Adding it gradually helps prevent lumps and makes it easier to achieve the perfect dough consistency.
- Use softened cream cheese. Cold cream cheese can cause lumps and make the dough harder to work with.
- Avoid overheating. Heat just until the butter melts and the cream cheese softens—too much heat can make the mixture greasy.
- Lightly sugar your cutters. If making shapes, dipping cutters in sugar helps prevent sticking and keeps edges clean.
- Let them set fully. While the mints stay soft inside, allowing enough set time ensures they’re easy to store and stack.
Flavor & Color Ideas
- Classic peppermint for traditional butter mints
- Cherry or strawberry for Valentine’s Day flair
- Lemon or raspberry for a bright, fruity twist
- Pastel colors for baby showers or bridal showers
- Bold red and pink for Valentine’s treats or party favors
Storage
Once set, store Valentine’s Cream Cheese Butter Mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They also travel well and are perfect for make-ahead gifting.
Valentine’s Cream Cheese Butter Mints
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp extract peppermint, cherry, raspberry, lemon, strawberry, etc
- food coloring
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted and combined with the butter. The cream cheese won't really "melt" like the butter does, but will completely soften.
- Remove the pan from heat and add the powdered sugar. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and stir with a spoon until fully combined. If the dough is still really sticky to the touch, add more powdered sugar. The dough should be like really soft playdough, but shouldn’t stick to your fingers.
- Divide the dough into however many sections you want. For this batch, I divided the dough into 3 parts and added 1/3 tsp of extract to each part, stirring the flavoring in well. Add food coloring and continue to mix the dough well until the color is fully incorporated into the dough.
- If you want to make your candies in a circle shape, use a 1/2 tsp to portion out the dough and roll each piece into a ball. Use a fork to flatten and score the candies so that they are about 1/4″ thick.
- To make shapes other than circles, roll the dough out so it’s about 1/4″ thick and then cut out the desired shapes. If you find that the cookie cutter is sticking to the dough, you can spray it with a little bit of non-stick cooking spray or dip it in melted butter and then dip in granulated sugar in between cutting each shape out.
- If desired, place a small amount of granulated sugar in a bowl and then coat the candies on all sides with a thin layer of sugar. Place the formed butter mints in a single layer on waxed paper. The candies will “set” within a few hours – they will remain soft, but the outside sets up enough that the mints are no longer sticky at all and can all be placed together in a container. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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FAQs
What kind of cream cheese should I use?
Regular cream cheese works best, but low-fat or non-fat versions will also work if needed.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes! These mints are perfect for making several days in advance since they store well and keep their texture.
Do they need to stay refrigerated?
They’re best stored in the refrigerator, especially if your kitchen is warm, but they can sit out for short periods when serving.
More delicious Valentine’s Day recipes to try:
- Valentine’s Gumdrop Fudge is a quick and festive treat made with just three ingredients, combining white chocolate fudge with pink and red gumdrops.
- Made with white chocolate–coated cereal and festive candies, Strawberry Valentine Chex Mix is a fun, sweet snack that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day sharing.
- Strawberry Cool Whip Candy comes together easily with just three ingredients and a microwave, making it a simple, sweet treat for Valentine’s Day or anytime.
- Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries are surprisingly simple to make and feature sweet maraschino cherries wrapped in fondant and dipped in smooth chocolate.
Valentine’s Cream Cheese Butter Mints are a sweet, simple, no-bake Valentine’s Day candy that’s easy to customize, fun to make, and perfect for sharing with everyone you love.
Cathy says
What is the best kind of butter to use for most of your recipes? Stick butter or bowl butter?
Jessica says
I use sticks of butter!