Homemade peppermint patties are the perfect winter confection - a silky chocolate coating surrounds a creamy and refreshing peppermint candy center. You only need five ingredients to get started!
Mint and chocolate are a fantastic flavor combination for Christmas. Oreo peppermint bark and mint chocolate shortbread cookies are my must-make recipes for the holidays!
Peppermint patties are both refreshing and decadent, and make the perfect after dinner treat. The best part is that you only need five ingredients and a few common kitchen tools to get started. Plus, there's no baking involved!
Add homemade peppermint patties to your holiday dessert tray - they're perfect for Christmas! They also make a great handmade gift. Just add some food-safe tissue and peppermint patties to a decorative tin and tie with ribbon.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter - Unsalted or salted butter will work in this recipe. I used unsalted because it's what I keep on hand in my kitchen.
- Light corn syrup - Sticky and sweet, light corn syrup is the glue that holds your filling together. I haven't tested this recipe with other sweeteners, so I don't suggest making substitutions.
- Peppermint extract - This is what gives the peppermint patties their minty flavor.
- Confectioner's sugar - Adds sweetness and structure to the filling.
- Melting wafers - I highly recommend using melting wafers rather than chocolate chips. Melting wafers have been tempered and were made to make candies just like these peppermint patties. Once dry, the candies have a candy bar 'snap' and shiny finish. If chocolate chips are substituted, your candies will have a dull finish, soft texture, and melt easily in your hands.
Tips and tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks for making homemade peppermint patties.
Keep patties refrigerated - Keep patties refrigerated (or frozen) until ready to dip. Warm patties are more likely to fall apart or stick to the fork while dipping.
Use a fork for flipping - Place the mint patty in the bowl of melted chocolate, gently flip with a fork, then lift the candy out with the fork.
Tap to remove excess chocolate - Gently tap your fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate from the bottom. To remove your peppermint patty, use a knife to gently slide the patty off the fork onto a lined baking sheet or plate.
Adding toppings - If you'd like to add sprinkles, add them just after dipping, before the chocolate has a chance to harden.
Storage
Homemade peppermint patties will keep for about 2 to 3 weeks in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. If your home is very warm and humid, you may need to to store your candies in the refrigerator to prevent melting.
They can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight, or transfer to the countertop, remove the lid (to prevent condensation from forming) and allow to come to room temperature for about 2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
No, I do not recommend using chocolate chips. When hardened, the finish is dull, the texture is soft, and the candies melt easily in your hands.
Melting wafers are the ideal choice because they're created for home candy making and very easy to use. When melted and solidified, your candy has a shiny finish and a candy bar "snap" when broken in half. If I'm at my local grocer, my first choice is Ghirardelli. Their melting wafers taste great and candy turns out perfectly every time. If I have time to shop online, my favorite melting wafers are Mercken's. You can buy them online here or on Amazon. I've tried their dark, milk, and white chocolate melting wafers and recommend them all.
Yes, peppermint extract can be substituted with any other flavored extracts, like lemon extract or maple extract. Readers say they taste like the cream filled chocolates in candy boxes.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup (78 g) light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 cups (228 g) confectioner's sugar
- 12 ounces (341 g) dark chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet (or any flat surface that will fit into your refrigerator) with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, add butter, corn syrup, and peppermint extract. Stir to combine. Add confectioner's sugar and mix until a dough forms. If dough is very sticky, add up to another ¼ cup of confectioner's sugar.
- Dust hands with additional confectioner's sugar. Roll dough into small balls (about 2 teaspoons each in size). Flatten dough balls with your hands into small discs (about ¼" thickness) and place onto prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate (or freeze) discs for 30 minutes, or until firm.
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave melting wafers in 30 second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
- Gently place each peppermint disc, one at a time, in the melted chocolate. Flip over with a fork, then gently remove from chocolate, tapping on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Using a butter knife, slide patties off fork and back onto the baking sheet.
- Allow to cool and harden at room temperature for 10 minutes in the refrigerator, or 30 minutes at room temperature. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- For this recipe, I do not recommend using chocolate chips. When hardened, the coating has a dull finish, soft texture, and the candies melt easily in your hands.
- Homemade peppermint patties will keep for 2 to 3 weeks in a tightly sealed container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
These turned out perfect for me. They were part of the Christmas package that I sent to family. Thank you for sharing this. I found if you want to make the centers more like junior mints all you need to do is add a couple of drops of heavy whipping cream to the filling mix. It does however make them MUCH harder to coat in chocolate. Will make this recipe throughout the year for treats everyone loves anytime.
I made these this evening. Recipe was easy and quick. Husband loved them.
I not only used Chocolate but I made some with white chocolate. OMG it was so good if you like white Chocolate.
I just love the York peppermint Pattie’s. But these are way better. My niece made them for Christmas and oh man, what a treat. She told me how she made them. I got everything I needed and I’m going to make them.
they turned out great! I think I used more than 2 cups icing sugar tho....I now cut the recipe in half ...and I've used coffee extract, pineapple extract and today I'll use cherry
extract ! They taste just the the "creams" in a box of chocolates!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, making them in different flavors is a great idea!