Peppermints are always a huge hit this time of year. There’s just something about that cool, zingy flavor that screams winter. This year, let these delicious treats freshen up your holiday dessert table.
If you like York Peppermint Patties, you’ll love this homemade version even more. You can customize them to your liking, which is always a plus; add a little or a lot of peppermint or even spearmint: dip them in dark, milk, or white chocolate: add sprinkles: dye them red and green—whatever sounds good to you!
This dough is seriously easy to whip up. It’s just four simple ingredients. These homemade peppermint patties are a great idea for parties, sprucing up cookie trays, or as a last-minute entry into your holiday cookie swap. Or package them up in pretty bags or mason jars and present them as gifts.
Note: The instructions will make dozens of little peppermint patties, but feel free to cut your pieces and make the dough balls larger for larger cookies.
Easy homemade peppermint patties
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp salted butter, softened
- ~2 pounds confectioners’ sugar (plus a bit more for rolling)
- 2 tsp peppermint extract (or spearmint if you prefer)
- 6 ounces melted chocolate (optional) (Here’s how to perfectly melt chocolate)
Directions
- Cover a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
- Cream together cream cheese, butter, and peppermint extract using an electric mixer.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until ingredients combine. Divide dough into 8 equal parts.
- Dust a nonstick surface with extra powdered sugar.
- Roll each section into about a 15-inch rope. Cut into 15 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle lightly with additional powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Roll each piece into a ball and place on baking sheet. Repeat the process with each of the 7 remaining sections.
- Press the center of each dough ball with a fork to flatten out a bit—like you would a peanut butter cookie. (Sprinkle dough balls with more powdered sugar if you find your fork is sticking.)
- Let dry on baking sheet for about 2 hours.
- Optional: For chocolate dipped peppermints, dip one side of peppermints in melted chocolate and return to baking sheet. Return to fridge for 1 to 2 hours or until chocolate is set.
- For best storage, alternate layers of wax paper with layers of cookies to prevent any sticking. Leftovers must be stored in the refrigerator.
Also see, The Best chocolate crinkle cookies.
