These homemade peppermint patties are like York Peppermint Patties but better. They’re a creamy, minty, and sweet treat that is beyond easy to make! They only require 5 ingredients, there’s no baking involved, and you don’t need any special equipment such as a candy thermometer. You can whip these up from scratch in only a few simple steps.
You will love how creamy but firm these patties are, especially when you get to their soft, minty centers. They are perfect for gifting to friends and family, especially around the holiday season, as they’re so easy to decorate with festive sprinkles or toppings. You won’t be able to get enough of these bite-sized chocolate candies. Want another holiday treat? Try my crockpot candy recipe, rainbow cookies recipe, or Grinch cookies recipes.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sweetened condensed milk — this thick and sweet milk holds the dough together and gives it its classic white color.
Peppermint extract — make sure you use peppermint extract and not mint extract.
Confectioners’ sugar — also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, confectioners’ sugar thickens the filling so you can roll it out to cut. It also adds additional sweetness to the dough. If you only have granulated sugar, see my guide on how to make powdered sugar with it!
Chocolate chips — I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can also use dark chocolate or milk chocolate. I highly recommend buying good quality chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli chocolate chips, as they melt down extremely easily and smoothly.
Shortening — adding shortening to the melted chocolate leads to a beautiful, glossy chocolate coating that’s more manageable, so it’s easier to coat the peppermint patties evenly.
How to Make Peppermint Patties
1. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the condensed milk and peppermint extract. Begin mixing on low speed.
2. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until a stiff dough forms and isn’t sticky.
3. Generously dust a sheet of parchment paper with confectioners’ sugar. Turnout the dough onto the parchment and press into a cohesive mass. Dust the dough with confectioners’ sugar and roll to ¼ inch thickness.
4. Cut the dough into rounds using a 1½ inch circle cutter. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all of the rounds are cut, freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
5. Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Using a fork, dip the frozen rounds in the melted chocolate, and tap the fork on the side of the bowl a few times to help remove excess chocolate.
6. Place the chocolate-dipped rounds on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until the chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes. Loosen the peppermint patties from the parchment paper and serve.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- If you accidentally add the whole can of condensed milk, add another cup of confectioners’ sugar to the dough to make sure it’s stiff enough to cut and dip. If desired, you can also add a few more drops of peppermint extract.
- If your candy rounds are sticking to the parchment paper, place another piece of parchment on top of the dough, flip the sheets over, and peel off the original parchment sheet now on top. Continue cutting as directed.
- You can use chopped semi-sweet chocolate bars instead of chips for the chocolate coating.
- If you don’t have shortening, you can use coconut oil that is solid at room temperature.
- If desired, decorate the dipped patties with sprinkles before chilling and the chocolate sets.
- If you don’t want to roll and cut out the candy, you can pinch off pieces of the dough, roll into 1-inch balls between your palms, place them on parchment paper, and flatten them to ¼-inch-thickness with the bottom of a glass.
- If the filling is too soft to cut, place it on a baking sheet in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to help them firm up.
- Not a fan of sprinkles but want a festive topping? Try topping the peppermint patties with crushed candy canes or a white chocolate drizzle.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend storing the peppermint patties in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
This recipe freezes wonderfully! I recommend freezing them in layers with parchment or wax paper in between them so they don’t stick. You can eat them directly from the freezer for a nice frozen treat, so the parchment helps you pull them out individually.
Peppermint oil is quite strong, so I recommend sticking with peppermint extract for the patty filling.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Peppermint Patties recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Peppermint Patties
Video
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Large baking sheets
- Rolling Pin
- 1.5″ round cookie cutter
- Microwave safe bowl
- Fork
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk (240ml) (not the whole can!)
- 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
- 5 to 5½ cups confectioners’ sugar plus more for dusting (600g-660g)
- 3½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (630g)
- 1 tablespoon shortening
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the condensed milk and peppermint extract. Bring mixing on low speed.
- Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until a stiff dough forms and isn’t sticky.
- Generously dust a sheet of parchment paper with confectioners’ sugar. Turnout the dough onto the parchment and press into a cohesive mass. Dust the dough with confectioners’ sugar and roll to ¼ inch thickness*.
- Cut the dough into rounds using a 1½ inch circle cutter. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all of the rounds are cut, freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Once frozen, place the chocolate chips and shortening in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
- Using a fork, dip the frozen rounds in the melted chocolate, tap the fork on the side of the bowl a few times to help remove excess chocolate, and place on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (Warm the chocolate in the microwave again as needed and pop the patties back in the freezer for a few minutes if they start to soften when dipped in the chocolate.)
- Chill until the chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes. Loosen the patties from the parchment paper (an offset spatula is a dream here!). Store the patties refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- If you accidentally add the whole can of condensed milk, add another cup of confectioners’ sugar to the dough to make sure it’s stiff enough to cut and dip. If desired, you can also add a few more drops of peppermint extract.
- If your candy rounds are sticking to the parchment paper, place another piece of parchment on top of the dough, flip the sheets over, and peel off the original parchment sheet now on top. Continue cutting as directed.
- You can use chopped semi-sweet chocolate bars instead of chips for the chocolate coating.
- If you don’t have shortening, you can use coconut oil that is solid at room temperature.
- If desired, decorate the dipped patties with sprinkles before chilling and the chocolate sets.
- If you don’t want to roll and cut out the candy, you can pinch off pieces of the dough, roll into 1-inch balls between your palms, place them on parchment paper, and flatten them to ¼-inch-thickness with the bottom of a glass.
- If the filling is too soft to cut, place it on a baking sheet in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to help them firm up.
- Not a fan of sprinkles but want a festive topping? Try topping the peppermint patties with crushed candy canes or a white chocolate drizzle.
