Unwrap the joy of the season with our handcrafted creamy butter mints, a merry addition to your Christmas dessert table.

During my childhood, our Christmas dessert table was never complete without these irresistible, melt-in-your-mouth butter mints. Some years, they were store-bought, but the most cherished Christmases were when my Grammy handmade them. Those were truly the best holidays. There's something magical when seemingly simple treats like butter mints are crafted at home. The ability to tailor them to your taste and infuse them with that essential ingredient - love - adds an extraordinary touch. A homemade confection crafted with tender loving care makes them all the sweeter.

Creamy Butter Mints

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temp.

¼ tsp kosher salt

⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk

3 cups powdered sugar

1-5 tsp peppermint extract

Red and green food gels (optional)

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the room temperature butter and kosher salt. Mix until the salt is incorporated and the butter becomes very soft. 

Add the sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp of the peppermint extract and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix together on low speed until the first cup of powdered sugar is completely incorporated. Repeat this process two more times until all 3 cups of powdered sugar are thoroughly mixed in and you have a  dough that can hold together when pressed together. 

At this point you can give the mint dough a taste to make sure that it has enough peppermint extract for your taste. The amount of peppermint depends on preference and the strength of your extract. 

Once you have enough peppermint in the dough, you have the option to color your butter mints or leave them white. If you want to have a color mix like the one in the picture, separate the dough into three separate portions. Add one portion back into the mixer and cover the other two with cling wrap. 

For the pink color, add 4-5 drops of red food gel to the dough and mix on medium speed until the color is completely incorporated. You might have some streaks of food dye but that’s ok it will get incorporated when you roll out the dough. Remove and cover the pink dough, wash the mixer thoroughly and then continue the coloring process for the green.

To shape the butter mints, place a golf-ball sized amount of dough in your hands and roll dough into long thin cylinders on the countertop to make a rope. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife cut the rope into bite-sized pieces. It doesn’t matter if all the pieces are exactly the same size, you just want them to be roughly the same size.

Place your mints on a parchment covered sheet pan spread out in a single layer. Leave your mints to dry at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. They are dry enough when the outside is crisp but the inside is still creamy and smooth. 

Store your finished mints in an airtight container. Keep them in a cool and dark place or in the fridge, they will keep for 2-4 weeks. Enjoy your homemade Creamy Butter Mints!

*Notes:

I personally use homemade peppermint extract from the peppermint in my garden and my homemade variety doesn’t have the same potency as some of the ones in the grocery stores. So really it’s best to start with a teaspoon of extract and if you feel like you need more you can add it to the dough.

Please let my colors just merely be a guide. Get creative and use whatever food colors you want. Need these for Easter? Dye them pink, yellow and purple. Fourth of July? Red, white and blue should do the trick. Really the sky’s the limit!