Easy Peppermint Patties Recipe (Perfect Edible Gift!)

Easy peppermint patties recipe with a smooth and buttery peppermint filling and a snappy chocolate coating. These peppermint patties are always a hit in my Christmas chocolate gift boxes! They are so good it's impossible to eat just one. 

 

 

This peppermint patties recipe is without sweetened condensed milk and no corn oil, making them with just a few simple ingredients and definitely drool worthy.

 

Talking about perfect edible gifts for Christmas, I always give jars of various chocolates. These peppermint patties are usually one of them, alongside peppermint cream cheese filled truffles, almond crunch milk chocolates, peppermint filled dark chocolates and chocolate coffee truffles - these are all combined in this Christmas chocolates box. 

 

That doesn't mean that an edible gift has to be just chocolate. We've all heard about giving cookies for Christmas. Here's 25 jolly Christmas cookies you could try your hands on, although my favorites are the fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies, Norwegian Christmas men cookies and gingerbread cookies!

 

 

What is a peppermint patty made of?

 

When you first Google peppermint patty, you will see Patricia 'Peppermint Patty' Reichardt from the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schultz (Snoopy and Charlie Brown). However, I'm guessing that was not what you came here for!

 

A peppermint patty is often made from sweetened condensed milk, oil, powedered sugar and peppermint extract. And then covered in melted chocolate. BUT, these peppermint patties are SO much better. This peppermint patties recipe has no sweetened condensed milk and no oil but heavy cream and butter. Trust me this stuff is addictingly good! 

 

 

The York Peppermint Pattie

 

All peppermint patties recipes are probably inspired by the York peppermint pattie invented in 1940 by Henry Kessler. It was supposed to be a snappy dark chocolate with a sweet and relatively dry peppermint filling. This is currently produced by the Hershey company. 

 

Snap is the key word here! If it didn't pass the snap test, where it snapped clean down the midde it wouldn't be sold. And I couldn't agree more - the snap is everything!

 

 

How to get the snap in the peppermint patties

 

To get the snap in the peppermint patties you need to temper the chocolate. Tempering makes the chocolate glossy, avoiding that dull grey film that can form. Tempered chocolate makes an audible snap when you break it - and that is essential for peppermint patties!

 

Use this guide to temper chocolate. To give you the highlights using dark chocolate, you need to melt it to 115F (46C) and then cool it down to 84F (29C) and then heat it back up to 89F (31C). It is easier the more chocolate you melt at a time to keep the temperature at the same level for a longer period of time.

 

I often don't heat it back up, but it can still make a snap sound. Just make sure you don't melt it on too high a temperature! And then cool it down before using it. To quick-temper chocolate, we can add a little bit of neutral oil to the chocolate. This way we don't have to worry about the temperatures as much. Win!

 

 

How long do they last?

 

Peppermint patties can be stored in several ways. One being in a cookie jar in room temperature, depending a little on how hot it is, they can last 10-14 days but longer if it's colder. You can also store them in the refrigerator for about 14 days or in the freezer for 4-5 months! Thaw in the refrigerator before digging in. 

 

I usually just store them in a jar in a fairly cold room of about 54F (13C) and I think that's perfect. 

 

They won't really go bad per se, they just dry out and the chocolate can turn dull and pale. Don't be too rigid about the days, and to be honest - you will likely not have this problem as you will eat them quickly anyway!

 

Easy Peppermint Patties Recipe

 

Combine powdered sugar, softened butter, peppermint extract and heavy cream together. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, mix until it feels soft but not sticky. Add more powdered sugar if needed, it should feel like Play-Doh. 

 

 

Put the dough on to a plastic wrap and shape it into a tube. About the size of your preferred patties. Let them cool in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. Use a sharp knife and cut the tube into desired thickness. Cut a few and leave the rest of the tube in the refrigerator in order to keep it as cold as possible. 

 

Melt chocolate, preferably over a water bath. Let it cool a little* before covering all the patties with chocolate. Dip one patty into the chocolate, flip it over and using a fork or a dipping tool, let the excess chocolate drip off. 

 

 

*To ensure the proper snap in the chocolate, you should temper the chocolate (melt to 115F/46C, cool down to 84F/29C and reheat to 89F/31C), but it will still be delicious if you just cool the chocolate a little. However, to get by this issue we can add 1 tablespoon canola oil to the melted chocolate - known as quick-tempering the chocolate.

 

Let the chocolate peppermint patties firm up on a parchment paper. Once set, place in a cookie jar or airtight container. Keeps for at least 14 days, as if that would be a problem.

 

Trust me, these will go by so quickly you will need to make another batch next weekend! To make them last longer, make various chocolates and truffles as I mentioned above, scroll up to find the direct links. 

 

Scroll down to find a printable recipe card. Enjoy! 

 

Did you like this peppermint patties recipe? Here's more chocolate recipes I think you will love:

 

• Classic Fudgy Brownies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Almond Crunch Milk Chocolates
• Cozy Peppermint Mocha
• Dreamy Chocolate Coffee Truffles
• Easy Christmas Chocolate Rice Puffs
• Salted Caramel Filled Milk Chocolates

 

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