Name me a better combination than chocolate and peppermint; go ahead, I’ll wait.
Can’t do it? Okay, well, I can in my own personal opinions, but today I was making something for my partner, who loves peppermint patties. A good pack of Yorks disappear in short order if he’s left to his own devices, so I figured I’d try my hand at making my own.
Turns out, it’s just about what I expected. The inside is pretty easy, just a mixture of powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and condensed milk. The outside is where it gets a little harder. Dipping the patties in chocolate is tricky, messy business, and that’s without bothering to temper the chocolate.
A few notes about this recipe.
- Make sure to use peppermint extract, not “mint” extract. Mint extract tastes like toothpaste, while peppermint has that bite to it.
- My recipe uses 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract. I like it, but my partner says it needs more mint to really be like a York. You can up it to 2 teaspoons if you want a stronger flavor.
- Definitely use dark chocolate. I grabbed 72% dark chips and it’s pretty much perfect. Something lighter would be too sweet.
What about tempering the chocolate? I don’t work with chocolate in a form that requires tempering very often, so I haven’t really bothered to learn how. In concept, it’s not too hard; heat it above a certain point, cool it to a specific range, work with it, then let it cool slowly to fully temper.
Real peppermint patties, with the snap to them, use tempered chocolate. Since my patties use coconut oil to try to firm up the chocolate without tempering, you lose that snap. It’s up to you; just know that if you include the coconut oil, you won’t be able to temper the chocolate.
Finally, there are some variations you can make to this recipe. I really want to try the same thing, but with orange extract instead of peppermint extract. Since the base recipe is just a chocolate creme, you can add any extract you like to make it tasty. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Rolling Pin
- 2" Cookie Cutter
- Double Boiler
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk A little less than a can.
- 1½ Tsp Peppermint Extract
- 5 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted You probably won't use all of it, but have enough on hand.
- 3½ Cups Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil The shelf-solid kind.
Instructions
- Mix the condensed milk and peppermint extract in your stand mixer using the paddle attachment, on low. Start adding the powdered sugar and beating until a stiff, dry dough forms. It shouldn't be sticky. I ended up using about half of my powdered sugar, but it can depend on humidity and other factors.
- Dust a silicone baking mat or work surface with powdered sugar, like you would with flower before kneading dough. Turn out your sugar dough and form it into a ball.
- Flatten the dough ball and dust it with more sugar. Use your rolling pin to roll it out to about ¼" thick, or however thick you want your peppermint patties.
- Use your cookie cutter to cut out discs of dough, and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. When you've cut all you can, re-form, flatten, and cut the remainder until you've used all you can.
- Freeze these disks to make them easier to work with. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Over a double boiler, melt your chocolate and mix in the coconut oil. Keep this over low heat to keep the chocolate melted.
- Taking one disc out of the freezer at a time, carefully dip them in the chocolate to coat, and arrange them on another baking sheet or a cooling rack to cool and harden. Feel free to top with sprinkles or other decorations at this point as well. Once they've all be dipped, you can put them back in the freezer to fully set.
- Keep the candies refrigerated to prevent melting, and enjoy when cold!