These delicious little cream cheese mints melt in your mouth, are a cinch to make, and disappear quickly. Even better, since they’re so easy, you can turn out a whole platter of them for a party or work function in no time flat. We’ve already made three batches this season. I made two to send to my husband’s work and when they requested more, Katy made a batch all by herself.
All that is needed is to mix up the ingredients in a bowl, pinch off bits and roll them into a ball, and stamp or flatten them out a bit to make the mints. You can even color them if you want to. Make them pink or baby blue for a shower, favorite colors for a birthday party. Whatever cranks your tractor or keeps your tractor idle, whatever your desire may be!
You’ll need: Confectioner’s Sugar, Butter, Cream Cheese, and some Peppermint Oil*.
*This is usually found in the craft department at WalMart during the fall baking season. You can also find it at places like Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and JoAnn in addition to specialty bake shops and such. It only costs a few dollars and will last ten forevers. Note: Peppermint oil is very strong. Use sparingly and if you get it on your fingers, don’t touch your eyes 🙂 Also, make sure the package specifically says for candy and baking. I have heard a lot of the essential oil companies (DoTerra and Young Living) sell oils that are food grade and safe for consumption – I’m not talking about those here. I have never used them and have no idea if they are equivalent in strength or flavor. You are welcome to try but just know that if you go that route, you’re going rogue and it may or may not end up being the same recipe as this.
Place your room temp butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and add peppermint oil (exact amount in recipe at bottom)
P.S. Peppermint oil smells good. You know how I told you not to touch your eyes if you got some on you? Well, if that happens, before you wash your hands, dab a bit behind your ears and on your wrists 😉 Look at you! Now you smell like a candy cane! How can that not make you smile? ~GRIN~
Cream that together with an electric mixer until it is nice and fluffy looking.
Gradually add in your confectioner’s sugar.
This is code for “Dump it all in at once”.
Beat the mess out of it until it is well blended, scraping down the sides if need be.
Now, it is going to seem dry as a bone at first and you’re going to think this is never in a million years going to come together.
Then two minutes later you’ll exhale and say “Oh! There it is!”.
If, for some odd reason, it is too dry (I blame aliens), add a tablespoon or two of milk and beat again.
It should be like a stiff cookie dough.
Only it’s not cookie dough.
It’s even better.
Because you can eat it without people freaking out over salmonella.
Make little one inchish balls of the cream cheese dough.
Roll ’em in some more confectioner’s sugar and then place on waxed paper or parchment paper or aluminum foil – whichever you grab first or whatever falls out of the pantry.
Now it is time to press them down with your finger, the tines of a fork, or some little stamps.
Of course, you can leave them as little balls if you want, too, and just call them snowball mints.
In a rare stroke of high maintenance-ness, I decided to use little stamps…
Okay, I actually couldn’t find the little stamps I wanted so I made them. But it really was easy because I am one with the glue gun! ~holds her gun up to the heavens in a dramatic display as she says that~
Seriously, the glue gun is my homie. A few weeks ago, I even made a case for my son’s marching snare drum with a glue gun, a storage bin, and an egg crate mattress. That may not impress you if you’ve never priced marching snare cases so you’re gonna have to trust me that you should be impressed with this.
I used to say that I could likely save the world if given a chance to make enough banana pudding, but nowadays I know that isn’t true.
In order to save the world, I’d need God, Banana Pudding, a whole passel of multi temp glue sticks…
and maybe a switch or two… 🙂
I went looking for actual small stamps but was unable to find any. Okay, I found some but they only came in a set and that set was $29.99 so I didn’t feel the least bit tempted to buy it. After coming up empty handed while shopping for the easy solution, I had to get creative. Some of the best options are often found this way.
So, I had these tiny decorative buttons that I’d purchased at Hobby Lobby in the craft section (I’ve also seen the exact same set at Michael’s in the kid’s craft section by the foam craft stuff and I think this is the same thing here on Amazon) and I bought some little shaker pegs and hot glued those puppies onto the end of them.
Boom, instant mint stamp :).
You can use regular buttons (tree shaped if you like), the tines of a fork, the bottom of a glass, or even carve a shape out of the bottom of a carrot if you want – although the carving a carrot thing is a bit too time involved for me to go there just to make a few mints. If it were me and I didn’t have the stamps I made, I’d just press them lightly with my fingertip to flatten a bit.
If you end up having a stamp (or using a fork), just gently press the design (or tines of a fork) into confectioner’s sugar and then into the mint. Here is me doing that exact same thing with a stamp I made.
Look how precious 🙂
If Grandmama were alive, she’d take one look and say “Well, God love it!”
Because God loves babies and mints – of course!
Now, let mints sit out for a few hours to dry. I flip them over after about an hour or so to help speed the process. They are ready when you pick them up and they don’t feel tacky. Store them in a sealed container in the fridge or at room temp if you are going to eat them in a day or two.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 7-8 cups powdered sugar start with 7, reserve 1 cup for dipping later
- 4-6 drops peppermint oil
Instructions
- Place softened cream cheese, butter, and peppermint oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Add 7 cups of confectioner's sugar and beat again until dough like in consistency. It will seem stiff and dry at first but after a minute or two it will come together. If it is too dry to form balls after you are done mixing (this is rare), add in a tablespoon of milk and mix again.
- Form into small one inch balls and place on waxed paper.
- Roll each ball into confectioner's sugar and flatten slightly with your fingertip, a fork, the back of a spoon, or a tiny seasonal stamp.
- Allow mints to dry for a few hours before storing. If they will be eaten in a day or two, I leave them out at room temp in an airtight container. For longer storage, place in the refrigerator.
Can tint with food coloring to match the occasion if desired. Wedding shower, baby shower, holidays, etc.
Makes about 80 one inch mints
Please read entire post (above this recipe) for additional instructions and tips that might prove helpful.
“The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.”
~Alfred Adler
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