Cream Cheese Mints

Melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese mints are such a delightful and old-fashioned confection that is always a welcome addition to any dessert table. They’re the perfect sweet and creamy treat with an irresistible minty flavor, and you can customize their color to match any season or holiday.

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened 

4 tablespoons butter, softened 

2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract 

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 (2-pound package or 7½ cups) powdered sugar

Yellow, blue, green, and red gel food coloring (3-6 drops for the desired color)

1 cup powdered sugar for rolling the mints

Stuff you will need

Stand Mixer with wire whisk attachment

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

4 mixing bowls with mixing spoon

Fork

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the softened cream cheese and softened butter for 1½ to 2 minutes, until smooth. 

PRO TIP: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to ensure the mint mixture doesn’t have any lumps in it.

Add the peppermint and vanilla extract, and continue mixing for another 1 to 1½ minutes.

Lower the electric mixer speed to low. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. Once all the powdered sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue mixing for 1 more minute until completely smooth.

Evenly divide the cream cheese mixture into 4 separate bowls. 

Add 3 to 6 drops of 1 color to the first bowl and stir until the color is even and no streaks are visible. Repeat the process with the remaining colors in the remaining bowls. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

PRO TIP: The amount of food color gel used is up to you, depending on how deep you want each color to be. Using 3 to 4 drops is usually enough to achieve the delicate pastel color traditionally associated with these mints.

Add 1 cup of powdered sugar to a medium-sized mixing bowl. 

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar onto the parchment paper.

Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the tinted cream cheese mixture. Roll into a ball. Cut the rolled ball in half. Roll the 2 halves into smaller balls, and then roll in the powdered sugar. Place the coated ball on the prepared baking sheet.

Gently press the tines of a fork on top of the coated ball. If the fork sticks to the ball, you can dip the fork in the powdered sugar. Repeat the process until all colors are coated and pressed. 

PRO TIP: You could also swirl the mint colors together when rolling the mints into the halved balls. 

Allow the pressed mints to dry on the coated parchment paper for at least 4 hours. If the weather is humid, once the tops of the mints are dried, you will need to turn the mints over and even transfer them to a drying rack to allow the softer side to finish drying.

How to serve: You may have seen these dreamy pastel mints at baby showers, bridal showers, graduation parties, weddings, or at another special occasion. They are one of the easiest holiday candy recipes, and these little treats can be tinted in different colors to match the event.

These yummy mints would also make a sweet gift added to a pretty gift box tied with a pretty ribbon.

Storage: Store any leftovers of these homemade mints in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to separate the layers of mints using wax paper. 

You can freeze these cream cheese butter mints in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Again, be sure to separate the layers with a piece of wax paper. 

These delicious cream cheese mints are a delight any time of year and will be a huge hit for anyone you serve them to. Be careful, they are slightly addictive, and you may not be able to resist once you pop the first one in your mouth.

FAQ

How do I store these mints?

This simple recipe can be stored on the counter for up to two weeks in an airtight container.

Can I use silicone molds to shape these mints

This easy cream cheese mints recipe could also be made in silicone molds to create fun shapes if you prefer.

Can I use different extract flavors for these mints?

The sky’s the limit for these mints. Any flavor of extract you can think of would be a great idea to try out for these creamy mints.

What about different flavors?

You can substitute other flavors for the mint flavoring, such as strawberry for the pink, watermelon for the green, and banana for the yellow in this easy recipe.

Comments and questions are ALWAYS welcome.