Whether or not it has anything at all to do with the candy cane, confections during the holidays seem to call for ones made with peppermint. As much as I absolutely LOVE the second version of this Peppermint Bark and these Peppermint Chocolate Dipped Oreos, I wanted another peppermint option to go into my soon to be created holiday gift boxes. And Peppermint Creams would make for a great, first-time appearance.
While they take a little more time to make than Peppermint Bark, these Peppermint Creams are hands-down so-o-o much better than store-bought ones! At least a thousand times better.
Instead of making these Peppermint Creams in a traditional round shape, I decided star-shaped ones would be perfect for the holidays. Not just because I needed to justify my recent purchase of the "I didn't need but had to have" set of star biscuit cutters, but because stars are so festive. Regardless of which shape you decide to make yours into, you will literally and figuratively see stars when you take your first taste of these creamy peppermint center enveloped in a rich semi-sweet chocolate confections. The deliciousness factor of these Peppermint Creams is off the charts!
Instead of topping these Peppermint Creams with some finely chopped candy canes (or peppermints), sprinkles, or flaky sea salt, I drizzled the chocolate dipped creams with a little more chocolate.
After looking at a half-dozen or so recipes for peppermint creams (or patties), this recipe is an adapted version of ones inspired by two food bloggers I admire. While I kept the core ingredient amounts similar, I decided to go with melted instead of room temperature butter. In addition to using some vanilla and kosher salt (as suggested by one of the bloggers), I added two Tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to ramp up the creaminess factor of the Peppermint Creams.
From a technique standpoint, I made two relatively simple changes. First, I sifted the confectionary sugar. No one wants the creaminess factor to be thwarted by little 'balls' of confectionary sugar. Second, I mixed all of the ingredients for the peppermint cream mixture before adding in the confectionary sugar. I wanted to not only ensure they were well blended, I thought it would be a better medium to receive the confectionary sugar.
The Peppermint Cream mixture resembles a soft play-doh. It rolls out easily between two sheets of parchment paper. Once cut, the peppermint creams are placed parchment paper lined baking sheets, then covered with plastic wrap before chilling in the refrigerator for 30 to 120 minutes. Note: Recommend chilling for at least 60 minutes.
The chilled Peppermint Creams get dipped in melted chocolate.
Then drizzled in a little more chocolate. It's the holidays after all.
Once the chocolate sets, carefully trim the Peppermint Creams from any melted chocolate strands.
They can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Place sheets of wax paper or cellophane between the stored layers of Peppermint Creams.
These are heavenly! Not that my opinion should be taken as some kind of undebatable, non-negotiable truth, but I may have consumed more than my fair share of peppermint patties, peppermint creams, and Junior Mints over the course of my lifetime thus far. I have probably eaten your shares as well. Which would make me eligible for peppermint cream expert status. So when I say these homemade Peppermint Creams put any store bought version to shame, my over-experienced peppermint cream loving palate stands firmly behind this claim.
Peppermint Creams (original inspiration for the Peppermint Creams came from Amanda Fredrickson's Homemade Peppermint Patties recipe)
Makes 68-70 one inch round or star shaped mints
Ingredients
5 cups (550 g) confectionary sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
3 Tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons water
16-18 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate
Optional: Flaky sea salt, chopped peppermints or peppermint candy canes, and/or chocolate sprinkles
Directions
1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add in the corn syrup, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk, peppermint extract, vanilla, water, and salt. Mix to blend for 3-5 seconds.
3. Add in sifted confectionary sugar. Beat on low speed and gradually increase to medium speed. Mix until it comes together in a play-doh like texture ball. Note: If mixture is too stiff, add a little more water, one teaspoon at a time. Be careful not to add too much liquid.
4. Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. Knead briefly.
5. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top of the dough and roll out to 1/4" thickness.
6. Using a 1", 1.5" or 2" metal cookie cutter, cut out stars or rounds. Remove cut out shapes with an offset of small spatula. Place on prepared baking sheets. Note: Keep rolling out the scrapes of the peppermint cream dough until you have used as much of it as possible.
7. When one sheet is full, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill peppermint creams for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours. Note: Recommend chilling them for at least an hour.
8. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl using either the double boiler or microwave method.
9. Using a fork, carefully dip the peppermint creams in the melted chocolate one at a time. Place dipped peppermint creams on a large board or baking pan lined with parchment paper.
10. Allow the chocolate to set up on the dipped peppermint creams (approximately 45-60 minutes).
11. Trim away any chocolate strands if you drizzled chocolate over the top of the Peppermint Creams.
12. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container. (Note: Peppermint Creams can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the refrigerator for up to a month)
Notes: (1) Rather than using the traditional round cookie cutter, I used this metal star cookie cutter. (2) Recommend not rolling out your dough less than or more than 1/4" thick. If too thin, will be a tad difficulty removing from cookie cutter (although it may not be an issue with a round one). If too thick, the ratio of peppermint cream to chocolate won't be balanced. (3) I finished these Peppermint Creams with a chocolate drizzle. You can finish them with crushed peppermints (or candy canes), sprinkles, or sea salt. If finishing with any of those options, sprinkle on before the chocolate sets up. (4) Your yield will depend on the size cookie or biscuit cutter used. (5) Use a good quality Peppermint Extract. I like this one made by Nielsen-Massey.
Grazing cows on a farm somewhere in southern Kentucky. (November 2018)
