This Cream Cheese Mint Recipe is an old-fashioned mint candy that's popular around Christmas and sometimes even at weddings. All you need is four ingredients and some food coloring (if you want). Cream cheese mints are super simple to make, require no baking time, and are ready for those Christmas cookie boxes in just a couple of hours!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Easy Cream Cheese Mints
- Ingredients You'll Need To Make This Mint Candy Recipe
- Different Flavor & Holiday Options
- How To Make Cream Cheese Mints
- Tips For Soft, Not Sticky Mints
- How To Store Cream Cheese Mints
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Delicious Holiday Treats
- 📖 Recipe
- ⭐️ Leave a Review
If you like no-bake treats, you've landed in the right spot on the internet! My peppermint candy cane bark and Christmas puppy chow are both holiday staples. For something extra chocolatey, try my chocolate cocoa truffles and milk chocolate almond bark. You also can't skip my homemade hot chocolate mix and hot buttered rum cocktails that are perfect for the holidays, too!
Why You'll Love These Easy Cream Cheese Mints
- Four easy ingredients and no candy thermometer needed. These simple cream cheese mints come together with powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, peppermint extract, and food coloring (which is optional). No cooking, baking, or anything difficult required!
- They have a soft, creamy melt-in-your-mouth texture. This is the old-fashioned cream cheese mint texture people remember. Firm enough to hold their shape, but soft enough to melt as soon as they hit your tongue.
- Make them for any occasion. Tint them specific colors for showers or Christmastime, or keep them white for classic wedding mints.
- Easy to make ahead of time. These mints store well in the fridge or freezer, so you can get all of your prep ready early!
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Ingredients You'll Need To Make This Mint Candy Recipe
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the best results. The cream cheese in tubs or whipped versions contain more air and moisture, which will lead to sticky mints.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted, either will work. Butter is incorporated into the dough to help the mints firm up and hold their shape.
- Food Coloring: This is completely optional, I like to use the Watkins No Artificial Dyes food colouring. Add liquid food coloring sparingly to avoid affecting the dough. If you'd like more vibrant colors, use a gel-based food coloring instead.
- Peppermint Extract: Any kind of peppermint extract will work. Food grade peppermint oil will work too, but only use 1-2 drops, because it has a much, much higher concentration than regular extract.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
Different Flavor & Holiday Options
- Christmas Mints: Tint one half of the dough red and the other half green for festive colors.
- Wedding Mints: Keep them white and press them into a heart or rose candy mould. Dust with a tiny bit of pearl sugar to make them super fancy.
- Chocolate Dipped Mints: Dip half of each dried cream cheese mint in melted chocolate for a peppermint patty version.
- Different Flavors: Instead of peppermint, use lemon extract, almond extract, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or any other flavor of extract you like!
If you love homemade candy, you have to try my sponge toffee, buttercrunch toffee, homemade eggnog fudge, and my classic french macarons, too!
How To Make Cream Cheese Mints
Mix The Cream Cheese & Butter
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and butter until fully combined and smooth.
Pro tip
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. Cold cream cheese will stay lumpy in the mixture and never fully combine, leaving lumps of cream cheese in the finished mints.
Add The Peppermint & Powdered Sugar
Mix in the peppermint extract first, so it gets incorporated evenly throughout the dough. Then, add half of the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add the other half of the powdered sugar and mix until a sturdy, thick dough forms.
Color The Dough
This step is optional, but this is when you'd divide and dye your dough any colors you would like.
Roll & Press The Mints
Use a small spoon and roll each cream cheese mint into a ball, then dip a fork into powdered sugar and press on the top to flatten the mints. Repeat until all of the dough is formed into mints and pressed on a parchment paper lined pan.
Dust & Rest
Generously dust the tops of the mints with powdered sugar and let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Dust The Backs
After an hour, carefully flip the mints on the baking sheet and generously dust the backs with more powdered sugar. Let them sit for 1 more hour.
Chill & Serve
Transfer cream cheese mints to a serving platter or an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Tips For Soft, Not Sticky Mints
- Judge the dough by feel. It should be stiff and thick, not sticky or tacky. If it sticks to your fingers, add more powdered sugar a little at a time.
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened. Cold cream cheese will remain lumpy in the dough, and those lumps will remain in the finished mints.
- Add the extract early. Add the extract before adding the powdered sugar so it gets fully and evenly incorporated into the dough.
- Give them enough time to dry. A few hours at room temperature is all they need (the drying time is outlined in the instructions). If you don't let them dry, they will stick together. These mints cannot be stored at room temperature, see below.
How To Store Cream Cheese Mints
After the cream cheese mint candies have had time to dry, store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge.
To freeze the mints, freeze them in a single layer on a sheet pan first, then once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and store for up to 2 months. Let the cream cheese mints thaw in the fridge or on the counter in a single layer before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Because they are made with dairy products (cream cheese and butter), they need to be refrigerated. The short time they are being prepared and drying on the counter is fine, but it is recommended that no perishable food be left for more than 4 hours at room temperature.
Stored in the fridge, they will last for up to 1 week. Stored in the freezer, they will last up to 2 months.
If your mints are sticky, it means the dough needs more powdered sugar. The dough should feel almost like playdough and not stick to your hands. Also, ensure that the butter is softened but not melted. Melted butter cannot be used and would make the mints super sticky.
More Delicious Holiday Treats
Looking for more delicious treat recipes like this? Try these:
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Cream Cheese Mints Recipe
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 2 Tablespoons Butter softened
- 1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- 4 cups + 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar divided
- Food Coloring optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the peppermint extract and mix on low for 10 seconds until it is fully combined. Then, add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low until it is fully incorporated. Add the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until a thick, sturdy dough forms. The final dough should look and feel like play dough. If the dough is too sticky, add additional powdered sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time, until it no longer sticks to your fingers.
- Optional Step: Divide the dough into separate bowls and dye it any colors you'd like. Add a small amount of liquid food coloring, or a good swipe of gel food coloring and stir until the color is even throughout the dough. If you are using liquid food coloring, add it a drop at a time to avoid loosening the dough.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out about ½ a tablespoon of dough at a time and roll it between your palms into a smooth ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Using the remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, dip the tines of a fork into the powdered sugar and gently press the top of each ball to flatten it and make the classic ridges. Keep dipping the fork in the powdered sugar to keep it from sticking to the mints.
- Generously dust the tops of the mints with half of the remaining powdered sugar, and let them sit uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour. After an hour, gently flip each mint and dust the backs with the remaining powdered sugar. Let them sit for 1 more hour. After the mints feel firm, transfer them to a serving platter or an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
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Notes
- Use different extracts for different flavors. The peppermint extract can be swapped for any flavor you like.
- Storage: Store prepared cream cheese mints in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Cream cheese mints can not be stored at room temperature.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
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