I did it. And now you’re going to have to do it, too. It’s a natural consequence for those of you who follow this blog. You may be asking yourself exactly what I did and because you want to know, I’m going to show you, step-by step. I apologize in advance if you find yourself unable to fit into those cute holiday skinny jeans you were hoping to wear. I’m sorry if you were planning on eating just one, but ate 12… in an hour. However, I’m not sorry if this ridiculously easy recipe makes you look like Martha Stewart. I’m also not sorry if people gush over you because you were able to share some holiday cheer with friends and family. Let’s get one thing clear… people will think you’re more awesome than you already are and that is a good thing.
So let’s get started. We are going to make homemade peppermint patties and you’re going to follow along at home. Got it? Good.
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 5½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon peppermint extract
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons shortening
- Add condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and peppermint extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix everything on medium speed using the paddle attachment until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add more powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until the dough is stiff but still pliable.
- Roll ¾″ balls of dough between the palms of the hands.
- Press each ball down slowly and set the flattened disk on a flat cutting board or plate. Transfer peppermint disks to the freezer for no longer than 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, temper the chocolate coating.
- Place chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments, making sure to stir after each time until chocolate is smooth. Stir in shortening to thin the chocolate. Remove patties from the freezer.
- Place a patty on the tines of the fork and dip in the chocolate until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the patty before setting each one on top of wax or parchment paper.
- Allow the chocolate coated peppermint patties to completely set up. This can be done quicker by placing the patties in the refrigerator. The peppermint patties are ready when they are dry to the touch. Enjoy!
I have ALWAYS wanted to make homemade peppermint patties!! I will have to try these for sure during the holidays this year!! Thanks for sharing!
Shan
http://www.ikneadtobake.blogspot.com
Have you ever tried these with dark chocolate? I love york peppermint patties so I wanted to try to make some homemade; I have never tried any that don’t have dark chocolate. Do you think they taste better? Thanks for the recipe!
Is there a substitute for sweetened condensed milk? Israel does not have such product.
Also shortening if we’re on the subject, I saw some coconut fat in a jar, is that the same? 😀 haha
Instead of shortening, we use paraffin wax. Just a half of bar for this receipe would be enough. I’m from South Carolina, United States. Shortening is a way of life here, but I don’t care to use it because of how fattening it is.
Hey there! I was wondering if this recipe could be used with any flavoring of extract, such as orange? Thanks!
Do you think hand mixers will work in place of the mixer with the paddle attachment?
I made these peppermint patties…thet are so easy to make! this was my first try and the came out great! thank you for sharing… and Merry Christmas
My friend made these, and I asked for the recipe because they were so delicious! However, I only have peppermint oil, instead of peppermint extract. I read online that if you use 1/4 as much oil as you would extract (i.e. 1/4 tablespoon peppermint oil), that it should be the same. Do you have any experience with that? Thanks for the recipe!
Hello,
Just tried this tonight and they are so so yummy!! Me and my husband made them together!
Any advice on how to dip them better though? We had some trouble doing this and was curious.
Thank you 🙂
they are, dare i say, better straight from the freezer. especially when you forget it was in there. best freezer surprise ever!
So glad you enjoyed them, Lera!
I just tried this recipe today. It is marvelous!! I love that the author uses pictures to show every step. It is so easy, I don’t know why I ever wasted money on York’s when this is so much better and so inexpensive. I doubled the recipe to have plenty to put in holiday treat bags. I also used milk chocolate instead of semi sweet, utterly perfect. Big hit with my family, I’m sure it will be with yours as well!
I have made these every year. So delicious! Just received a request for them. What nice pictures you take to go along with the instructions!! Thank you and keep those recipes coming!!! U.S.A.
Yes, you can freeze them!
Hi Alice — wondering if these are freezeable? What do you think? Leah
Oh this recipe looks wonderful! I have a cookie exchange next weekend and I’m going to make up these and take them. It looks wonderfully easy!
Hi Jillian,
I don’t have an exact number. Sorry.
I’m excited to try this recipe out for Christmas gifts! About how many patties does one recipe/batch make? Thanks in advance!
Great – will do. Thanks for the tip, and the quick response!
Hi Heather,
Yes, double the recipe. One thing to keep in mind is the texture of the mint patty. You want to be able to work with it and have it not so sticky. Adjust the recipe according to texture.
These look amazing. I bookmarked this last year, and plan to make it this year en-mass to give away in small gift bags to various people. What’s the best way to scale up the recipe? Mostly I’m thinking about the sifted powdered sugar – the reference for 1 lb. sifted powdered sugar = 4-3/4 cups… Could I use a 2 lb. bag to double the recipe, or do I need to be more precise? Any thoughts are much appreciated!!
PS – Love the site – keep it coming!
Hi Gemma,
It’s not daft not to be familiar with shortening. 🙂 It’s not a world-wide phenomenon, which we cooks sometimes forget when sharing recipes with the world.
Shortening is basically a solid fat. This recipe is referring to vegetable shortening (Crisco is a popular brand name), but there are milk fats and animal fats that can also be referred to as shortening.
If you don’t have access to a vegetable shortening in your area, you can use a little vegetable oil instead like I mentioned to another person who was asking about it.
I don’t know what other recipes you were referring to, but in recipes like pastry that call for shortening, butter can usually be substituted with success.
We don’t really have “shortening” available here in Australia either, but I sometimes use Copha (which is a coconut oil based product much like shortening). If you don’t have anything equivalent, you can just use a little vegetable oil. It just helps to make the chocolate a little thinner and shiny. Another option is paramount crystals, but I don’t know if you’ll be able to locate that in your area either. If all else fails, leave it out. It’s not necessary to the success of the recipe. 🙂
Read ALL of step one and you’ll see that after mixing 2 cups of sugar with the milk, you add the rest of the sugar in 1/2 cup increments until you’ve added all 5.5 cups.
Sorry for the late response. Regular beaters will work just fine.