These mints are creamy and melt in your mouth as you eat them. They only need 3 ingredients and don’t require any cooking or baking. They are easy to make and you can customize them with different colors and shapes. The mints store well and are also great for gifting.
I love eating old-fashioned cream cheese mints, especially around the holidays. I made a large batch for gifting this year and also saved some for entertaining. They are so easy to make and fresh, homemade mints taste so much better. The mints are soft, creamy and just melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Peppermint
Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is needed to form the mint candy base. I recommend choosing a good quality brand of powdered sugar because it is the main ingredient. Some generic and cheaper brands will often add too much cornstarch to their powdered sugar which can cause a soapy or chemical aftertaste. You can also use a powdered sugar that contains tapioca starch instead of cornstarch.
Cream cheese: Cream cheese is softened and mixed with a mixer. Cream cheese adds a very creamy texture to these mints as well as a slight tangy flavor.
Peppermint: Peppermint extract is used to flavor these mints.
In addition to these ingredients, you can also add a little butter to the mints. I’ve seen this in a lot of cream cheese mint recipes and it does add an extra layer of richness to the mints but I also feel like it makes the mints taste more like buttermints rather than cream cheese mints, so I make mine without the butter.
You can also add a few drops of food coloring to the dough to make different colored mints.
How to Make Cream Cheese Mints
- The cream cheese and peppermint extract are mixed with a mixer until the cream cheese becomes light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar until a dough forms. The dough should be soft and pliable.
- If adding food coloring, mix it into the dough now. I divided my dough into 4 parts to make four different colored mints.
- Scoop 1 teaspoon chunks of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with all the dough. Use a fork to make an indent on the surface of each mint.
Expert Tips
- You can change the shape of the cream cheese mints easily. Instead of making indents with a fork, you can roll out the dough and use small cookie cutters to make other shapes.
- Make sure to use a good quality brand of powdered sugar since it is the main ingredient in these mints. Some people find powdered sugar to have a soapy or chemical aftertaste. This is likely a result of the cornstarch added to powdered sugar. If you are one of these people who have issues tasting goods made with powdered sugar, I recommend trying powdered sugar that is mixed with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch.
- If adding food coloring, add 1 drop at a time because you don’t need a lot to add color to the dough.
More Mint Recipes
3 Ingredient Cream Cheese Mints
Ingredients
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 4-5 cups (420 g - 525 g) powdered sugar see note before starting
- 1/4 tsp (1.2 ml) peppermint extract
Instructions
- Line a large baking tray with parchment and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and peppermint extract together until smooth and creamy (about 30-60 seconds).
- Gradually add in 4 cups of powdered sugar, mixing until a dough forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough should hold its shape but remain pliable. If the dough is too sticky to work with, knead in more powdered sugar until the dough is no longer too sticky.
- If you plan on coloring the dough, add in the food coloring now (1 drop at a time) and mix it in on low speed until the dough is uniform in color. I divided my dough into four parts, adding red food coloring for pink mints, green food coloring for green mints, blue food coloring for blue mints and kept one dough white. Only add 1 drop of food coloring at a time because you don't need a lot of food coloring to color the dough.
- Scoop 1 teaspoon chunks of dough. Roll each dough chunk between your palms to form smooth round balls. Press down on each ball lightly with a fork. If the dough is sticking to the fork too much, you can dip the fork in some powdered sugar before pressing.
- Let the mints sit uncovered in the fridge overnight to air dry and firm up (or about 8-12 hours). Once mints are set, you can put them into an airtight container. Store mints in the fridge until ready to serve. Uneaten mints should be stored in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Powdered Sugar Note: Make sure to choose a good quality brand powdered sugar. I used C&H powdered sugar (Amazon | Target | Walmart).* Some cheaper brands add too much cornstarch which can affect the taste of the mints. Some people also find that powdered sugar based goods have a soapy or chemical aftertaste. If you know you are one of these people, you may want to try using a powdered sugar that contains tapioca starch instead of cornstarch (many organic powdered sugars use tapioca starch).
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- The mints have a slightly firm exterior but will not be as firm as commercial mints. They are soft and creamy on the inside.
- If you like a stronger peppermint flavor you can add 1/2 tsp instead of 1/4 tsp.
- You can also add 2 tbsp of softened butter to the dough for a richer candy. Adding butter will make the mints taste more like buttermints.
- You can also roll the dough out and cut into shapes instead of making the classic cream cheese mint shape.
- Estimated nutrition assumes 4 cups of powdered sugar used.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
