becky
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the disclosure policy to learn more.
Thank you for supporting this blog!
Last Updated on December 23, 2025 by bigscoots
Soft peppermints made with sweetened condensed milk, confectioner’s sugar, and natural peppermint oil. Featuring colorful swirls of red, white, and green, this soft peppermint candy makes a festive holiday treat.
What Inspired These Soft Peppermints?
A few months ago while browsing Pinterest to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming Christmas season, I started noticing lots of recipes for “soft Christmas peppermints.” These mints all looked unbelievably precise, with bright red swirls so delicate and refined that they almost looked like they’d been hand-painted with a brush.
Then I tested a few of these recipes. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the photos I’d found weren’t of actual Christmas candies. It turns out that most of the “soft christmas peppermints” recipes (and, sadly, more and more social media recipes in general) were not developed and tested by actual humans—they were products of AI.
I spent hours scouring the web for “real” soft Christmas peppermint recipes, but they were few and far between. So because I’m sure I won’t be the last person tempted by the AI creations on Pinterest (and failing miserably attempting to make a recipe that isn’t technicallly possible!) I decided to create a real, tested recipe that anyone can make at home.
These Christmas candies taste exactly as they sound: soft and sweet, with just the right amount of natural peppermint flavor, plus colorful swirls of red, white, and green (or any other color you’d like—you could easily make these in blue and purple for Hanukkah celebrations, too!) Requiring just four ingredients and about 40 minutes of active prep time, these Christmas candies are ideal for gifting throughout the holiday season.
Ingredients for Making Soft Christmas Peppermints
To make these soft peppermints, you’ll need:
- Confectioner’s Sugar – You’ll need 270 grams (about 2 US cups) of confectioner’s sugar, also known as icing sugar or powdered sugar. And keep some extra on hand for dusting your work surface to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – Make sure to reach for sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk.
- Peppermint Oil – Opt for natural peppermint oil, not flavoring or extract. And use it sparingly! 2-3 drops is plenty!
- Gel Food Coloring – I used a mix of Chefmaster‘s Christmas Red and Leaf Green.
- Edible Glitter – For seasonal sparkle, I dusted my peppermints with edible glitter.
Shaping and Slicing the Peppermints
These peppermints are not difficult to master, but here are a few tips and tricks to make the process easier:
To start, you’ll need rubber gloves for kneading the food coloring into the dough.
I recommend dusting the countertop with a light coating of confectioner’s sugar, but don’t use too much! An excess of sugar will make the dough too dry to roll.
If the rope seems too thin, squash the dough back together, then re-roll until you achieve the desired thickness. I like to keep my candies about 1 inch thick. And clean your knife periodically to ensure smooth, even cuts.
When not in use, wrap the dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. And work quickly! The dough will start to crack as it dries.
Each mint will have a unique pattern. You can roll and re-roll the rope until yoo get the pattern you want, but the pieces will never be perfectly uniform. Don’t be fooled by AI images of peppermints with thin, precise swirls—without a machine (or the time and dexterity to hand paint each mint with a paintbrush!) you will never achieve this look.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Store soft Christmas peppermints in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper to prevent the mints from sticking together.
Other Christmas candy recipes you might enjoy:
Festive Cranberry Jelly Candies
Old-Fashioned Hard Candy
Peppermint Marshmallows
Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Lollipops
Candied Orange Peels
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Soft Peppermints
Soft Christmas peppermints made with sweetened condensed milk, confectioner’s sugar, and natural peppermint oil.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Drying Time: 8-10 hours
- Total Time: 40 minutes (+ drying time)
- Yield: About 35-40 1-inch round peppermints 1x
- Category: Candy and Confectionery
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Christmas
Ingredients
270 grams confectioner’s sugar (2 cups), sifted, plus more for dusting
150 grams sweetened condensed milk (1/2 cup), plus more to adjust consistency
2-3 drops natural peppermint oil
Red or green gel food coloring
Edible glitter, optional, for dusting
Instructions
Line a quarter sheet tray with parchment or a silicone mat. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and peppermint oil.
Gradually add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, using your hands or a bench scraper to work the ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Dough should be smooth and pliable, but not sticky. You might not need all of the confectioner’s sugar.
Divide dough into 2 portions. Keep about 3/4 of the dough white. Into the smaller portion, knead 2-3 drops red gel food coloring or green gel food coloring.
Divide both portions in half. You should now have 2 large white portions, and 2 smaller colored portions.
Wrap 1 portion of each color dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap. Set aside.
Lightly dust countertop with confectioner’s sugar. With your hands, roll each of the remaining portions into 10-inch ropes.
Twist the white rope and the colored dough rope together.
Roll on countertop to form a smooth, thick rope, about 12-14 inches long and 1-inch thick.
With a sharp chef’s knife, trim the ends, then slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
Arrange peppermints, flat sides up, on prepared tray.
Repeat with remaining dough.
If desired, dust mints with edible glitter.
Allow soft peppermints to sit uncovered at room temperature for 8-10 hours or until dry to the touch. Use a small stepped palette knife to flip the mints halfway through to ensure that they dry evenly on both sides.
Store soft peppermints in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
You’ll need rubber gloves for kneading and adding food coloring to the dough.
Wrap dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap when not in use, to prevent it from drying out. And work quickly! Dough will crack and become difficult to work with as it dries.
