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York Peppermint Patties have long been one of my guilty pleasures. A strong-yet-sweet peppermint candy center, covered in dark chocolate? What could be better than that?
Perhaps I love York Peppermint Patties because I grew up in York, Pennsylvania, where peppermint patties made their debut. But it’s more likely because they’re just so good.
Peppermint patties taste fantastic straight out of the packaging. (They’re also really good when melted in the microwave for a few seconds and eaten with a spoon while warm and gooey. Just be sure to remove the foil wrapper first!) I also like to bake peppermint patties inside a dark chocolate brownie or a chewy chocolate cookie. You really can’t go wrong.
Peppermint + Strawberry: A Winning Combination
As much as I love peppermint by itself, I think combining mint with berries can really make the flavor shine. Blueberries and mint are just lovely together (blueberry mint lemonade, anyone?) and mint leaves and fresh berries work nicely in a summer fruit salad. But I especially love the combination of peppermint and strawberry.
These strawberry peppermint patties are shaped into hearts and colored with a drop of pink gel color, making for a fun Valentine’s Day twist on a classic candy. If you aren’t making these for Valentine’s Day, it’s very easy to change the shape or color of your patties as desired. See my suggestions below.
Peppermint Patty Shapes
I used a heart cutter for my patties, since I wanted them to be Valentine’s Day-themed. If yours aren’t for Valentine’s Day, you can cut them into just about any shape. (I have a set of miniature biscuit cutters with an assortment of fun shapes, so there is something for just about any occasion.) Try eggs for Easter, a candy cane shape for Christmas, or butterflies to mark the beginning of spring.
If you don’t have a small cutter, simply roll your dough into balls, then use your fingers to flatten the balls into patties (sort of like making a miniature hamburger!) Just be careful not to make your patties too big, as they are very sweet.
Decorating Your Peppermint Patties
After coating my hearts, I used an enrobing fork to make a fun design in the dark chocolate. Once the chocolate had set, I dusted each heart with rose gold lustre dust by Roxy and Rich.
In addition to lustre dust, you might consider using an edible glitter to decorate your peppermint patties. Valentine’s Day sprinkles are also a good option. Or, sprinkle your chocolate with some additional crushed freeze dried strawberries for an added pop of color. If you’re a minimalist, you could choose to leave your chocolate-dipped hearts undecorated instead.
Flavoring Options
I strongly suggest using real peppermint oil (rather than extract) in this recipe. If you don’t have peppermint oil, an extract may be substituted. Just remember that you’ll have to increase the amount used, since extracts are much weaker than pure oils.
For the strawberry portion, there are numerous options for strawberry flavoring oils and extracts available. LorAnn oils is usually my go-to, but for this particular batch I used a grocery store-bought strawberry extract instead.
Some Notes on Tempering
In simplified terms, tempering describes the process of heating and cooling chocolate couverture to specific temperatures, producing chocolate with a signature shine and snap. There are numerous methods for tempering chocolate, including seeding, tabling, and direct tempering. Tempering requires time and patience; it can be complex and difficult to master.
Chocolate tempering tutorials, such as this one by Callebaut, and this one by Valhrona, can help to explain the process. It is also worth checking to see if your chocolate manufacturer or supplier has a temperature guide available for their particular product.
A Tempering Alternative
If you aren’t familiar with tempering, you can use discs of coating chocolate for this recipe. Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is pre-tempered and will work if you want to enrobe your patties without tempering chocolate.
If using coating chocolate, you may opt to add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, shortening, or coconut oil to produce a smoother, shinier consistency for enrobing.
More Valentine’s Day recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Covered Cherries
Champagne Marshmallows
Strawberry Heart Marshmallows
And if you 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!
Strawberry Peppermint Patties
- Yield: 26-28 4 cm / 1.5 in hearts 1x
Description
Heart-shaped strawberry peppermint patties, enrobed in dark chocolate. A fun Valentine’s Day twist on a classic candy!
Ingredients
250 grams confectioner’s sugar (2 cups)
60 grams corn syrup (3 tablespoons)
55 grams unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon strawberry flavoring
3–4 drops peppermint oil, or to taste
1–2 drops pink gel food coloring (optional)
3 tablespoons freeze dried strawberries, crushed
Lustre dust, sprinkles, or additional crushed strawberries, for garnish (optional)
Good-quality dark chocolate couverture or discs of confectionery coating, for enrobing
Instructions
Line a tray or plate with a sheet of parchment.
In a mixing bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Use your hands to knead until a soft dough forms.
Knead in pink food coloring, peppermint oil, and strawberry flavoring. Taste and adjust to your liking, adding more peppermint and/or strawberry as desired.
Gently knead crushed freeze-dried strawberries into the dough.
With a rolling pin, roll dough between two sheets of parchment, to about 5/8-inch / 1 centimeteter thickness. Place on a tray and transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.
Once chilled, use a heart-shaped cutter to cut hearts from the dough. Re-roll and chill the scraps, then cut additional hearts from the excess dough.
Transfer hearts to a parchment-lined tray and chill while you prepare the chocolate.
Temper chocolate, or melt discs of coating chocolate over a double boiler. (See my notes on tempering, above). If using coating chocolate, you may opt to add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, shortening, or coconut oil to produce a smoother, shinier consistency for enrobing.
Working quickly, use an enrobing fork to dip each heart in the chocolate, making sure both sides are fully coated. Transfer hearts to a parchment-lined tray and use enrobing fork to decorate as desired, and/or sprinkle with Valentine’s Day sprinkles or additional crushed strawberries.
Once chocolate has set, brush with lustre dust or edible glitter, if using.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. If your kitchen is on the warmer side, you may opt to store your peppermint patties in the refrigerator instead.
Notes
An enrobing fork isn’t an absolute requirement for this recipe, but it will certainly make your life easier! It will also allow you to create fun decorations in your chocolates. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular fork to dip your chocolates instead.
- Category: Chocolate
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Sweets
