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Made with soft cream cheese and natural peppermint oil, these pretty, pastel-colored mints have long been an Easter favorite in my family. Growing up, we always made a batch of cream cheese peppermints to serve alongside the Easter cookies and buttercream eggs.
In our family, we always made these mints in solid colors, rolling each into a ball and topping it with a star of piped buttercream. Here I’ve given this recipe a bit of a modern upgrade, using silicone candy moulds and a swirl of gel coloring to create a tie-dye effect.
Crowd-Pleasing Homemade Peppermints
These tie-dye peppermints are sure to be a crowd pleaser at Easter, or any other time of the year. I love using pastel gel colors for these mints, but any color combination will work. (I’m already thinking of trying rainbow for my next batch!) Oh, and I brushed my mints with a bit of edible glitter, but it’s up to you rather you choose to add sparkles or not.
Tie-Dye Peppermint Tips & Tricks
It is best to use gel food coloring for this recipe, rather than liquid or powder. I chose pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow for my mints, but feel free to choose any colors you’d like! If you don’t want to make “tie dye” mints, you can make the mints in solid colors, or even skip the food coloring and retain the natural white color instead.
I highly suggest using pure peppermint oil, rather than peppermint extract (Lorann Oils is my go-to brand). However, extract will work if it’s what you happen to have on hand. Just remember that you’ll have to use a larger quantity, since extracts are less powerful than oils. I suggest taste-testing along the way until the desired level of flavor is reached. You want a robust, minty flavor, but not so strong that it overpowers the cheese.
Silicone candy moulds are fairly inexpensive, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are easily purchased via Amazon. If you do not have a silicone mould, you can use your hands to roll the mints into balls instead. Or, roll dough to about 1/2 inch / 1 1/4 centimeters thickness, and use a small metal cutter to cut the mints into your shape of choice.
Do not skip the freezing step in this recipe! Freezing will help the mints to retain their shapes when removed from the mould. If the dough is too warm, it will stick to the mould.
Other Easter recipes you might enjoy:
Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies
Creme Egg Brownie Cups
Buttercream Easter Eggs
Peanut Butter Eggs
And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me at @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Cream Cheese Peppermints
- Total Time: 35-40 minutes
- Yield: 45 1 in / 2.5 cm mints 1x
Description
Made with soft cream cheese and natural peppermint oil, these pastel tie-dye cream cheese peppermints are a crowd-pleaser at Easter, or any time of the year.
Ingredients
85 grams soft cream cheese, such as Philadelphia (3-ounce package)
350 grams confectioner’s sugar (3 cups)
2–3 drops peppermint oil, or to taste
Pinch salt
Gel food coloring
Edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine soft cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar, using your hands to knead together until a soft dough forms.
Knead in peppermint oil and salt.
Divide dough into five portions. Place each in a separate bowl. Add a few drops of gel food coloring** to each, and knead until the color has worked evenly into the dough.
Roll each dough color into a long, thin tube. Place the tubes next to each other and twist together into one big tube, allowing the colors to swirl and mix.
Using your hands, roll the tube until it is about 1 inch / 2 1/2 centimeters in diameter.
Slice tube into small segments, pressing each into one of the silicone mould*** cavities.
Once all cavities are filled, transfer mould to the freezer and freeze**** for 10-15 minutes.
Pop the mints out of the mould. Brush with edible glitter, if desired.
Place peppermints in an airtight container between rows of parchment or wax paper. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
**I used pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow, but feel free to choose any colors you’d like!
***Silicone candy moulds are fairly inexpensive, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are easily purchased via Amazon. If you do not have a silicone mould, you can use your hands to roll your mints into balls instead. Or, roll the dough to about 1/2 in / 1.25 cm thickness, and use a metal cutter to cut the mints into your shape of choice.
****Do not skip this step! Freezing will help the mints to retain their shape when removed from the mould.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Candy and Confectionery
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Sweets