On the 7th day of Christmas, there was more peppermint and chocolate. In case you didn’t believe me when I said this is one of my favorite combinations, here’s more proof. Homemade peppermint patties are one of those things that never occurred to me, but along came Gourmet magazine’s December 2007 issue, and my Christmas treat-making has never been the same.
The bracing mint in these homemade peppermint patties paired with the deep, bittersweet chocolate is a winning combination. Along with the sea salt caramels, I make these every year, and only at Christmas. Basically, you whip up a peppermint fondant, shape it into rounds, and dip them in chocolate.
The original recipe calls for rolling them out and cutting them out with round biscuit cutters, but I found it’s a little easier to roll it into a (Pillsbury Cookie Dough-like) log and slice it. If you’re OCD about the patties being perfectly round, go for the cookie cutters, it’s the only way yours will be perfectly uniform. Alternatively, you can also roll the fondant into balls like truffles.
Honestly, this recipe blows those you-know-whos out of the water. You can use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, if you’re so inclined. You could dip a third in milk, a third in semi-sweet, and a third in bittersweet. I wholeheartedly support bittersweet chocolate because I believe it’s necessary in order to temper the extreme sweetness of the peppermint fondant.
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Homemade peppermint patties with a minty, fondant center and enrobed in deep, dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup light
- 1 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
- 10 ounces chocolate chips bittersweet
Instructions
Instructions
-
Beat 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar with corn syrup, water, peppermint extract, shortening, and a pinch of salt using an electric mixer (with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium speed until just combined.
-
Knead on a work surface dusted with remaining 1/4 cup confectioners sugar until smooth.
-
Roll into a log the size of a paper towel holder.
-
Freeze log until solid, about 1 hour.
-
Cut log into 1/2 inch slices.
-
Transfer slices to a piece of wax paper, pressing down on slices to spread the patties out.
-
Freeze slices until firm, about 30 minutes.
-
Balance 1 peppermint round on a fork and submerge in melted chocolate, letting excess drip off and scraping back of fork against rim of bowl if necessary, then return patty to sheet (to make decorative ridges on patty, immediately set bottom of fork briefly on top of patty, then lift fork straight up).
-
Coat remaining rounds and let set for 1 hour until chocolate firms up.
This is another candy recipe that doesn’t require a candy thermometer, so you have no excuse. Everyone loves homemade candy; what are you waiting for?