This is my Homemade Peppermint Patties recipe, the way I learned to make it as a kid. You will never BELIEVE the secret, base ingredient that the filling is built on!
Originally published November 30, 2011, Updated on 10/27/22
When I was a kid, my mom used to make the best peppermint patties... out of mashed potatoes. I thought it was the weirdest thing in the world, but they sure were tasty!
I don’t know what got me thinking of this recently, but I decided to use that information, and come up with my own peppermint patty recipe.
Knowing that I’d only need a small amount of potato, I got a bit lazy .. Err.. CREATIVE, and picked up a couple “sour cream and chive” baked potatoes at Wendy’s!
It only took a minute to scrape off the chives, and voila! Tons of time saved. Suck it, Martha Stewart!
Note: The original photos for this post are at the end of the post. The updated, nicer photos throughout this post were with milk chocolate!
The creamy peppermint center gets whipped together in just minutes, no need for boiling corn syrup, etc
It only takes about 5 minutes to mix it the minty filling, another 5 or so to roll/flatten, and probably 10-15 to dip them. SO worth it.
While this is the perfect recipe for the holiday season, it’s a delicious treat any time of the year.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
This recipe uses really simple ingredients that will be easy to find in most grocery stores.
A few notes:
Russet potatoes
As I mentioned above, the easiest way to do this is to just buy a couple baked potatoes. It’s one of those times where I’m willing to pay a few dollars more, for an easier time!
Alternately, if I plan ahead, I’ll just bake two extra potatoes if I’m already making them for dinner.
The size of your potato will determine how much filling you’ll end up with, so I recommend having extra powdered sugar and dipping chocolate on hand.
Also, I find the mashing potatoes goes a lot better when they’re still warm. Not necessarily piping hot, mind you, but don’t chill them first!
Chocolate Coating
You can use whatever chocolate you’d like for this, just know that the quality of the chocolate you pick will influence the quality of your finished peppermint patties.
You can use chocolate chips - Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Chips, Milk Chocolate Chips, White Chocolate Chips - a few good chocolate bars, or baking chocolate.
12 oz is the bare minimum I recommend having on hand, some batches I've made have taken twice as much. How much you’ll need will depend on a few variables, such as:
How much filling your potatoes made
The number and dimensions of your patties
How thin your chocolate melts to
Dipping technique
I find it best to have an extra pack or two, and melt in small batches.
Better to have extra chocolate I can use later, than to end up with a bunch of undipped filling rounds!
Peppermint Extract
Use actual Peppermint Extract, not peppermint oil / peppermint essential oil.
Also, feel free to play with the flavoring in this - if you’re not a fan of mint, ANY extract can be used!
Add a little food coloring, and you can make an assortment of cherry, orange, maple... whatever fillings you can imagine!
Even just a really nice quality Pure Vanilla Extract, for fantastic vanilla creams.
Butter
I use unsalted dairy butter, but for vegan peppermint patties, you can use a plant based alternative - just be sure to make sure your chocolate is also vegan.
Everything Else
You’ll also need:
Confectioners’ sugar / powdered sugar / icing sugar
Pinch salt
... I just really don’t have anything to add, for them!
How to Make Peppermint Patties
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is a step-by-step recipe walk through with additional tips and info:
Prepare the Peppermint Filling
Cut potatoes in half, scoop the insides into a large bowl, being careful not to include any of the skin.
Add butter and salt, mash as well as you can – you want it as smooth as possible!
Note: There are different ways to get your potatoes as smooth as possible. You can beat them on medium speed in a stand mixer (with a paddle attachment), use a hand mixer / electric mixer in a large mixing bowl, or use a potato ricer.
Carefully stir in 1 cup of powdered sugar – the mixture will go VERY liquid, don’t worry when this happens!
If there are any lumps in the mixture at this point, run it through a wire sieve, mashing the mixture as you go. Discard any lumps that you can’t force through.
Stir in peppermint extract (1 teaspoon for mildly minty, up to teaspoons peppermint extract for “in your face” minty!) until well incorporated.
Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar, stirring or beating on low speed until it forms a thick dough. (You may need more than 6 cups, depending on how wet your potatoes were!).
Knead the dough a couple times, until it forms a smooth ball.
Make the Patties
Cover your work surface - and a large baking sheet - with sheets of parchment paper or wax paper.
Pinch off bits of the dough that are big enough to make balls that are about 1″ in diameter. Roll each bit into a ball, then flatten into a disk.
Place dough disks in single layers on your prepared baking sheet(s).
Once all of the dough is made into disks, place patties into a freezer for at least 2 hours.
Dip the Mints
When you’re ready to dip the mints:
Chop up the chocolate into little pieces, place in a heatproof bowl, and melt chocolate in whatever way your prefer.
Note: I like use a small bowl to microwave them in 30 second intervals (stirring after each), because I can’t be bothered with a double boiler for melting chocolate.
When chocolate is fully melted and smooth, remove cookie sheet from the freezer and dip patties one at a time.
For Smooth Tops
Place a disk on a fork (Resting on it, not speared with it!), and dip in the chocolate, gently turning it over a few times in the melted chocolate.
With the mint on the flat surface of the fork, gently knock the fork against the bowl a few times to get rid of excess chocolate.
Carefully slide the dipped peppermint patty off of the fork, and onto a piece of parchment paper.
For the more textured top, flip the mint upside down, and use the tines of a fork to swirl chocolate on any “bald” spots on top of the chocolate.
Note: You can use a fondue fork if you’d like.
I prefer to let them sit at room temperature, as I find transferring them to the fridge usually ends up with condensation on them.
Once hardened, store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
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Homemade Peppermint Patties Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Baked russet potatoes Still warm!
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted butter softened
- Pinch Salt
- 6+ cups Confectioners / Icing / Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon Peppermint extract
- 12 oz Chocolate of choice 12 oz is the bare minimum I recommend having on hand.
Instructions
- Cut potatoes in half, scoop the insides into a mixing bowl, being careful not to include any of the skin. Add butter and salt, mash as well as you can – you want it as smooth as possible!
- Carefully stir in 1 cup of powdered sugar – the mixture will go VERY liquid, don’t worry when this happens!
- If there are any lumps in the mixture at this point, run it through a wire sieve, mashing the mixture as you go. Discard any lumps that you can’t force through.
- Stir in peppermint extract (1 teaspoon for mildly minty, up to 2 teaspoon for “in your face” minty!) until well incorporated.
- Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar, stirring until it forms a thick dough. (You may need more than 6 cups, depending on how wet your potatoes were!). Knead the dough a couple times, until it forms a smooth ball.
- Pinch off bits of the dough that are big enough to make balls that are about 1″ in diameter. Roll each bit into a ball, then flatten into a disk.
- Place disks on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Once all of the dough is made into disks, place cookie sheet into a freezer for at least 2 hours.
- When you’re ready to dip the mints:
- Chop up the chocolate into little pieces, place in a glass bowl, and melt them. I like to microwave them in 30 second intervals (stirring after each), because I can’t be bothered with a double boiler.
- When chocolate is fully melted and smooth, remove cookie sheet from the freezer and dip them one at a time.
- I placed a disk on a fork (on it, not speared with it!), and gently turned it over a few times in the chocolate. With the mint on the flat surface of the fork, I gently knocked the fork against the bowl a few times to get rid of excess chocolate.
- For a smooth top, carefully slide the mint off of the fork, and onto foil or parchment paper. For the more textured top, flip the mint upside down, and use the fork to swirl chocolate on any “bald” spots.
- Let mints cool until chocolate is hardened, then enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Older Photos
What an interesting idea! Have never seen this recipe. Will try it this weekend and report the results (maybe even do a How to Video on Gourmet Candy Maker! i LOVE peppermint patties so this will be a great treat!
Thanks for sharing. Our Mom's and Grandma's recipes are wonderful to pass along.
These look delicious! I'm definitely trying a batch! Thanks for the post.
I made these for us and for a bake sale at work and got great compliments. People were flattened when I said I used baked potatoes. Wonderful recipe, Marie!
Isn't it wild?
Why did you switch from semi-sweet chocolate to milk chocolate? Was the taste better?
You can use either, I just have a raging sweet tooth and prefer the milk chocolate. My husband prefers the semi sweet, or even dark.