DIY: Homemade Peppermint Patties
Halloween is just a couple of days away, but you won’t find any spooky decorations at my house. I’m pretty much the scrooge of Halloween… I think I stopped trick or treating before I was out of grade school, and only dressed up once (in college, and it was a tie-dye t-shirt – I made myself a hippie) since then… I hate scary movies… spiders, skulls and eye balls gross me out.
However, I do find that Halloween has one redeeming quality – the candy, of course! Now that I can get behind. I haven’t done too much in the way of homemade candy lately, and I thought the upcoming holiday would be a good excuse.
I went through a serious York Peppermint Pattie phase about 10 years ago. I loved how refreshing the combination of peppermint and dark chocolate was, plus I loved that those little patties had a smidgen of the calories of a legit candy bar. Making them at home has been on my to-do list for a long time, and I’m glad I finally got around to making them. These homemade peppermint patties are so easy to make, and I couldn’t get over the fact that they taste EXACTLY like their namesake.
The filling for the peppermint patties comes together quickly and is chilled briefly before being rolled out and cut into rounds. The round are frozen, then dipped in dark chocolate and left to set up for about an hour.
I took a couple tastes of the filling after I had mixed it, and thought it tasted good, but it wasn’t until it was rolled out and covered in dark chocolate that the familiar taste hit me. I really was stunned at what a perfect copycat recipe this is! I used 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract in the filling, which I thought was good and mild. If you enjoy a bigger punch of peppermint flavor, I would bump it up just a bit, and I’ve indicated that in the recipe below.
If you tend to eschew Halloween like me but don’t want to totally neglect the holiday, homemade candy is your answer! It also goes without saying that these homemade peppermint patties would make a most excellent Christmas treat, both for holiday cookie trays and gift-giving.
One year ago: Pumpkin Pancakes and Candy Corn and Pretzel Chocolate Bark
Two years ago: How To Make Compound Butter
Four years ago: Homemade Caramel Apples and Pumpkin Cheesecake
Seven years ago: Bostini Cream Pie
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Yield: About 50 patties
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
A homemade rendition of York Peppermint Patties.
Ingredients:
7½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
⅓ cup evaporated milk
⅓ cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
1 to 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
24 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
1. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the powdered sugar, evaporated milk, corn syrup, coconut oil and peppermint extract until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in two and form into disks, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Sprinkle a clean work surface with powdered sugar, place one of the disks on the surface, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, and roll out to a ¼-inch thickness. Using a 1⅞-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and place on the prepared baking sheet. Gather scraps and re-roll and cut additional circles until no more dough remains. Repeat with the second disk of dough. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the rounds are firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
3. When ready to dip the patties, place the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
4. Working with one round at a time, dip into the chocolate using a fork and allow any excess chocolate to drip off before returning the patty to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all of the peppermint rounds and allow to set at room temperature, about 1 hour. The homemade peppermint patties can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
(Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
