Homemade Peppermint Patties

You will never want to return to store-bought once you've tried these Homemade Peppermint Patties! They have a creamy peppermint center that's chilled and then dipped into rich, melted chocolate. They're easy to make and are absolutely delicious!

Grab Your Ingredients

Below is the list of all the ingredients you'll need to make these delicious homemade peppermint patties!

• Powdered Sugar. You'll need 3 ¾ cups. If measuring by cup instead of a scale, ensure it's firmly packed. Set aside some extra powdered sugar for coating the rolling pin, wax paper, and circle cookie cutter.
• Unsalted Butter. Only three tablespoons are needed, but ensure it's softened to room temperature. This will help make it easier to blend in with the other ingredients.
• Evaporated Milk. Not to be confused with heavy cream or sweetened condensed milk. Only ¼ cup is needed. I used a 4-ounce can of evaporated milk—the smallest I could find—so with the remaining amount, I chose to make another batch of peppermint patties.
• Peppermint Extract. I used McCormick's brand, but use what you can find. 2 teaspoons are needed.
• Vanilla Extract. Just ½ teaspoon is needed to help round out the peppermint and chocolate.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. You'll need one 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips.
• Coconut Oil or Vegetable Shortening. 2 tablespoons. Both will do a good job of thinning the chocolate. The coconut oil will help give it a little more shine after the chocolate has set.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. You can use this as an optional topping for the peppermint patties.

Substitutions

Dark Chocolate Chips. I have also used Ghirardelli's 72% dark chocolate baking chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips, which taste fantastic! I don't recommend using milk chocolate chips as a substitute.

Paraffin Wax. I understand paraffin wax—used with my Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs—is not for everyone and can be a little harder to find in some areas. It does do a fabulous job of thinning the chocolate, adding some shine after the melted chocolate has set, and preventing the chocolate from melting if the peppermint patties are left out at room temperature. I still recommend keeping them chilled, though.

Recommended Tools

• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
• Spatulas
• Rolling Pin
• Forks or Candy Dipping Tools. The latter is nice, but the forks do just as good of a job.
• Circle Cookie Cutter. Recommended size is ¼ inch.
• Baking Sheets. One for placing the cutout peppermint patty rounds and another after dipping them in the melted chocolate.
• Wax Paper. It works perfectly when rolling out the peppermint patty filling, removing the peppermint patty rounds, and finishing peppermint patties after they have been dipped in the chocolate.
• Paper Towels. Good for placing your candy dipping tools on or wiping them off.
• Paring Knife. For cutting off any excess hardened chocolate around the peppermint patties.

How to Make the Recipe

Here's a brief overview of how to make these copycat York peppermint patties. Scroll down to the homemade peppermint patties recipe card for the full recipe.

STEP 1. Mix up the peppermint filling. A stand mixer is my preference for making the creamy peppermint filling. Beat together the powdered sugar and softened unsalted butter over low speed. Add in the evaporated milk and the peppermint and vanilla extracts.

STEP 2. Roll out, then chill the peppermint patty filling. Generously sprinkle powdered sugar over a sheet of wax paper, then the peppermint patty filling, topped with a little more powdered sugar, and another sheet of wax paper. Roll it out to about a ¼-inch thickness. Chill the dough in the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

STEP 3. Cut out the rounds. You'll need a circle cookie cutter or something similar to cut out the peppermint patty rounds. I found that using a 1.5-inch size circle cookie cutter works best. Mine are from a set of 10 Ateco circle cookie cutters.

STEP 4. Freeze once more. This is optional but a step I highly recommend. Freeze the rounds for another 20-30 minutes in the freezer. Keep them in the freezer until you're ready for the chocolate dipping.

STEP 5. Melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate chips, coconut oil, or vegetable shortening into a medium or large microwaveable bowl. Stir a little, then microwave for 1 minute at full power. Stir, then microwave once more for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

STEP 6. Dip the peppermint patty rounds. Working as quickly as possible, with a fork or candy-making tools, take a peppermint patty round and dip it in the melted chocolate. Lift up, then gently tap the fork on the edge of the bowl a few times to allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the pan. Carefully place it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat until you've covered each peppermint patty round in the chocolate.

STEP 7. Refrigerate or freeze. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for about 15-20 minutes to let the chocolate set. Then enjoy! Keep them stored in the refrigerator or (better option) freezer.

Storing Peppermint Patties

The best way to keep your peppermint patties fresh is in either the refrigerator or, even better yet, the freezer. In the freezer, they'll last forever. Perfect for when you want to have a little bit of chocolate.

With either option, keeping them in an airtight container separated by sheets of wax paper so the layers of peppermint patties won't stick together is best.

Optional Circle Cookie Cutter Options

If you don't have circle cookie cutters, try using the top of a medicine bottle or roll the peppermint patty filling into 1-inch balls and flatten to about ¼ inch with the bottom of a glass.

Coat the bottom of the glass with some powdered sugar to prevent the peppermint patty round from sticking to the glass.

Helpful Tips

TIP 1. Cold is key! Keeping the peppermint patty filling cold for as long as possible will help you throughout this process. Freezing the filling for 45 minutes to 1 hour will help when it comes time to cut out the peppermint patty rounds. Several hours or—my preference—overnight in the freezer is even better.

Freezing them again for about 20-30 minutes after you have cut out the rounds is also helpful. While not required, it does help keep peppermint patty rounds from falling apart as you dip them into the hot, melted chocolate.

TIP 2. Use a non-stick surface. For rolling out the peppermint patty filling, having a non-stick surface underneath the wax paper will help prevent everything from moving around too much. I like to use my Tovolo Mat for recipes like this. It's equally great for rolling out pie crust too!

TIP 3. Coat your tools. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the wax paper, which will help prevent the peppermint patty filling from sticking to everything as you roll it out. It's also a good idea to coat your circle cutter with powdered sugar.

TIP 4. Prep your dipping station. Before dipping the peppermint patty rounds into the melted chocolate, ensure you have prepped your area. Doing so will allow you to work quickly through this part of the recipe.

I place a baking sheet lined with wax paper to the side where I'll be dipping my peppermint patty rounds into the chocolate. I also keep a sheet or two of paper towels to place my fork onto or wipe off.