Cream Cheese Mints are a classic holiday treat our family loves to make! This year, we made a batch of White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Mints just to shake things up a bit!
Cream Cheese Mints Recipe
I’m always looking for little holiday goodies to make as it’s what I grew up doing with my mom. It wasn’t just about the cinnamon rolls, sticky buns and banana cream pies at our house. No, it was also about truffles and candies! These peppermint cream cheese mints melt in your mouth and make for wonderful holiday gifts.
Cream cheese mints are one of the easiest candies to make. Absolutely no thermometer or pacing in front of a pot of sugar is required. All you need is cream cheese, peppermint extract and powdered sugar! In this case, we added red food coloring and a quick white chocolate ganache in the center to make them a little more festive for Christmas.
Cream Cheese Mints Ingredients
Cream cheese mints are such an easy no-bake dessert to make around the holidays! All you need are six simple ingredients to make a big batch:
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Peppermint extract
- Red gel food coloring
- Heavy whipping cream
- White chocolate chips
How to Make Cream Cheese Mints
These cream cheese mints need to chill in the fridge for a bit before they can be served, but otherwise this is a really quick recipe to make. Here’s how we make cream cheese mints:
- Mix together the softened cream cheese and part of the powdered sugar.
- Add in the food coloring and peppermint extract.
- Slowly mix in the remaining powdered sugar (see our tips at the end of this post for doing this).
- Once the dough comes together, shape the mints into small balls and place on parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Make an indentation in the center of the mints with the back of a teaspoon.
- Place the mints in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Once chilled, make the white chocolate ganache. Pipe the ganache into the center of the mints.
- Return the mints to the fridge to set up.
Do I Have to Add Food Coloring?
Nope, not if you don’t want to! We just liked the way the red mints contrasted with the white chocolate ganache.
How Long Do Cream Cheese Mints Last?
If stored in an airtight container, these cream cheese mints will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Tips for Making Cream Cheese Mints
It’s crucial that you start out with softened cream cheese. Cold cream cheese can lead to lumpy mints.
When adding in the powdered sugar, stir in just 1 cup at a time. This process can be a little confusing since the more powdered sugar you add, the more separated everything becomes — but just keep going!
If your dough is soft and holding together when you roll it into a ball, you can stop adding powdered sugar. Sometimes we leave out up to 1 whole cup of sugar, but you just have to watch it.
We tested and tested this cream cheese mint recipe and ours came out perfectly with this amount of sugar listed in the recipe card below, so you should be good to go. However, if the dough starts to look dry and crumbly when you squeeze some together in your hand, don’t be afraid to stop adding powdered sugar.
More Easy No-Bake Desserts:
- Hot Cocoa No-Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Fudge
- Peanut Butter White Chocolate Christmas Pretzels
- Festive Chocolate-Covered Oreos (Santa or Grinch!)
- Lumps of Coal Oreo Truffles
- 6-Minute Microwave Caramels
- …All of Our Christmas Recipes!
White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Mints
Description
Ingredients
- 4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 4½ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- Red Gel Food Color
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 10 oz White Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Combine the softened cream cheese and one cup of powdered sugar in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to combine.
- Add the peppermint extract and red food gel, mixing again to combine.
- Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until combined, using your hands to really work everything together in the end.
- Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet and begin to roll out 1 teaspoon full of dough in the palm of your hands. Repeat until everything is done.
- Use a 1/4 Teaspoon to press an indentation into the center of the dough.
- Chill the mints until firm, about 1 hour.
- Place chocolate chips or white chocolate shavings in a glass bowl.
- Bring heaving whipping cream just to a simmer with foam around the edges, and then pour over the top of the chocolate chips. Stir a few times to combine and then let sit for a couple of minutes.
- Continue stirring until the chocolate is fully melted and incorporated.
- Transfer the ganache to a ziploc bag and let it cool for 30 minutes or so until it has thickened up.
- Snip the end off of the bag, a small snip and pipe the ganache into each mint's well.
- Chill for 1 hour and store all leftovers in the fridge.