Messages of Love with Peppermint Patties

So my husband bought a bag of the most popular
brand of peppermint patties and I was so disappointed
to taste absolutely no minty-ness at all!

SOOOOOO, I was on a mission……

My first attempt at these was a total disaster!
Several things just were not right.
The peppermint extract was not minty AT ALL,
I added 1-2 tsp. incrementally and eventually ended up using the
whole bottle and there was not a hint of mint.
Right in the trash!

What’s going on with the peppermint?!! My husband
said he would make some…..we have tons of peppermint
plants and add some vodka, let it rest for a few months…….
Sounded good but I wanted some peppermints NOW!!!!

I was going to resort to buying peppermints from a specialty
candy maker either locally or online. But they are very
difficult to find as well. On a walk through downtown one day,
I went in to a kitchen store and found a reputable brand of
peppermint extract and decided to give it a whirl.

Success! But I still was surprised how much
extract I needed to add to achieve the
level of minty-ness I was striving for.

HOW TO….

Start by making the minty part. Easy peasy using a stand mixer.
Just add all the ingredients and mix until smooth.
Add the peppermint extract in 1-2 tsp. increments
and taste as you go to get the desired minty-ness.
From previous trials and errors with forming the filling into balls,
this time I put the mixture in a plastic bag, cut off the corner
and piped small dollops onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Pop these into the frig or freezer while you
get the chocolate ready.

Chop your chocolate of choice into small pieces and place in micro in
20-30 second intervals. Stir and repeat until mixture is fully
melted and smooth. Adding a small amount of a neutral oil makes
for a shinier finish and a less brittle quality to the chocolate,
but this is totally optional.

Using a spoon, fill each muffin-lined tin with the chocolate.
Enough to cover the bottom plus give some thickness to the base.
Once you fill all the cups, tap the pan on the counter a few times
to get an even distribution of the chocolate.

Take the dollops of mint and form into a ball.
Press flat.

Pop these into the muffin tin pressing down a bit
so the chocolate rises up around the sides a bit.

Final step, add more chocolate over the top to completely
cover the mint. Give the pan a few more taps on the counter to
flatten out the top and to even out the chocolate.
Now, pop in the frig or freezer to set up.

This is my attempt with the first 12 to hand-dip.
Kind of a mess but they still taste amazing.
Then I tried the muffin tin method and it worked out brilliantly!

Now if your crazy like me, to make them fancy and add
messages, I used a decorating pen filled with white
chocolate and created a special message to my husband
for our 23rd wedding anniversary.

What else do you get someone that you have
known for 30 years? When he loves chocolate,
the idea is staring me in the face!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!!!

SIMPLE (sort of)
AND FUN TO CREATE!

Check out my peanut butter cups using this same technique!

Print

Messages of Love with Peppermint Patties

I was on a mission to make these at home, the first batch went into the trash (so sad!) but these totally made up for that disaster!

Course: Dessert, sweet

Keyword: chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint extract, candy

Ingredients

Minty Middle

• 1/4 cup salted butter, room temp (soft)
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1-5 tsp peppermint extract (add 1 tsp at a time and taste, add more as needed)
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (important to sift to avoid lumps)

Chocolate Shell

• 6-8 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, melted (may use milk, dark, white chocolate or any combination)
• 1/2-1 tsp neutral oil or butter, optional

Instructions

1. Line muffin tins with paper liners. You can use any size muffin tin; mini, regular, or large! This recipe makes 24 mini's.

2. Combine minty middle ingredients and mix in a stand mixer for ~ 2-3 minutes for a smooth consistency.

3. Place all dough into a plastic bag (or pastry bag if you have), cut off a corner (not too big) and pipe small dollps onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill for ~ 15 min. then form into balls and flatten out with your hands. Re-chill while you prepare the chocolate.

4. Chop chocoloate into small pieces and melt chocolate in microwave in 20 sec intervals until smooth. Add oil if using and stir to combine.

5. Add chocolate to liners to coat bottom, tap to evenly distribute.

6. Place one minty middle piece in each cup and press gently so a bit of chocolate rises up the sides.

7. Add more chocolate to cover minty middle and tap pan again.

8. Chill in frig or freezer to set up.

9. Optional: decorate the tops using a pastry bag and any desired tip. I used melted white chocolate but you could use any type.

10. Store in an airtight container in frig or freezer. I prefer the freezer!

Recipe Notes

• may use any type of chocolate
• idea:  use dark on bottom and white chocolate on top or vice versa.
• add sprinkles, nuts, or whatever you can think of to make these fun and make your own statement!
• recipe adapted from Butter with a Side of Bread version.