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Cream Cheese Mints

Melt-in-your-mouth old-fashioned cream cheese mints are easy to make with only 4 ingredients. Change candy flavor or color to suit any special holiday or occasion.

If you love classic homemade candy recipes, add divinity candy or this sweet hard candy to your holiday treat list.

Best cream cheese mints in pastel colors on a counter.
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Old-Fashioned Cream Cheese Mints

These cream cheese mints are often in pastel colors and called cream cheese wedding mints or baby shower mints. They are the kind of nostalgic treat you’d expect to find in grandma’s candy dish along with rocky road candy and homemade caramels

Why This Recipe Works

  • Addicting. These mints are sugary and solid on the outside with a center that is creamy and melts in your mouth!
  • Easy to make. There’s no turning on the oven and this recipe is prepped in 10 minutes! Even the youngest kids can help make.
  • Customizable dessert. Peppermint is perfect for a Christmas dessert board but change the color and flavor for Easter, baby showers, bridal showers or weddings.
  • Gifting. These travel well, so when wrapped up in a little decorative packaging, they make the perfect neighbor Christmas gift or party favor!

Cream Cheese Mints Recipe Ingredients

With only 5 ingredients, this traditional candy is a straightforward recipe.

Cream cheese mints ingredients on a marble counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Cream cheese: Here are tips on how to soften cream cheese if you forgot to take it out earlier. Having it soft is key! Use full fat brick-style cream cheese not spreadable from a tub, which contains too much water.
  • Butter: You’ll be creaming the butter too, so softened butter is best to use.
  • Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners sugar, this is what adds the yummy, sweet element and also helps preserve and solidify the candy (similar to cream cheese frosting). 
  • Peppermint extract: I prefer peppermint over mint and ensure you use an extract not essential oils. Use less or more to taste but be careful not too add to much or it will taste like toothpaste.
  • Food coloring: Have fun with it. If you choose to use food coloring for added flare, you can use one, two, or a few. Gel food coloring is more concentrated than liquid food coloring, so you’ll need less of it to make them vibrant.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Flavors: Add a pinch of vanilla extract to balance the peppermint or play around with other extract flavors like almond extract, lemon or orange extract.
  • Color. Make these any color you would like, you can even keep them plain white if preferred.
  • Mint chocolate: Dip each mint halfway into some melted white chocolate or dark chocolate. Use could also make a small indent in the mint and fill it with chocolate.
  • Decorate: You could also add sprinkles to the tops for the holidays.
  • Shapes: To use candy molds like flowers, candy canes, or other festive designs, roll dough balls in powdered sugar and press the dough into the molds. Remove and lay on the prepared baking sheet to set.

How to Make Cream Cheese Mints

Showing how to make cream cheese mints in a 4 step collage.
  • Combine butter and cream cheese. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat them both until creamy and smooth. 
  • Add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low and gradually add 1 cup of powdered sugar as you mix. Add in the extract and the rest of the powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of play-dough. 
  • Mix in food coloring. If you plan on adding some color, divide the dough equally into the number of colors you plan to use. Drop the food coloring into each bowl and mix until the desired color has been reached. Cover each bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
  • Form the mints! Scoop out 1 teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip a fork into powdered sugar and gently press it into the ball to flatten it. Repeat with all remaining dough. Allow them to dry for 2 hours at room temperature.
Pressed cream cheese mints on parchment paper.

Expert Tips

  • If your dough mixture is sticky, add more powdered sugar until it feels like play dough. 
  • To avoid the ridges from the fork prongs, you can use the bottom of a glass to flatten it instead.
  • Cream cheese butter mints are meant to be firm, so give them the time they need to set. They won’t make great gifts if they’re all melted into one lump!
  • Peppermint extract is not mint extract! Mint is usually reserved for savory pairings, whereas peppermint is perfect in sweets.
Red and green Christmas cream cheese mints.

Recipe FAQs

What do cream cheese mints taste like?

Despite their name, they do not taste like cheese! There is a slight tangy element, but it’s there to help with consistency. The powdered sugar is front and center, so they are sweet!

Depending on what flavor, and how much of it you use, will also determine what it ends up tasting like.  

Can I make these into other shapes?

As mentioned above you could use a candy mold which makes them very festive for showers and holidays. You could also roll the dough into a log and and cut into squares like a butter mint. These are so versatile!

How to store mints with cream cheese?

When stored properly in an airtight container in the fridge, they will stay fresh for up to 1 month. I like to separate the layers with wax paper so they do not stick together when stored.

Can I freeze homemade cream cheese mints?

Definitely! They can be kept in the freezer for 3 months+. Double the batch and keep some for later!

Cream cheese mints in small white container for serving.

Looking for more peppermint dessert recipes? Try peppermint bark, peppermint Oreo balls, and chocolate mint cookies with cake mix!

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Cream Cheese Mints

4.98 from 34 votes
↑ Click stars to rate now!
Author: Jamielyn Nye
Melt-in-your-mouth old-fashioned cream cheese mints are easy to make with only 4 ingredients. Change candy flavor or color to suit any special holiday or occasion.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Drying Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 50 mints

Video

Ingredients 

  • 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 1 Tablespoon salted butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar , divided, plus more for pressing
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract , plus an additional 1/2 teaspoon if desired
  • Food coloring , optional

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth with an electric mixer.
  • Keep the mixer on low and gradually add in 1 cup powdered sugar. Continuing to mix, add the extract and the remaining 3 cups powdered sugar. If the mixture is still sticky add a little more powdered sugar. It should be the consistency of playdough.
  • Divide into separate bowls (depending on how many colors you'd like). Mix in desired food coloring until well combined. For darker colors that use more food coloring, you may have to add a bit more powdered sugar to keep the mixture from becoming gummy. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  • Roll 1 teaspoon dough into small balls and place on parchment paper. Dip a fork into powdered sugar and gently press on top to flatten each ball. Let dry 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.

Notes

Molds: You can also press the dough into molds if you have some. I like to roll the ball in powdered sugar and then press into the mold.
Chocolate: Another fun idea is to dip them half way in melted white or dark chocolate. You could also add sprinkles for the holidays. Instead of pressing them with a fork, you could also create an imprint on the top with a teaspoon and fill with melted chocolate. 
Storage: Store mints in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 1 month or in the freezer up to 3 months. I like to place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1mint | Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.01mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

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