When it comes to the holidays, one thing I always think of is butter mints. They’re also known as wedding mints and are popular at baby showers, but they remind me of holidays at my grandmother’s house.
She never made homemade butter mints, but I saw a recipe floating around and wanted to try making them myself to see how they compared with the boxed ones I was familiar with! You can color these to match your occasion which makes it a great recipe to have on hand!
Homemade Butter Mints
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Ever wonder what are the mints that melt in your mouth? Those are butter mints! You probably recognize them as being pastel yellow, pink, and green. But if you make them at home, they can be any color you want them to be!
These mints are very simple to make at home. You only need 6 ingredients (7, if you count the food coloring but it’s not even required!).
One batch of this recipe makes about 100 of these delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, creamy mints. The recipe is so easy that anyone can make it.
Just be sure to set aside time for the mints to rest and dry out (overnight). It’s not a spur-of-the-moment recipe but it is a simple no-bake recipe.
What are Buttermints Made of?
This candy recipe only needs six ingredients and they are familiar ones!
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Pinch of salt
- Food coloring, optional
How to Make Old Fashioned Butter Mints
Start by gathering all of your ingredients together and then follow these easy instructions.
Tip: Be sure to give your butter time to soften before you make your mints (but not melted).
Start by adding the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat butter with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy. (Using an electric mixer really is the easiest way to make this dough.)
Then add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt to the bowl. Beat to combine.
If you’re planning to make a variety of different colored mints, divide the dough into sections and wrap each section in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
Place one portion on a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Add one to two drops of food coloring and work the coloring into the dough.
Tip: Wear plastic gloves to keep the food coloring from staining your hands and to prevent color mixing across different doughs (if doing multiple colors)
After the coloring is fully incorporated, roll out the dough into a long rope and cut one-inch pieces with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
Tip: You may want to chill your dough for about an hour to make it easier to cut.
Then transfer the pieces to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and allow them to sit at room temperature overnight to dry out.
Repeat the process with each color until all of the dough has been used.
Allow your mints to dry for 24 to 48 hours. They won’t harden the way the store-bought ones do, but you will have a delicious, homemade treat that you will fall in love with.
Once all of your mints are dried out, remove them from the baking sheet and store them in an airtight container.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Salted or Unsalted Butter?
As expected, this recipe needs butter. I recommend using unsalted butter and adding salt to taste.
Peppermint Extract or Peppermint Oil
You can really use either, but if you decide to use peppermint oil, you’ll want to adjust the measurements. Generally, you substitute 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint oil for 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
This recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint. so you would use want to start with 1/8 teaspoon of peppermint oil.
If you make this substitution, please be sure that the peppermint oil you’re using is approved for consumption.
Another thing to consider is how strong you want your peppermint flavor to be. Adding more or less peppermint will affect that so you can tweak the flavor to your liking!
Can I use different extracts?
Butter mints are traditionally peppermint flavored, but you could definitely play around with the flavor of these by substituting different extracts!
You can customize these in color and flavor!
Gel food coloring or liquid food colors for this recipe?
You can use either. If you want the classic pale, pastel colors of butter mints, liquid food coloring works well. If you want to do a more modern take on them, then you could try gel. You will get a more saturated color while using less food coloring.
Can I make different-sized/shaped mints?
Absolutely! Cut the mints to your desired size. If you want to try making different shapes to fit your theme or celebration, try some mini cookie cutters. Just roll the dough out and use the cookie cutters.
I would just recommend trying to keep your shapes on the bite-sized end of sizing.
Are butter mints gluten free?
Yes, these mints are gluten free.
How to Store Butter Mints
Butter mints can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about two weeks.
You can also store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the refrigerator for a month and in the freezer for up to two months.
More Holiday Desserts
If you’re looking for some more fun ideas for the holiday season, try Hot Chocolate Dip for a quick and easy sweet treat.
Red Velvet Sheet Cake is a fun and festive dessert that’s also very simple to make.
If you’re looking for some Christmas cookies to make, try Santa’s Trash Cookies and Easy Sprinkle Cookies.
Homemade Butter Mints
Make homemade buttermints for your next celebration! Easy to make, melt in your mouth, buttery sweet treat!
Servings: 100 mints
Calories: 27
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (plus more for dusting)
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Pinch of salt
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
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Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
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Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt to the bowl. Beat to combine.
-
If adding food coloring, divide the dough into sections and wrap each section in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
-
Place one portion on a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Add one to two drops of food coloring and work the coloring into the dough. Make sure to wear plastic gloves to keep the food coloring from staining your hands.
-
After the coloring is fully incorporated, roll out the dough into a long rope and cut one-inch pieces with a knife.
-
Transfer the pieces to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow them to sit at room temperature overnight to dry out.
-
Repeat the process with each color until all the dough has been used.
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Once mints are dry, store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 mint | Calories: 27 kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.8 g | Fat: 0.9 g | Saturated Fat: 0.6 g | Sugar: 4.7 g