These cream cheese mints are one of my favorite old-fashioned treats to make for Christmas. They’re soft, melt-in-your-mouth, and perfectly sweet with a refreshing peppermint bite. I make mine with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract–simple ingredients that come together into the cutest little swirls. I love piping them in red and green for a festive touch, and these cream cheese mints always disappear fast at parties. They’re the perfect after-dinner treat, stocking stuffer, or homemade edible gift!
Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Mints
These Christmas mints feel nostalgic in the best way, just like the old fashioned cream cheese mints I grew up eating at holiday parties. The mixture comes together in minutes, and the flavor is classic holiday peppermint with a creamy texture that melts on the tongue. All you need is a star tip, a little food coloring, and plenty of powdered sugar to make the mixture pipe beautifully. They’re naturally gluten-free, require no cooking, and look like they came straight from a Christmas candy shop.
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Test One Mint Before Piping the Whole Batch
After lots of recipe testing, I learned that the moisture level in cream cheese changes from brand to brand, and even varies with humidity. That affects how well the mints “dry down” and keep their shape. Before piping a full tray, I always pipe one mint and let it sit for about 10 minutes. If it softens, spreads, or loses its ridges, the mixture needs a bit more powdered sugar or 5-10 minutes of chilling. This tiny test guarantees your cream cheese mints hold their shape and dry perfectly every time.
Cream Cheese Mints Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set
Ingredients
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature (¾ brick)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (½ stick)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract *
- Red and green food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and peppermint extract together until completely smooth, about 3 minutes.4 cups powdered sugar, 6 ounces cream cheese, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- In a piping bag fitted with a star tip, use the handle of a spoon or a toothpick to place 3 lines of red or green food coloring in the piping bag. The lines should be up and down the length of the bag and not sideways.Red and green food coloring
- Fill the bag ¾ full with the cream cheese mint mixture.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle above the parchment paper. Pipe little swirls onto the parchment, making sure none of them touch, until all of the mint mixture is used.
- These mints can be as large or as small as you would like. Once all of the mints are piped, let set for 24 hours at room temperature to dry completely before storing.
Notes
- If your powdered sugar is clumpy, sift it first so your mints pipe smoothly.
- You can quickly soften cream cheese by placing it in the microwave and using your soften setting. You can also heat it for 10 seconds, making sure it doesn’t start to heat through.
- If the mixture feels too soft to pipe, chill it for 10-15 minutes to firm it up.
- If you don’t have a star tip, you can use any other tip that you prefer with your piping bag.
- Practice a few swirls on parchment before piping the full batch to get your pressure right.
- Wipe and reload new stripes of food coloring halfway through piping if the color lines start to fade.
- Feel free to add a few nonpareils to your mints if you’d like.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, you can roll the cream cheese mixture into balls and gently press with the back of a fork like you would for peanut butter cookies.
- Be sure to let the mints sit out in the open air to become fully solid before you store them! It takes 24 hours to complete this process.
- If your kitchen is humid, place the trays in the coolest, driest room in your home so the mints firm up properly.
- Once dried, place the mints in the refrigerator to preserve their freshness and texture.
- If your mints get too firm in the fridge, let them sit at room temp for a few minutes before serving.
How to Store and Freeze
Store cream cheese mints in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
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