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–+ servings
overhead view of red and white christmas cream cheese mints in a milk glass bowl.

Cream Cheese Mints Recipe

Course: candy, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Dry Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 20 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 240kcal
Author: Becky Hardin
These Christmas cream cheese mints are soft, creamy, and perfectly pepperminty. Made with just five ingredients, these old fashioned cream cheese mints are a festive no-bake treat everyone loves.
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric

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
    cream cheese mixture in a bowl
  • 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.
    cream cheese mixture and red food coloring stripes in a piping bag
  • 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.
    red and white cream cheese mints piped onto parchment paper
  • 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.

Video

Notes

Yield: This recipe makes approx. 6 cups of mints.
*For a lighter mint flavor, use ½ teaspoon peppermint extract and ½ teaspoon vanilla.
Tips:
  • 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.
Make-Ahead: These mints need at least 24 hours to fully dry, so be sure to make them ahead!
Storage: Store Christmas cream cheese mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 21mg | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg