happy new year, friends! hope that your holiday season was wonderful + that your 2012 is off to a seriously awesome start. you’re all pretty darn fantastic, so you deserve it. =)
now, to my first 2012 post. do you have any foods that you used to love in your childhood, but through the process of growing up + starting your own life as an adult, managed to forget? i absolutely do, + i usually don’t remember them until something triggers a nostalgic childhood food memory — reading a blog post, seeing an item on a menu or something in a store, etc.
this was exactly how i felt when i came across a post for homemade butter mints over at love and flour last month. butter mints?, i thought, i used to love those things! my mom always put them out when we had dinner parties + i remember going back again + again to the candy bowl, filling up on those delicious, melt-in-your-mouth treats. i hadn’t thought of them in years, + certainly had no idea that you could make them so incredibly easily at home.
i put them on my holiday to-make list to give to family + friends, + was 100% thrilled with the results. not only are they so easy to make, but they also turned out gorgeous. i love the different pastel colors – so reminiscent of the pretty little mints i loved growing up. + they’re super versatile – you can easily coordinate the colors to work with the palette of any party or shower. i will absolutely be making them again — in fact, i might just have to make some more this week!
homemade butter mints
makes about 80-100 small mints, adapted from my life as a mrs.
ingredients
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
3-4 drops peppermint oil (or 1 tsp peppermint extract – i used peppermint extract)
food coloring of your choicedirections:
in a stand mixer, beat the softened butter for 1 minute until light + fluffy. add the powdered sugar + mix thoroughly until the mixture is dry + crumbly. use a spatula to scrape down the sides + bottom of bowl.add the milk + the peppermint oil or extract. mix thoroughly until the dough comes together + thickens. it should be very thick, not sticky + easy to mold — similar to playdough. if needed, adjust the consistency with a drop or two of milk or a dash more of powdered sugar (*note: i didn’t need to do this – the consistency came out perfect).
depending on how many colors you want to make, divide the dough. for example, i wanted to make four different colors, so i divided the dough into four separate pieces. add a drop of two of food coloring to each dough portion, + mix it into the dough, either by hand or by using a stand mixer. add more color if needed. (two drops per dough section was sufficient for me to get very pretty, bright colors).
lay out parchment paper on the counter + dust with powdered sugar. break off about 1/4 cup pieces + roll into long, skinny logs (about 1/2” thick). slice into 1/2” pieces with a pastry cutter or knife.
lay out in a single layer + let dry/harden for 24-48 hours (i let mine dry for 48 hours + they were perfect).
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{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my, these look yummy!! I’ve loved these mints since I was a child. I remember my mother making them. I would have to restrain myself from eating the whole bowl:) Thank you for sharing the recipe.
you are so welcome! hope you try ‘em out + love ‘em – they’re pretty darn awesome!
Your mints look awesome!!! I love the solid colors, and I’m so happy to hear the mints tasted as good as they look. It makes me happy to know you not only found a recipe to try but remembered something you used to enjoy as well.
thank you sooo much for the inspiration. it was awesome to have something that tasted great AND had a positive memory associated with it. so glad i stumbled across them on your blog!!
They are so pretty…lol I too am a fan of butter mints from my childhood, never thought of making them though. Thanks for sharing the recipe, I can’t wait to try this out…yay
hope they turn out great for you! they’re super easy to make – the kiddos could definitely help with this one. =)
So fun Amy! There was an Italian restaurant when I was a kid, Mama Mia, that served these mints-loved them! These days most restaurants only have hard peppermints-no thanks! But one Thai restaurant we go to has butter mints, so I always have to eat a few
Thanks for sharing this recipe and Happy New Year!
happy new year, EA! i agree – hard peppermints are not so appealing to me. these? a zillion times better. yay for nostalgic, yummy sweets!
These mints bring back a lot of good memories for me as well. I’m definitely going to have to try making these–the only danger is that I might eat them all myself! =)
i have to be honest – it’s verrrry tempting to eat them all yourself. =) consider yourself warned!
How pretty! I remember the butter mints also. I can recall when restaurants would have bowls of them by host stand or cash register. I wish I could eat mint so I could have a bowl of these around. I might make them anyway just because they are so pretty! I’m sure my husband and friends would love to have some.
oh no, you can’t eat mint? they’d be interesting to try with another flavor, like almond, coconut, or vanilla. maybe you should give ‘em a try that way. =)
i LOVE THESE! i’m thinking these would be perfect to make for a party or shower! i can’t wait to try–the bright colors are so fun!
aren’t they fun? next time i want to experiment with different colors + shapes. definitely perfect for a party or shower!
I love these. We made them for my wedding and they were a hit. I want some now!
they are so perfect for weddings! i bet yours were just amazing. =)
Omigosh, I had no idea they are so easy to make. This is really dangerous for me!
i know, right?! i was shocked at how easy they were to make (+ how delicious they turned out).
How creative! I didn’t realize they were that easy to make, they seem like some crazy candy factory thing but yay for easy peasy food or dessert
I love your colorful mints, great idea for a party or something, or little take-away gifts at a wedding or shower!
isn’t it crazy how few ingredients they have? i also assumed that they were super hard to make – not the case. yay for easy-to-make sweets!
Excited to try these! These would be perfect for my friend’s baby shower! Do 2 drops of red food coloring make pink mints?
if you’re going to make the whole batch pink, it’ll probably take 4-5 drops of red food coloring. =)
I know I’ve had these before… but it’s still not ringing a bell! I’ll just have to make them and actually taste them to remind myself
you will! can’t wait to hear how you like them!
How cute…and I’m sure homemade is WAY better than buying them in a box! I should make a batch of these in Texans colors (red and blue) for the game on Saturday. I’ve got all the ingredients on hand!!
they are definitely so much better than the boxed kind. i love your idea of making ‘em in texans colors for the game!
I love these!! I’m throwing my cousin a bridal shower at the end of Feb. and these would be perfect!
they’d definitely be perfect for shower – can’t wait to hear how they go over!
Yum! I didn’t even think about making these. I share the love of these mints from childhood…so good. Thanks for sharing!
you’re so welcome! hope you give ‘em a try + love them. =)
Lol I had no idea you could make these! Yours are so cute!
i didn’t either! it’s amazing how many things are so easy to make at home, + i love that!
Amy these look yummy and so much fun!
thanks so much, jessica! they are absolutely delicious! =)
These look like so much fun! I don’t know that I have ever tried a butter mint before, you have me curious for sure!
ooh, you’ve gotta try them! they’re melt-in-your-mouth, creamy, buttery deliciousness. i absolutely love them!
I never would have dreamed to make my own butter mints! These are sooo pretty!!
thanks so much, beth michelle! aren’t they just charming? you’ll definitely have to give ‘em a try – they’re sooo easy to make.
How do you store them and for how long do they keep? I can’t wait to try them. Although I am sure they will not last long with my bunch.
hi Mary! store them in an airtight container – either a ziplock bag or a tupperware-type container. they’ll keep for at least a week that way (if not longer). ours didn’t last more than a few days, though! =)
I am so excited about making these!One of my fav restaurants had the best buttermints that were covered in dark chocolate.Notice I said had.on a recent visit I noticed that they have been replaced with hard mints!!Boo! Hiss!:.0( How well do you think these will fair if they are dipped in chocolate after drying?
Hi Kyra! I’m so sorry that your fave restaurant no longer serves these … boooo! but i’m happy you can make ‘em at home! I haven’t tried dipping them in chocolate, but I love that idea. I’d let them dry completely, then just try one or two – i’m not sure if the heat will cause them to “melt” but it’s worth a try!
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